Is there a difference between OCR, AQA and edexcel?

ireneTM88_01

6

I'm using OCR , how is it different from the others?

Reply 1

eggyeol

20

Original post by ireneTM88_01

I'm using OCR , how is it different from the others?

Their syllabuses might be quite different and obviously they'll have different grade boundaries but other than that there's not much.

Reply 2

Compost

19

There's not a massive difference in content as Ofqual tells them what they have to include but the way the questions are set differs. Overall similar proportions of students will get each grade for all the exam boards as the boundary setting is also overseen by Ofqual.

Reply 3

Cognito Edu

2

All the specifications are quite similar. For example in the sciences/math they normally all contain the same topics, and the content is probably 90% the same. The exams generally take similar format too, although there are some differences. It depends on the subjects really, but the grade boundaries are always scaled so that it is always just as 'hard' or 'easy' to get each grade.

Sometimes the quality of their textbooks varies, so if your exam board has a bad textbook I would recommend having a look on amazon for another book of the same subject/exam board.

Reply 4

ireneTM88_01

OP

6

Original post by Cognito Edu

All the specifications are quite similar. For example in the sciences/math they normally all contain the same topics, and the content is probably 90% the same. The exams generally take similar format too, although there are some differences. It depends on the subjects really, but the grade boundaries are always scaled so that it is always just as 'hard' or 'easy' to get each grade.

Sometimes the quality of their textbooks varies, so if your exam board has a bad textbook I would recommend having a look on amazon for another book of the same subject/exam board.

Ididn't know because when I was taking my IGCSE's I chose to do maths with OCR and some of my friends did maths through edexcel and the grade boundries where a lot different. We got the same grade with really different percenages.

Reply 5

username3675004

14

Aqa and edexcel bio gcse: edexcel you study the brain and aqa you don’t. Six that’s all I know. Apparently ocr is a bad one to go with but not sure why...all our teachers say so

Reply 6

JammieDodger27

15

AQA's website is much better than any of the others Imo

Reply 7

ireneTM88_01

OP

6

haha I really don't know. My teachers told me OCR is better at maths idk, they told me it depends on the subject. I'm using edexcel and ocr for certain subjects. However, I did notice a great difference between ocr maths and edexcel in IGCSE

Reply 8

Compost

19

Original post by ireneTM88_01

haha I really don't know. My teachers told me OCR is better at maths idk, they told me it depends on the subject. I'm using edexcel and ocr for certain subjects. However, I did notice a great difference between ocr maths and edexcel in IGCSE

OCR don't offer IGCSEs so you won't be comparing like with like.

Reply 9

ireneTM88_01

OP

6

Original post by Compost

OCR don't offer IGCSEs so you won't be comparing like with like.

Sorry I meant to say CIE haha

Reply 10

Compost

19

Original post by ireneTM88_01

Sorry I meant to say CIE haha

CIE could be very different from the other boards as it isn't accepted for teaching in English state schools so doesn't have to follow Ofqual's rules.

Reply 11

pfdavina

15

Ocr is extremely hard. I have taken exams in Edexcel, AQA and OCR and the expectation in OCR exams are very high.
For Edexcel their markshemes are random and tough. They don't really test knowledge and often times it is luck that gets you the marks or EXTREME familiality with the exams that gets you marks.
AQA is more straightforward and I have always loved it. My only problem with this exam board is the fact that in the subjective essay writing exams there is sooo much subjectivity and discression at the hands of the examiner.

Reply 12

Cognito Edu

2

Original post by ireneTM88_01

Ididn't know because when I was taking my IGCSE's I chose to do maths with OCR and some of my friends did maths through edexcel and the grade boundries where a lot different. We got the same grade with really different percenages.

There may well be differences in the difficulty of the exam, but it will be reflected in the grade boundaries, so it should be just as hard/easy to get a certain in all specifications. Even in different years of the same specification, the grade boundaries can vary more than between different specifications.

Is there a difference between OCR, AQA and edexcel?

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