1. Ben Stafford, Qualifications Manager
“Solving for X”
Simplifying what’s happening with
GCSE and A level mathematics
Ben Stafford, Qualifications Manager
July 2015
aqamaths
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2. What has stayed the same in the GCSE?
Written papers only
Linear assessment – all exams must be taken in the same series
Summer exams for all
November opportunity for students who were 16 on 31 August in that year
Minimum assessment time of hours
% non-calculator assessment
Foundation and Higher tiers
New grading structure 1-9, with 9 being the highest
Foundation tier 1 – 5
Higher tier 4 – 9
Will carry a double weighting in the new accountability measures
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3. What has changed?
Ofqual research into difficulty and demand of specimen papers led to actions for each exam board.
New guidance on Assessment Objective 3 (problem solving) means more questions that assess multiple elements of problem solving in the same question
New guidance on “good pass” from DfE
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4. Ofqual research into GCSE Mathematics
Specifications were accredited in September 2014
4 strands of research
PhD students judging expected difficulty
Year 11 Testing of non- calculator papers
Problem solving comparison (2 parts)
Regulatory summary from Ofqual:

5. Actions for AQA
We expect AQA to continue to ensure that their assessments will function well in 2017 whilst also lifting, to some extent, the expected difficulty of the Foundation tier
They will review AO3 items in light of the evidence in the research report and in line with Ofqual’s proposed revision to statutory guidance
We submitted a further set of specimen papers to Ofqual on 27 May and await their views

6. Expected Difficulty of items
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7. Trials with students (Ofqual)
Facility is the mean mark for all students as a percentage of the item total
1F facility by section
AQA
1st quarter
61.46
2nd quarter
52.22
3rd quarter
39.46
4th quarter
13.14
Overall
40.16
1H facility by section
AQA
1st quarter
60.51
2nd quarter
42.88
3rd quarter
18.62
4th quarter
15.70
Overall
33.92
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8. Trials with students (AQA)
Practice Paper set 1 published before Christmas
Not reviewed by Ofqual and not written to meet expectations of difficulty and latest AO3 guidance
Small scale trial with Y11 students
Limited data but we can learn from it
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9. Assessment Objective 1 Use and apply standard techniques
Students should be able to:
accurately recall facts, terminology and definitions
use and interpret notation correctly
accurately carry out routine procedures or set tasks requiring multi-step solutions
Weighting: F 50% H 40%
Slide 15
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10. Assessment Objective 2
Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically
Students should be able to:
make deductions and inferences and draw conclusions from mathematical information
construct chains of reasoning to achieve a given result
interpret and communicate information accurately
present arguments and proofs
assess the validity of an argument and critically evaluate a given way of processing information
Weighting: F 25% H 30%
Slide 16
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11. Assessment Objective 3
Solve problems within mathematics in other contexts
Students should be able to:
translate problems in mathematical or non-mathematical contexts into a process or a series of mathematical processes
make and use connections between different parts of mathematics
interpret results in the context of the given problem
evaluate methods used and results obtained
evaluate solutions to identify how they may have been affected by assumptions made
Weighting: F 25% H 30%
Slide 17
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12. New grading structure: after Ofqual consultation9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A* A
“Good”??
“Good” B C
D,E,F G
Slide 8
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13. A level Update
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14. Introduction
The current A-level Mathematics specification and Further Mathematics has been running since 2004 and the current structure of Mathematics and Further Mathematics is built on two sets of six units, with some units interchangeable between the Mathematics and Further Mathematics specifications.
In June 2012, reform of A-levels Consultation went out, this included the announcement that AS and A-level would be decoupled and Qualifications would be linear
A-level Mathematics and A-level Further Mathematics reform was originally proposed for first teaching in 2015, but has been postponed twice and is now first teach in 2017
This has meant that some reform activity has been running since the end of 2012, and in that time we have engaged with many stakeholders, particularly teachers, allowing us to gain a good understanding of the concerns teachers face with regard to A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics reform
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15. Future development
Summer Clarification of Assessment Objectives and timeline (two Ofqual meetings planned confirming Assessment Objectives)
Autumn Market testing
Spring Submission to Ofqual
Summer Free of charge launch meetings for teachers
Spring Free of charge prepare to teach meetings for teachers
September 2017 First teach
Summer First AS exam
Summer First A-level exam
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16. What should the new A-levels look like?
High level of teacher and university engagement
Allow students to use their mathematical knowledge to make decisions in solving problems within both pure mathematics and in a variety of contexts
Allow students to communicate their decisions using mathematical rationale and logical reasoning
Teaches students to decide and recognise the mathematics required to solve problems
Prepare students for university and for work
Have integrity, fit with our status as a charity and what we aim to do
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17. A-level Mathematics overview
A-level Mathematics content is 100% prescribed by the DfE and common to all awarding organisations: /3rds pure content
- 1/6th statistics - 1/6th mechanics
Students taking AS only will sit exams after 1 year of study
Students taking the full A-level will sit exams after 2 years of study
AS and A-level are to be co-teachable
A large data set is stipulated (awaiting clarification on how this is set and how it is to be used)
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18. AS Mathematics – DfE ALCAB content
Purpose: Can be co-taught with the A-level as a separate Qualification Consolidates and develops GCSE level Mathematics and supports transition to higher education or employment in any of the many disciplines that make use of quantitative analysis, including those involving calculus
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19. A-level Further Mathematics overview
Further Mathematics content is only 50% prescribed by the DfE and it is all pure content
The other 50% is defined by the awarding organisations
Students taking AS only will sit exams after 1 year of study
Students taking the full A-level will sit exams after 2 years of study
AS and A-level are to be co-teachable
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20. AS Further Mathematics overview – DfE ALCAB content
AS Further Mathematics can be co-taught with A-level Mathematics as a separate Qualification, which can be taught alongside AS or A-level Mathematics It broadens and reinforces the content of AS and A-level Mathematics, introduces complex numbers and matrices, and gives students the opportunity to extend their knowledge in applied mathematics and logical reasoning This breadth and depth of study is very valuable for supporting the transition to degree level work and employment in mathematical disciplines
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21. Key changes from the existing A-level Mathematics & Further Mathematics specifications
Moving to linear
Further Mathematics co-teaching with A-level Mathematics
Large data set (AS and A-level Mathematics)
Decoupling of AS and A-level
Problem solving questions
New Assessment Objectives
New content
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22. Thank you We are an independent education charity
and the largest provider of academic qualifications for all abilities taught in schools and colleges.
Our aim is to enable students to realise their potential and provide teachers with the support and resources they need so that they can focus on inspiring learning.
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