EDEXCEL MATHS PAPER 1 - GRADE BOUNDARY PETITION (10,000+ signatures)

My daughter took this exam and is predicted an A* in ten of the subjects she is taking. She also found the exam poorly worded and vague. So much so, that under exam conditions, she was unsure what the question required of her.The fact that so many people have now seen possible answers or been able to work out the questions does not say much, as they have had the time to do it. When you are under preasure and only have a few minutes per question, this can throw you. Her teacher has also said this question should not have been placed at question 19 in the paper and should noy have been placed at q19. If at all, it was so hard it should have been at the end. As a maths gcse marker, she believed this question was higher than a gcse standard question and the exam in itself was the hardest she has seen for 30yrs at this level. Therefore, unless you have sat down and done the question in the few minutes that it is required to be done in, it's possible you do not understand the situation. That fact that so many who actually took the exam, which i would like to point out was a higher tier paper, also believed these questions to be ambiguous and unfair speaks volumes.

Across a population of 260 in the Academy I study in, only 6 got the probability/quadratic equation right (which I believe to be question 19.) I believe that with the Mathematics A course only the top 5% of students may be awarded an A*. So if my academy were the sole candidates in this GCSE, 13 of them would receive an A*. So it doesn't really matter that such questions were exceptionally difficult because the large majority of the student population across the country would have got wrong (or even skipped) these questions. Regardless of what Pearson Edexcel has stated about the grade boundaries not changing, if my Academy and undoubtedly many schools across the school are to go by, grade boundaries will be lowered.

We'll most of the people across the country found it difficult and this is a fact. I don't know who you'll blame this to, maybe students or the education system but we found it hard.. Adults saying "OMG how can't you answer a question" is being nasty at this point. Everyone is stressed right now. You might find it easy, but vast majority of the students didn't...

My daughter took this exam and is predicted an A* in ten of the subjects she is taking. She also found the exam poorly worded and vague. So much so, that under exam conditions, she was unsure what the question required of her.The fact that so many people have now seen possible answers or been able to work out the questions does not say much, as they have had the time to do it. When you are under preasure and only have a few minutes per question, this can throw you. Her teacher has also said this question should not have been placed at question 19 in the paper and should noy have been placed at q19. If at all, it was so hard it should have been at the end. As a maths gcse marker, she believed this question was higher than a gcse standard question and the exam in itself was the hardest she has seen for 30yrs at this level. Therefore, unless you have sat down and done the question in the few minutes that it is required to be done in, it's possible you do not understand the situation. That fact that so many who actually took the exam, which i would like to point out was a higher tier paper, also believed these questions to be ambiguous and unfair speaks volumes.

Across a population of 260 in the Academy I study in, only 6 got the probability/quadratic equation right (which I believe to be question 19.) I believe that with the Mathematics A course only the top 5% of students may be awarded an A*. So if my academy were the sole candidates in this GCSE, 13 of them would receive an A*. So it doesn't really matter that such questions were exceptionally difficult because the large majority of the student population across the country would have got wrong (or even skipped) these questions. Regardless of what Pearson Edexcel has stated about the grade boundaries not changing, if my Academy and undoubtedly many schools across the school are to go by, grade boundaries will be lowered.

My daughter took this exam and is predicted an A* in ten of the subjects she is taking. She also found the exam poorly worded and vague. So much so, that under exam conditions, she was unsure what the question required of her.The fact that so many people have now seen possible answers or been able to work out the questions does not say much, as they have had the time to do it. When you are under preasure and only have a few minutes per question, this can throw you. Her teacher has also said this question should not have been placed at question 19 in the paper and should noy have been placed at q19. If at all, it was so hard it should have been at the end. As a maths gcse marker, she believed this question was higher than a gcse standard question and the exam in itself was the hardest she has seen for 30yrs at this level. Therefore, unless you have sat down and done the question in the few minutes that it is required to be done in, it's possible you do not understand the situation. That fact that so many who actually took the exam, which i would like to point out was a higher tier paper, also believed these questions to be ambiguous and unfair speaks volumes.

No no, but your academy isn't what to go by is it. They go by all the schools throughout the country. And some schools contain lots of students in the top percentile of the country, and - having asked those in the bottom set in my school who did this Linear GCSE paper instead of the 1/2 Certificate - about 95% of them did the question without a problem.

So just because everyone in some schools find the question difficult, does not mean that the same number of 'top students' in those schools compared to the 'top students' in other schools, will get that A*.

Do you not understand UMS!?

Students need to understand UMS!!

I was using my Academy as a sample. Grammar schools will supposedly have performed better while non-Maths academies would have performed poorer on average. I was just using a sample to display just what is really going on. Regardless what we can clearly see is that compared to previous examinations of this specification, this exam was answered poorer on an average.

The edexcel Maths spec has become increasingly easier as it has been in effect for a number of years, essentially, a hard exam (within the spec) was needed to reinstate a clear difference of grade boundaries.

Do either of you two understand UMS for this exam? Raw marks are not converted to UMS for this spec - you just get given a grade and (not UMS) points that correspond to that grade. The raw mark grade boundaries will be adjusted accordingly, however.

Yes I do. Your grade for each paper will come from your UMS mark.

For example, for my biology AS exams: 96 UMS or above is an A. What raw mark scores you 96 UMS changes each year. The raw mark grade boundaries comes from whatever UMS that raw mark scores.

Yes, but not for Edexcel GCSE Mathematics A - it's a linear course so there is no need for UMS. Have a look at Edexcel's UMS converter - you will not find an option for GCSE Mathematics A.

That is my error, however the point still remains valid just without UMS. Rather than the grade boundaries relating to UMS They relate to themselves and will change. It is essentially the same as converting to UMS. However, I do apologise for my mistake!

My daughter took this exam and is predicted an A* in ten of the subjects she is taking. She also found the exam poorly worded and vague. So much so, that under exam conditions, she was unsure what the question required of her.The fact that so many people have now seen possible answers or been able to work out the questions does not say much, as they have had the time to do it. When you are under preasure and only have a few minutes per question, this can throw you. Her teacher has also said this question should not have been placed at question 19 in the paper and should noy have been placed at q19. If at all, it was so hard it should have been at the end. As a maths gcse marker, she believed this question was higher than a gcse standard question and the exam in itself was the hardest she has seen for 30yrs at this level. Therefore, unless you have sat down and done the question in the few minutes that it is required to be done in, it's possible you do not understand the situation. That fact that so many who actually took the exam, which i would like to point out was a higher tier paper, also believed these questions to be ambiguous and unfair speaks volumes.