Maths Teachers - Would you give any marks for this?

Kaizen786 · 12/01/2025 14:15

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 15:39

DS is autistic and one of his biggest challenges in missing out vital info like he’s done here.
He’s practised answering GCSE paper 1 today and this issue has been highlighted again.

Out of curiosity, would you give any marks for this?

Missing out the glaring info at the top has been his downfall on this question

He’s highlighting info but missed a very key one. Any more pointers please?

Yes 1 mark defo, maybe 2 marks since they arrived at the correct conclusion for their calculations.

DearestItIsSnowing · 11/01/2025 17:43

Thank you for copying that guidance, @noblegiraffe.I wasn’t aware of it.

I agree with wondering whether the markers had special guidance if the boxed info had been missed. It may have been a common mistake as it’s easy to ignore what’s in the box, but then the first sentence in the question draws attention to it.

noblegiraffe · 11/01/2025 17:16

I did look at that, @DearestItIsSnowing but the guidance says numbers in inverted commas must come from a correct process (i.e. the previous P1) but they could have messed up the arithmetic e.g. accidentally got 0.42 instead of 0.44

I wonder if the markers had special guidance on how to mark if the info at the top had been missed, but we don't get to see that.

Maths Teachers - Would you give any marks for this?

DearestItIsSnowing · 11/01/2025 17:07

noblegiraffe · 11/01/2025 16:48

Mark scheme here. I think one mark too.

Might you consider P1 P0 P1 C0?

The student is working our 6 times the cost of a large plate
plus
6 times their version of the cost of a small plate (the solution has “0.44”, not 0.44)
So the process is correct.

They lose the second P1 because they are ignoring the special offer
and C1 because the comparable figures are not correct or there’s no evidence of comparison with £15 (or both).

(I haven’t taught GCSE for a long time)

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 17:06

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:58

Lol - I missed this complete and accurate answer to the question!

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Haha, same here!
I guess it’s not just my DS missing key info today! 😅

OP posts:

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 17:05

Spirallingdownwards · 11/01/2025 16:49

This tutor already told you 1/4 for this answer per their explanation.

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I completely missed that reply. Thank you for drawing my attention to it.

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Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 17:04

Anothermathstutor · 11/01/2025 15:55

Hi OP,

I run a Maths company.

He receives 1 mark on this 2023 Paper Q.

1 mark for initial process (his calculation)

he loses the 1) special offer 2) complete figures using the process to compare and 3) “Yes” with the figures.

Thanks very much for your in-depth explanation. I’m sorry I missed your response earlier, not sure how.

OP posts:

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 17:01

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:35

That's not a mark scheme - that's just a worked solution. The mark scheme will be printed, in a table, with very clear explanation as to exactly what is worth a mark.

Without seeing the mark scheme I'd like to give 2 out of 4, but my gut feeling is that it might only be worth 1 out of 4.

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Ah thank you. I’ve downloaded the actual mark scheme from the Pearson site now. I’ll give him 1.

OP posts:

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:58

Spirallingdownwards · 11/01/2025 16:49

This tutor already told you 1/4 for this answer per their explanation.

Show quote history

Lol - I missed this complete and accurate answer to the question!

Spirallingdownwards · 11/01/2025 16:49

Anothermathstutor · 11/01/2025 15:55

Hi OP,

I run a Maths company.

He receives 1 mark on this 2023 Paper Q.

1 mark for initial process (his calculation)

he loses the 1) special offer 2) complete figures using the process to compare and 3) “Yes” with the figures.

This tutor already told you 1/4 for this answer per their explanation.

noblegiraffe · 11/01/2025 16:48

Mark scheme here. I think one mark too.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 11/01/2025 16:43

DH is a maths teacher and agrees that he can’t say for sure without seeing the mark scheme but agrees with a pp that it should definitely earn one mark (for calculating the cost of the large plates) and possibly two (for also calculating the original cost of the small plates).

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:35

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 16:30

I probably should’ve included the mark scheme in the op. I do have it and based on it, I scored that question zero but second guessed myself because someone would’ve worked out the full price before bringing in the half price, etc. Ultimately, his answer is incorrect but wondered if a teacher marling would’ve given him a mark or two because he understood the question, but missed the vital info.
Not a big deal but as I said, it got me wondering. I’d rather mark in a harsher manner for him at home. I know when I was teaching, I’d have marked this 2/4 but as you say, it should be based on the mark scheme

Show quote history

That's not a mark scheme - that's just a worked solution. The mark scheme will be printed, in a table, with very clear explanation as to exactly what is worth a mark.

Without seeing the mark scheme I'd like to give 2 out of 4, but my gut feeling is that it might only be worth 1 out of 4.

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 16:30

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:22

There's no room for manoeuvre in maths marking - the mark scheme will specify exactly what gets a mark. Sometimes a five step question is only worth 3 marks, so some steps aren't worth a mark.

Sometimes you get method marks and/or "follow through" marks for correct steps. Sometimes you get accuracy marks, where you need not just the correct step, but the correct step with the correct values. Sometimes you get dependent method marks, where you can only get that method mark if you got the method mark before it.

Essentially a) you need to find the mark scheme for this paper (nearly all are readily available online via the exam board website) b) you can appreciate how complicated these systems are, so please don't come at the teacher if they're out by a couple of marks!

I probably should’ve included the mark scheme in the op. I do have it and based on it, I scored that question zero but second guessed myself because someone would’ve worked out the full price before bringing in the half price, etc. Ultimately, his answer is incorrect but wondered if a teacher marling would’ve given him a mark or two because he understood the question, but missed the vital info.
Not a big deal but as I said, it got me wondering. I’d rather mark in a harsher manner for him at home. I know when I was teaching, I’d have marked this 2/4 but as you say, it should be based on the mark scheme

OP posts:

DeffoNeedANameChange · 11/01/2025 16:22

There's no room for manoeuvre in maths marking - the mark scheme will specify exactly what gets a mark. Sometimes a five step question is only worth 3 marks, so some steps aren't worth a mark.

Sometimes you get method marks and/or "follow through" marks for correct steps. Sometimes you get accuracy marks, where you need not just the correct step, but the correct step with the correct values. Sometimes you get dependent method marks, where you can only get that method mark if you got the method mark before it.

Essentially a) you need to find the mark scheme for this paper (nearly all are readily available online via the exam board website) b) you can appreciate how complicated these systems are, so please don't come at the teacher if they're out by a couple of marks!

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 16:11

SevenWeeks · 11/01/2025 15:43

Not the point of the thread, but this is GCSE level maths nowadays?

.

OP posts:

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 16:11

bbn81 · 11/01/2025 15:50

Depending on how many marks for the question (I would guess 3) I would say one for the 2 x 6 part. You would then get 1 for working out the cost of the small plates and 1 for the final answer.

To the person who asked if this is GCSE, yes, this will likely be a foundation paper, grade2/3 level.

Yes it is Foundation Tier because he struggles with language processing.
He gets the ‘straight forward maths’ easily - fractions, algebra.

Afaik, some A-level content has made its into GCSE content.

OP posts:

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 11/01/2025 16:08

SevenWeeks · 11/01/2025 15:49

Ah, that makes more sense, thank you. I don't think they started at such a low level when I did mine back in the dark ages (3rd GCSE cohort after O-Levels scrapped😄)

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They must have done, as students of all abilities did GCSEs. For a student to get a low grade, they still need to be able to answer some easy questions. If anything, GCSEs have got harder. I did my GCSEs in the first year they existed.

Original poster

SENSchoolDiaries · 11/01/2025 16:07

GrazeConcern · 11/01/2025 15:41

How many marks is it out of?

Apologies, it’s out of 4 marks.

OP posts:

LottieMary · 11/01/2025 16:01

Has he ignored it because it's in the box? Wondering if he's sort of blanked it as not part of the question

Anothermathstutor · 11/01/2025 15:55

Hi OP,

I run a Maths company.

He receives 1 mark on this 2023 Paper Q.

1 mark for initial process (his calculation)

he loses the 1) special offer 2) complete figures using the process to compare and 3) “Yes” with the figures.

SevenWeeks · 11/01/2025 15:54

TeenToTwenties · 11/01/2025 15:52

They probably did.
This is a multistep problem that also mixes £ and pence.
It isn't trivial, there are lots of places to go wrong.

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There weren't nine levels in those days, though. Grades ran from A - G.

TeenToTwenties · 11/01/2025 15:52

SevenWeeks · 11/01/2025 15:49

Ah, that makes more sense, thank you. I don't think they started at such a low level when I did mine back in the dark ages (3rd GCSE cohort after O-Levels scrapped😄)

Show quote history

They probably did.
This is a multistep problem that also mixes £ and pence.
It isn't trivial, there are lots of places to go wrong.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 11/01/2025 15:51

SevenWeeks · 11/01/2025 15:43

Not the point of the thread, but this is GCSE level maths nowadays?

There is a range of difficulty levels in the questions in pretty much any GCSE paper in any subject. It would be pretty difficult to get a range of grades across the cohort otherwise.

bbn81 · 11/01/2025 15:50

Depending on how many marks for the question (I would guess 3) I would say one for the 2 x 6 part. You would then get 1 for working out the cost of the small plates and 1 for the final answer.

To the person who asked if this is GCSE, yes, this will likely be a foundation paper, grade2/3 level.