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Original poster

GCSE Math exam today

94 replies

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 15/05/2025 20:38

How did your child get on today?

DC sat paper 1 today (edexcel), came home and said he failed, he only answered 11 of the 17 questions and even then he was only confident he answered 3/4 of them accurately.

He said 4 of his classmates were crying, 1 had a full panic attack where he had to be removed and some just sat with their hands in their heads.

I can't find a GCSE support thread this year, hence me starting this post.

OP posts:
ScarletBeret · 15/05/2025 20:39

Mine said it was fine. Mind you, that's the response to pretty much everything. We won't know until the results are in.

DrRuthGalloway · 15/05/2025 20:44

I am an ed psych.
Honestly the curriculum is a complete shambles. It is skewed so high that "pass" marks for GCSE maths have been as low as 17 percent for a grade 4. The exam boards will say they just adjust the pass mark but the fact is, it's psychologically damaging our kids to have them sit exams that a "passing grade" mathematician cannot access 3/4 of.

Any MP who might be reading this and knows about the huge increase in EBSA (school "refusal") - which has been blamed on COVID, and yes that didn't help - the elephant in the room is the Gove curriculum which is destroying our kids' sense of competence. It is cruel and the government needs to do something about it.

Hoppinggreen · 15/05/2025 20:45

Not helpful I know but my DS also said it was ok
Hopefully your DS will have done ok

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

General education Secondary education
Landlubber2019 · 15/05/2025 20:46

Sorry to hear that op, how much revision did he do and was your child prepared ?

I think you should focus on the positives , in that many struggled and focus on being prepared and revising for the rest of the gcses. He won't know until August the result so he must put his best foot forward, work towards the rest of his gcses and hes can resit if necessary. It's not the end of the world!

Frlrlrubert · 15/05/2025 20:47

Higher or foundation? On Edexcel Maths GCSE Paper 1 there are 80 marks. I roughly calculate 3/4 of 11/17 questions to be 38 marks. On last year’s higher paper that would equate to a Grade 6. On the Foundation it would be a 3: Not ideal but there are two more Maths papers to try to pull the grades up.

I haven’t heard from anyone sitting that one, but if it was trickier than average grade boundaries will move to reflect that as well.

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 15/05/2025 20:49

I'm a teacher (not maths). I asked quite a few Y11s how the maths went this morning. Most said it was fine, but a member of pastoral staff later told me that quite a few others had been in tears afterwards and one had to he sent home as she was so distraught.

ByMerryKoala · 15/05/2025 20:50

I read awful things about the maths higher Edexcel paper on MN this morning and spent the rest of the day worrying but ds, who needs to do well to study it at A-level, said it went pretty well.

Fortunately the school already had tracing paper out for them for one of the questions so that saved some hassle other kids had.

Original poster
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 15/05/2025 21:04

Landlubber2019 · 15/05/2025 20:46

Sorry to hear that op, how much revision did he do and was your child prepared ?

I think you should focus on the positives , in that many struggled and focus on being prepared and revising for the rest of the gcses. He won't know until August the result so he must put his best foot forward, work towards the rest of his gcses and hes can resit if necessary. It's not the end of the world!

He scored a 5 in his mocks however it was a mixture of having multiple supply teachers and him losing momentum due to having no consistency, he's had a tutor since his mocks and the last 5 months he has had one teacher, he attended all intervention classes and studies about 3-4 hrs a day, depending on tutoring/sport training.

On his mock papers he was scoring 7/8 depending on the paper, I dont believe its due to lack of preparation.

He also had Citizenship today, he believes he answered all answers and expects to receive full marks.

OP posts:
Hercisback1 · 15/05/2025 21:05

He won't have got full marks in citizenship.

Maths higher paper was brutal in the latter half, however the passmark is low enough that he should be OK.

Househunters1 · 15/05/2025 21:06

Teacher: the paper was fine and in keeping with previous years.

froggers1 · 15/05/2025 21:07

My son sat the Higher paper and got an 8 in his mocks. He thought today was hard

BatteryHuman50 · 15/05/2025 21:10

DrRuthGalloway · 15/05/2025 20:44

I am an ed psych.
Honestly the curriculum is a complete shambles. It is skewed so high that "pass" marks for GCSE maths have been as low as 17 percent for a grade 4. The exam boards will say they just adjust the pass mark but the fact is, it's psychologically damaging our kids to have them sit exams that a "passing grade" mathematician cannot access 3/4 of.

Any MP who might be reading this and knows about the huge increase in EBSA (school "refusal") - which has been blamed on COVID, and yes that didn't help - the elephant in the room is the Gove curriculum which is destroying our kids' sense of competence. It is cruel and the government needs to do something about it.

This is why an intermediate tier is so useful for maths - the grade 4-6 kids have something that they can feel like they've achieved well on.

Higher tier at the current level is still needed for the high achieving mathematicians though. The ones who need the last couple of questions on the paper to provide some challenge.

Bluebootsgreenboots · 15/05/2025 21:10

My son also did well in maths mocks (7 or8) and said today was hard and that they were all thrown.

Holymotherforkingshirtballs · 15/05/2025 21:12

My son said it was ok but not what they expected. Hopefully it went ok.

Orangesandlemons77 · 15/05/2025 21:12

DS said it was ok

Avocadocat · 15/05/2025 21:13

My daughter who is excellent at maths (and is sitting further maths too) said she found a lot of the questions hard (and much harder than expected).

Bluebootsgreenboots · 15/05/2025 21:13

I’m also a teacher - I couldn’t agree more @DrRuthGalloway.
DS told me that the grade boundary for a 6 (so a B in old money) for biology is about 50%. A B should be a respectable grade and isn’t reflected by only being able to get half the marks. How is that meant to make a child feel like they’ve achieved something at the end of the exam.

CagneyNYPD1 · 15/05/2025 21:20

DrRuthGalloway · 15/05/2025 20:44

I am an ed psych.
Honestly the curriculum is a complete shambles. It is skewed so high that "pass" marks for GCSE maths have been as low as 17 percent for a grade 4. The exam boards will say they just adjust the pass mark but the fact is, it's psychologically damaging our kids to have them sit exams that a "passing grade" mathematician cannot access 3/4 of.

Any MP who might be reading this and knows about the huge increase in EBSA (school "refusal") - which has been blamed on COVID, and yes that didn't help - the elephant in the room is the Gove curriculum which is destroying our kids' sense of competence. It is cruel and the government needs to do something about it.

100% agree.

Effing Gove. And where is he now? On a cushy number as editor of The Spectator.

Reachforthestars00 · 15/05/2025 21:20

Edexcel higher maths. I was worried after reading lunchtime reports on MN but child said it was good - easier than mocks - and that Q could be answered without tracing paper.

Original poster
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 15/05/2025 21:29

Frlrlrubert · 15/05/2025 20:47

Higher or foundation? On Edexcel Maths GCSE Paper 1 there are 80 marks. I roughly calculate 3/4 of 11/17 questions to be 38 marks. On last year’s higher paper that would equate to a Grade 6. On the Foundation it would be a 3: Not ideal but there are two more Maths papers to try to pull the grades up.

I haven’t heard from anyone sitting that one, but if it was trickier than average grade boundaries will move to reflect that as well.

higher Edexcel maths

OP posts:
Sparticle · 15/05/2025 21:31

DS said it was ‘good’ (usually exams are either ‘okay’ or ‘good’). He didn’t mention tracing paper though…

Original poster
HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 15/05/2025 21:36

Hercisback1 · 15/05/2025 21:05

He won't have got full marks in citizenship.

Maths higher paper was brutal in the latter half, however the passmark is low enough that he should be OK.

I would not bet against him, scoring full marks for the past 2 years, his mock papers were sent away to the exam board, as in his teachers words they were "outstanding"

Tomorrow he has History, id bet a million he will not receive a grade above a 6, he loathes the subject, couldn't care less if he failed it sadly.

OP posts:
IttttttssssME · 15/05/2025 21:39

the post exam breakdown I remember it well - what did you put first Q37. A lemon? No I put Thailand.

BakedAl · 15/05/2025 21:41

My son thought it was ok but said others were upset. This afternoon he found a tiktokker who has worked out all the answers and he thinks he got 62/80. He did some last minute revision last night and said quite a few of those topics came up.

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