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Maths exam on the news!

HAS EVERYONE SEEN THE STUFF ALL ON THE NEWS ONLINE ABOUT THE MATHS EXAM! Really makes me feel better :smile: Also there is a petition which people are signing to make the grade boundaries low at the moment it has around 18000 signatures!

SIGN IT

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/lower-the-grade-boundaries-for-edexcel-paper-1h
(edited 8 years ago)

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Reply 1
Avatar for Dr Gordon
Dr Gordon
I have not seen the question but I saw the article on BBC News.
n2 - n - 90 = 0 has two solutions : n=9 and n= -10.
Without seeing the question I do not know why it was a problem but I cannot see what relevance it has to the probability of two sweets being orange. The presenter said
Reply 2
Avatar for futbol
futbol
18
There's stuff on the news about the maths exam?! :s-smilie:
Reply 3
Avatar for Stevo F
Stevo F
18
This was the question:
Hannah has 6 orange sweets and some yellow sweets. overall, she has n sweets.The probability of her taking 2 orange sweets is 1/3. Prove that n^2-n-90=o

Took me 30 seconds, if you think about what you'd do if n was a number and not get scared by it it's fairly easy really.

The grade boundaries are changed every year to make a certain number of people get each grade, a petition will make absolutely no difference to anything, but sign it if it makes you feel better.
Reply 4
Avatar for Emm_mma
Emm_mma
OP
2
Original post by Stevo F
This was the question:
Hannah has 6 orange sweets and some yellow sweets. overall, she has n sweets.The probability of her taking 2 orange sweets is 1/3. Prove that n^2-n-90=o

Took me 30 seconds, if you think about what you'd do if n was a number and not get scared by it it's fairly easy really.

The grade boundaries are changed every year to make a certain number of people get each grade, a petition will make absolutely no difference to anything, but sign it if it makes you feel better.


I also doubted the petition because of exactly the same reason but my friends banged on about it so i was like merh wont hurt :/
Reply 5
Avatar for Emm_mma
Emm_mma
OP
2
Original post by futbol
There's stuff on the news about the maths exam?! :s-smilie:


Yeah look

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/11652918/Students-vent-their-frustration-at-Edexcel-GCSE-maths-exam.html

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-04/students-mock-their-gcse-edexcelmaths-exam-on-twitter/
Reply 6
Avatar for Emm_mma
Emm_mma
OP
2
Original post by Dr Gordon
I have not seen the question but I saw the article on BBC News.
n2 - n - 90 = 0 has two solutions : n=9 and n= -10.
Without seeing the question I do not know why it was a problem but I cannot see what relevance it has to the probability of two sweets being orange. The presenter said


I understand the method now but in the exam i didnt get it the whole question threw me and confused me ... :frown:
Petition isn't going to change anything...at least be grateful that you didn't have an actual impossible question in your exam, like the one in a D1 A-level maths paper a few years back
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13627415
Original post by Dr Gordon
I have not seen the question but I saw the article on BBC News.
n2 - n - 90 = 0 has two solutions : n=9 and n= -10.
Without seeing the question I do not know why it was a problem but I cannot see what relevance it has to the probability of two sweets being orange. The presenter said


WRONG
n = 10
Reply 9
Avatar for Emm_mma
Emm_mma
OP
2
Original post by yelllowribbon
Petition isn't going to change anything...at least be grateful that you didn't have an actual impossible question in your exam, like the one in a D1 A-level maths paper a few years back
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13627415



I know i have said that but what people are saying is that it wouldnt hurt to sign it if you wanted too because it might do something you never know. Lots of people are against signing it which is fine its totally an individual opinion.
Original post by ckfeister
WRONG
n = 10


No n=10 or -9

Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Emm_mma
I know i have said that but what people are saying is that it wouldnt hurt to sign it if you wanted too because it might do something you never know. Lots of people are against signing it which is fine its totally an individual opinion.


Yeah of course it doesn't hurt to sign it, but again, it will change absolutely nothing...the grade boundaries are calculated on how everybody across the country did, so a petition isn't going to lower them
Original post by Stevo F


Unofficial mark scheme was wrong?
Original post by Emm_mma
I know i have said that but what people are saying is that it wouldnt hurt to sign it if you wanted too because it might do something you never know. Lots of people are against signing it which is fine its totally an individual opinion.

Doesn't seem like an individual opinion to me, seems like one person got butthurt because they did badly in their exam, made a petition, and now loads of people are jumping on the bandwagon to try to get an unfair advantage on every other year group, as fruitless as it may be...
Original post by yelllowribbon
Yeah of course it doesn't hurt to sign it, but again, it will change absolutely nothing...the grade boundaries are calculated on how everybody across the country did, so a petition isn't going to lower them


Averagely...... almost EVERYONE got ONE GRADE LOWER then expected like some want As and they think they only got like 40 marks, others want a B and think got like 25 and other wanted a C and think they got like 29.
I want an A but I think I only got around 55-75 marks can't tell as it was quiet wordy but it will be lower then last years as everyone is complaining and not everyone complained like this last year!
Original post by Stevo F
Doesn't seem like an individual opinion to me, seems like one person got butthurt because they did badly in their exam, made a petition, and now loads of people are jumping on the bandwagon to try to get an unfair advantage on every other year group, as fruitless as it may be...


If you didn't do exam sh
Reply 16
Avatar for Emm_mma
Emm_mma
OP
2
Original post by Stevo F
Doesn't seem like an individual opinion to me, seems like one person got butthurt because they did badly in their exam, made a petition, and now loads of people are jumping on the bandwagon to try to get an unfair advantage on every other year group, as fruitless as it may be...


Look im not arguing. There is a petition, which you are right, probs wont change anything so dont take it out on me for it i did not create it. sign it if you want. if you dont want to dont. if you dont like the idea thats fine. if you like it thats fine. Im not on any side?!
The question was fine. It was a difficult one for GCSE but examination boards have been told by the government to make papers tougher.
In my earlier blog I did not know the question. The original BBC presentation was incomplete. The later explanation was better and Lewis Martin's answer was correct.
There is no need for a petition which is complaining about one question being too hard. It was hard but possible. A star stuff.
Original post by ckfeister
Unofficial mark scheme was wrong?

I haven't seen an unofficial markscheme but if you factorise n^2 -n - 90=0
you get (n-10)(n+9)=0
N=10 or -9
Sorry for previous typo, this is the answer
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Emm_mma
Look im not arguing. There is a petition, which you are right, probs wont change anything so dont take it out on me for it i did not create it. sign it if you want. if you dont want to dont. if you dont like the idea thats fine. if you like it thats fine. Im not on any side?!

I'm not arguing against you, I'm arguing against the idea of the petition, all I'm saying is if the examining board were to artificially change grades because of the petition it's unfair on other year groups..

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