Anyone else disappointed by Edexcel Maths Foundation Grade 4 boundary for Nov25 exams? My college saw less than 30% of grade 3 students improve their grade. In recent years we have got above 35%. Harder paper than usual in my opinion, yet a higher grade boundary. Not happy.
Excellent creativity. It has inspired me to add a maths staff round to our elf on the shelf competition!
BlueSky shoutout on Abbot Elementary!
I think it is scandalous.
This looks brilliant. Thank you so much for sharing, it must have taken you ages to put it together
In Stats, for example, it feels wrong & inefficient to me, to teach yr1 bk prob separate from yr2 bk prob. If teach conditional prob, can do both in one go. In pure we do both bin exp next to each other. There is no right or wrong, but I think a lot of places tweak textbook order, I say be braver!
My approach is: All Pure until Xmas in yr12, try to avoid splitting classes, ignore the order of textbook and do what feels right and efficient.
Lots of yr2 content in yr1. I don't like the textbook order. It is more efficient to do all binomial exp in one go, all vectors in one go, do all proof in one go. We vary the chapters and topics so much I would have no idea what chapters correspond to what topics without a textbook in front of me!
#coremaths Anyone else teach AQA core maths 2A? Disappointed and surprised to see in qstn8b) 6 marks given for a normal dist qstn to find a probability between 2limits. We only taught students how to do this using the dist mode on calc, which will not get full marks. Did this catch anyone else out?
Anyone else teach AQA core maths 2A? Very disappointed and surprised to see in qstn8b) 6 marks given for a normal dist qstn to find a probability between 2limits. We only taught students how to do this using the dist mode on calc, which will not get full marks. Did this catch anyone else out?
Help please! Our Further Maths students sit A level Maths in yr12, then F Maths in yr13. If a student gets less than a B (very rare) in yr12 we tell them they can't continue with F Maths and so must resit A level maths in yr13. I'm told by exams officer this is no longer allowed. Is this right?
We teach it. Works well for students wanting to do a mathsy A level with a grade 6 or even a grade 5. Resources are very limited and lack of textbooks doesn't help.
Thanks Oliver. We teach this course at my college and are always surprised by how few places offer it, and how few resources are out there. Maybe these things are connected and maybe your efforts will positively impact both of them.
When doing a hyp test by finding a prob (rather than CR) the p-val is the prob we compare with sig lev. If 1 tail, we find prob and compare to sig lev (this prob is therefore the p-val). If 2 tail, we find prob and compare with half of sig lev or compare 2xprob with sig lev (hence p-val is 2xprob).
Enjoy the OFSTED! I tell my students that for questions like q7 and q9 in the image an exam question would definitely give more clues, probably like it does in q8, or by saying show that...
All of our F Maths students do 4 A levels, so it is not the same, but they do Maths A level exams at end of Yr12. Whilst they are better mathematicians at end Yr13, they are better A level mathematicians at end of Yr12, with little overlap between the courses. All get A/A* in yr12 and unis are happy
The y axis is still labelled freq density. Essentially the gcse formula that freq density = freq/class width is technically wrong. It should be that few density is prop to freq/class width.
Yes. A Level questions are all about area is prop to freq, and true class width is prop to width of bar
If you know a gradient and a point on the line (and the qstn doesn't care what form you put the answer in) then y-y1... requires no further working and thus must be easier!
I would much prefer harder exams and more lenient markscheme. Maths should be about creativity and understanding not fussiness about insufficient evidence. Edexcel and AQA seem similar in this regard in my experience
Many thanks
Help please! Does anyone know if this year's Maths GCSE November resit students get the same formula sheet given for last summers exams? I would assume so, but can't find confirmation on any official websites.
I leave standardisation until students are comfortable with calc skills for finding probs and using probs
Introducing integration in yr12. Multiboard work finding area between different lines and x axis between x and 0. Brief struggle with x^2, then summary of results leading to realisation it is opposite of differentiation, then bewilderment as to why this works. Always my favourite lesson of the year!
I'm desperately trying to get GCSE retake teachers where I work to teach speed/distance/time qstns using proportionality rather than sdt triangles. Mixed response with staff & students but I'm going to persevere (for now).
These are the most annoying mistakes. I'm naming them INANEs (Infuriating Non-Algebraic/Numerical Errors) and it is my depts target this yr to stamp them out. Plan A: Write INANE lots on students work! Plan B: Whatever you say!
I admire your commitment. I have a maths degree and have always given up on MAT and STEP. Forever grateful that someone else in the dept has always been keen
I like the idea, later in the year, of students saying things to each other like "how many marks did you drop on INANEs on that past paper?" or me deliberately making these mistakes and asking students to "spot the INANE." Does anyone else have this problem? If not, does anyone have the solution?
Looking at scripts, trying to find extra marks for students is a depressing task. They can do the maths, but drop marks on technical, annoying things. I'm determined to help my students this year by labelling this INANE (Infuriating Non Algebraic or Numerical Error) in their work during the year.
Thanks for this, very informative. It me makes sense for a essay based subject, but surely it is less defensible for a subject like maths. Do you know if it work the same way in maths? Should it?
