Extra Maths GCSE

Our school is specialised in maths and computing. All of the current year 11s have the chance to do a pilot extra GCSE. Apparently they might make it compulsary for future years.

On top of that we get to do extra maths tests and if we get a better mark on them, they will replace the normal GCSE mark.

For example:

Normal GCSE: B

Pilot GCSE: A
Then you would achieve an A.

I was wondering if anyone else had the opportunity to get two GCSEs in maths?

Reply 1

CrystalP

Nope, I haven't heard of that.
Well that's good for you then!

Reply 2

stranger101

1

Is it just a two-tierd exam with only foundation and higher?

Reply 3

Top_Gear

OP

The extra GCSE is a single 2 hour exam and is only one tier. I think there are a few parts to each question.

For example foundation people will complete the first parts of the question and the higher people answer all parts.

Reply 4

Bw446

2

My school is doing this. It is the OCR paper.

Personally I think it is so much easier than the normal paper!

First of all instead of coursework you have a Functions paper. This paper contains maths that goes up to grade D and no higher.. For example one question on this paper shows you a pie chart and has all the segments labelled both with a name and a percentage...then underneath a question asking you whats the percentage of XXX....and that it worth 2 marks!!!!

Then you have a calculator and non calculator paper. And that is in two tiers...higher and foundation.

We also get the best out of the two marks but personally I want to know what I got in each exam...so if I got an A in normal GCSE and an A* in the Pilot then I would want to know this but OCR just say you have got an A*!

Edit! Oh and for the Functions paper you also get given a sourcebook to show you the kind of things to expect in the exam...this is give 2 weeks before the exam.

Reply 5

Crystal-Rose

oh our school has to do one of those!!
some people have to do them for english aswell as maths
i have to do a maths one, apparently its worth half a gcse on top of your full maths gcse

Reply 6

Top_Gear

OP

thanks, you explained it better.

Can't believe we have an extra 7.5 hours of maths examinations! But I suppose its worth it.

Reply 7

mus91dave

i dont know if your doing the same thing...but im doing an optional ad maths thingy. its also ocr

Reply 8

Bw446

2

The exam board really cocked it up really. Because when we agreed to the pilot they said there would be no clashes with any other exams..But on that day there is the whole of year 10 and 11 doing exams!! So that means there are over 500 people who need to be seated!!

Reply 9

Bw446

2

mus91dave

i dont know if your doing the same thing...but im doing an optional ad maths thingy. its also ocr

That is the additional maths paper where you actually get an extra GCSE. This is just a pilot exam which could, if successful, become the new Maths GCSE.

Reply 10

stranger101

1

Our school piloted this with the Year 10's and they thought it was great!

Reply 11

Bw446

2

It certainly is, in my opinion, an easy alternative that would save time as you don't have to coursework aspect but I can't see how it could possibly be equivalent as the maths involved the functional paper is of such a lower standard to that of an A* piece of coursework...B piece of coursework in fact.

Reply 12

OllyThePhilosopher

11

i aint heard about this b4 but sounds like a good idea. my skl is a maths & IT skl too and we always get about 90% A* at gcse so we need something like additional maths or extra maths

Reply 13

Joii123

TOM27

Our school is specialised in maths and computing. All of the current year 11s have the chance to do a pilot extra GCSE. Apparently they might make it compulsary for future years.

On top of that we get to do extra maths tests and if we get a better mark on them, they will replace the normal GCSE mark.

For example:

Normal GCSE: B

Pilot GCSE: A
Then you would achieve an A.

I was wondering if anyone else had the opportunity to get two GCSEs in maths?

That's exactly what we're doing wooo :smile:

Reply 14

DarkWhite

17

WJEC are also piloting a Further Mathematics exam, which me and 6 others from our school have been asked to do. It's worth an extra GCSE, but we've only been given around 5 hours of teaching for it. If we don't get a grade for it, it just disappears from our records lol. But from what our teacher's seen, 50% of it is A/A* content from GCSE Maths, and the other 50% if module C1 from AS-Level. So in theory, we should be able to get at least a C in it!

Reply 15

Garnier

Our school is doing something similar. We have the normal linear GCSE exams but also IGCSE exams. Therefore we get two attemps at getting a good grade. Which ever exam that has got the best grade in - we keep that GCSE. I have another query in another post. Could someone please answer it. It is to do with dual GCSE awards etc..

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=8930685#post8930685

Many Thanks.

Reply 16

Clockwiser

There is a difference between Extra Maths and Pilot Maths

For pilot maths its like a "second chance" exam. So you will get the best grade from the Normal GCSE and Pilot Gcse.

However, you get a seperate GCSE if you do the Extra Maths exam which is 2 hours only.

Reply 17

DarkWhite

17

No, think of a pilot exam as a pilot survey in statistics. It's an initial draft of an exam that's proposed for the future. But they can't just decide "we'll have a further mathematics exam", send out some specifications and start running it. They need to ensure that they can make accurate grade boundaries, results are varied, students will be able to cope, it won't be too easy, the questions will be worded well, the content will be as it should and so forth.

It's totally separate to the normal maths GCSE, unless your GCSE maths covers C1 and part of C2 from AS-Level maths...

Reply 18

Hippysnake

19

TOM27

Our school is specialised in maths and computing. All of the current year 11s have the chance to do a pilot extra GCSE. Apparently they might make it compulsary for future years.

On top of that we get to do extra maths tests and if we get a better mark on them, they will replace the normal GCSE mark.

For example:

Normal GCSE: B

Pilot GCSE: A
Then you would achieve an A.

I was wondering if anyone else had the opportunity to get two GCSEs in maths?

Sidney Stringer am I correct?
I'm right up there with ya.
Except, we're in Year 10, we took our GCSE's one year early and we're starting our AS course already!

Reply 19

Jaztan

ben_walker446

That is the additional maths paper where you actually get an extra GCSE. This is just a pilot exam which could, if successful, become the new Maths GCSE.

Add. maths is not a GCSE. it is a FSMQ. (Free standing mathematics qualification). it would be unfair to class it as a GCSE because the standards are so much higher, and the whole thing is harder, for example a person getting a high A* at GCSE could get a C or B in add. maths.

Extra Maths GCSE

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