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What Does 'Error Carried Forward' Mean In Edexcel Maths

I have just finished all my maths exams.

I have heard that you can get marks even if you use the wrong value.

Apparently, it is 'Error Carried Forward'?

What does it mean exactly?

Is it only applicable to Edexcel?

What is an example where a candidate may have got marks as a result of 'Error Carried Forward'?
Imagine a multipart question. Part a asks you to work out something.
part b, c and d of the question require you to use the figure you obtained in part a in a new calculation. If you had got the answer to part a wrong, part b, c and d would also be wrong.

Error carried forward just means that if you did get a wrong, you wouldn't get marked down because of it for b, c and d. The examiner would just conveniently "assume" the figure you got for a was correct, and mark b, c and d accordingly.

In a question that has multiple parts, it's a bit unfair to lose all your marks just because you got one figure wrong early on. It's a pretty common thing in any kind of maths test, my uni does it too.
(edited 12 years ago)
If you do the initial part of the calculation wrong, or there's a transcription error, but the rest of the calculation is fine, you get marks for working, yes. AFAIK most exam boards do this? An example could be working out the length of a side of a triangle incorrectly, and then using this value to find an angle of the triangle. You should still get marks for the second part. There is a term for marking the question down twice for a single error, but I can't remember it.
Original post by exam2k10
I have heard that you can get marks even if you use the wrong value.

Yes, but there's no way to get full marks with error carried forward. You will lost at least one somewhere.

What does it mean exactly?

eg.
1. What is 2 + 2?
You say 5. No marks out of one.

2. Take your answer to question 1 and add 3.
You say 8. One mark out of one due to error carried forward.

Is it only applicable to Edexcel?

OCR MEI has it, don't know about others.
Reply 4
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exam2k10
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Right, in the C1 paper of June 2011, I worked out the equation of the line instead of the midpoint. Would that be 'Error Carried Forward' as I used the co-ordinates of the line instead of the co-ordinates of the midpoint?
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Original post by exam2k10

Original post by exam2k10
Right, in the C1 paper of June 2011, I worked out the equation of the line instead of the midpoint. Would that be 'Error Carried Forward' as I used the co-ordinates of the line instead of the co-ordinates of the midpoint?


Error carried forward only works if you have got a number wrong. If you start making major changes to the type of question then they would have to penalise you for that.

In your case, I don't think error carried forward would apply. However, if you were able to correctly use the equation of the line to work out the next part, then you would probably be fine. I don't know what the exact question is though.
aren't T and W mutually exclusive aswell?
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Joshmeid
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Original post by cooldudeman
aren't T and W mutually exclusive aswell?


Yes, although this is the wrong topic for that!
Original post by ttoby
Error carried forward only works if you have got a number wrong. If you start making major changes to the type of question then they would have to penalise you for that.

In your case, I don't think error carried forward would apply. However, if you were able to correctly use the equation of the line to work out the next part, then you would probably be fine. I don't know what the exact question is though.


Realise these posts are from a while ago but I sat Edexcel C4 yesterday and on a vector question it said find vector AB;

A = (10,2,3) B = (8,3,4) so the answer is (-2,1,1) but I put (2,1,1) and then used it for the next 2 parts of the question. Would this qualify for ecf?
Original post by summer_blazed
Would this qualify for ecf?


You'd probably get more feedback by asking on the particular exam thread in the Maths Exams subforum.
Original post by ghostwalker
You'd probably get more feedback by asking on the particular exam thread in the Maths Exams subforum.


Thanks. Just found the thread on that paper and it's already 50+ pages long, think I'll leave it while, haha.
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ttoby
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Original post by summer_blazed
Realise these posts are from a while ago but I sat Edexcel C4 yesterday and on a vector question it said find vector AB;

A = (10,2,3) B = (8,3,4) so the answer is (-2,1,1) but I put (2,1,1) and then used it for the next 2 parts of the question. Would this qualify for ecf?


I had a look at the question paper and answers posted on there. Assuming all your later workings are correct, you would probably find that some of the numbers in your answers match what they are looking for whilst others don't so hopefully they would be able to follow through your workings and you'll get some marks at least.
Original post by JohnnytheFox
Imagine a multipart question. Part a asks you to work out something.
part b, c and d of the question require you to use the figure you obtained in part a in a new calculation. If you had got the answer to part a wrong, part b, c and d would also be wrong.

Error carried forward just means that if you did get a wrong, you wouldn't get marked down because of it for b, c and d. The examiner would just conveniently "assume" the figure you got for a was correct, and mark b, c and d accordingly.

In a question that has multiple parts, it's a bit unfair to lose all your marks just because you got one figure wrong early on. It's a pretty common thing in any kind of maths test, my uni does it too.


What if it was within a single part, say a requires me to work out some value that I then use to work out a final answer, what happens then?
All exam boards have follow-through (previously error-carried-forward) marks in Mathematics exams, as well as some maths skills questions in science exams.

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