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Original poster

OCR AS Core 1 Maths today - DD in floods of tears

60 replies

Lottielo · 18/05/2016 11:25

DD just called and said the exam today was much more difficult than any past papers and there was one question in particular which she felt didn't provide enough information to answer. She is in a terrible state.

Would be interested to hear from others whose DCs took the exam today or those who teach the subject. Was it really as bad as DD says?

If she gets a very bad result (likely), can she retake the exam next year at the same time as the A2? She's also worried about how this will affect her university applications.

Also, could she ask to take the Edexcel exams instead next year (she says Edexcel maths papers are much easier than OCR)?

OP posts:
Original poster
Lottielo · 18/05/2016 14:31

Good to know she'll be able to retake next June Noble although don't suppose that will help much with her university applications.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lottielo · 18/05/2016 14:28

Oh dear teta, it sounds as though they've all had a bad morning. So, Edexcel isn't the way to go either! Tbh I don't know anything about maths, it is just DD's opinion that Edexcel is easier and she could well be wrong. Also, she may have got herself in a state during the exam and be mistaken in saying that a question did give enough information to answer it (surely they couldn't make a mistake such as this?).

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 18/05/2016 14:27

Twitter says it was dreadful.

Any DC who need to retake it can resit in June Y13 alongside their A2 modules.

LineyReborn · 18/05/2016 14:25

How soon would it be possible to sit a retake, does anyone know?

teta · 18/05/2016 14:20

Edexcel paper this morning was also very hard this year.Dd1said it was as hard as the overseas students Maths papers they had been practising on.

Original poster
Lottielo · 18/05/2016 14:08

I don't know whether she will even be able to retake as I think maths is moving over to the linear exam next year. I'm hoping the grade boundaries will reflect the level of difficulty and she'll end up with a better grade than she thinks. She's concerned that her paper will look rubbish in comparison to the overseas students in her group who found it relatively straightforward.

No idea what Twitter says as I don't know how to use it! Wonder whether many of OCR maths students struggled?

OP posts:
HidingFromDD · 18/05/2016 13:25

Dd2 also didn't do as well in some of the maths modules as she needed to a few years ago. She needed an A so retook them. It was hard work but the extra year meant she found them a lot easier the next time and got the results she needed for uni (Exeter)

stealthsquiggle · 18/05/2016 13:14

Aren't these things marked on a bell curve? So if everyone found it hard then the grade boundaries will move down? Also, if a question is shown to have been wrong (e.g. they were not given enough information to be able to answer) then as I understand it that question will be discounted from the marking scheme (I may be wrong, this is ancient information from DM that I am dragging up).

BruceyBaby · 18/05/2016 13:10

Similar thing happened to my DS a couple of years ago. Didn't do as badly as he thought but was devastated after the exam. He needed a better mark to get the top grade he required so he did retake it the next year, and his Core 2, worrying that they would be to the detriment of his A2 exams and other subjects and was amazed he found the retakes so much easier. He realised that another year's learning really helped and he didn't regret retaking. Not sure of the current rules but can sympathise with your DD.

LineyReborn · 18/05/2016 12:30

I was thinking of starting a thread on this paper. DS should be on for an A* but says he thinks he's only got enough marks on the paper for a B.

I'm now wondering how this will affect his A level result next year. He needs an A for his preferred university course.

Is there anything raging on Twitter?

Not a great start to the exams.