Edexcel maths A level today

[Maray1967]

Anyone else’s 18 year old had a bad time with Edexcel Maths today?

Mine says it was horrifically hard. I’ve said all the usual stuff about trying not to dwell on it and focusing on the next exam, but it might be helpful if he’s not alone!! He didn’t hang around long after school but says it looked like everyone thought it was hard.

May I just say, as a complete aside to the theme of the thread- I am in awe of all of you who can look at the question posed and not only make sense of it, but solve it.

I worked very hard to get my B in O level Maths (that's how old I am!) and was very glad to put the whole Nasty Business behind me. DS2 doesn't get his Maths ability from me, for sure!

Anyway. Props to all of you clever mathematicians, and fingers crossed for ALL the students that results day reflects the hard work they've put in.

Shodan · Today 11:04
May I just say, as a complete aside to the theme of the thread- I am in awe of all of you who can look at the question posed and not only make sense of it, but solve it

Me too.

I really need to look at this question properly but I don't think your proof is complete.

you have "C = 2 x square root of bracket.
Bracket is a natural number plus a half so its square root can't be a natural number."

You have then followed this with 'c can't be a natural number'. But c is double the square root of the bracket so while the square root isn't a natural number you need to show that doubling it also doesn't make it a natural number.

If that makes sense.

How many A level lessons have you sat in on?

I have observed kids on their phones throughout the lessons. I have had kids absolutely swear that they haven't been taught a topic. The only issue was- I had observed their teacher teach it to them.

I have taught a topic 6 months after first introducing it. Only to be told
By the students, that they had never heard of that topic before.

Exam technique is very important. Teachers should be teaching how to approach the paper, how to gain marks, common mistakes which lose marks and time management. Simple things like not wasting time on a 4 mark question. Leave it and come back to it if you have time.

My aim (different subject) was always to have students to be totally relaxed when they turned over the exam paper and to know exactly how to deal with it. I was usually successful.

I'd love to know what occupations/ professions these students have in mind.

In my uni entrance interview I had to show why the test for divisibility by 9 and 11 works. I also had to explain what happens when you balance a long ruler by the ends on your fingers and gently move your fingers together.

Well I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they were listening for the other two maths papers, and in their other subjects.

Your fingers move together jerkily and meet at the centre of mass. BUT WHY? Please explain to me!

Are A, B and C integers?

Yes. Natural numbers.

Yeah you would have got method marks for the next section.

I don't teach Edexcel A-level. Tbh having had a look at some past Edexcel papers I am actually shocked at how easy they are, in terms of students being hand-held through the questions. They say that they aim to have a maximum of 4 marks per question which means students are never really getting stuck into a problem.

OCR, for contrast, routinely have 6,7,8 mark question on their papers. So if you don't know how to start one of their 8-markers, you're really screwed and there's no option to 'make up a value to start the rest of the question'.

I don't think the Edexcel papers are serving students particularly well, tbh.

Ah, I could explain it 40 years ago.
Iirc (and I may well not)
It is to do with friction being force x coefficient of friction? So as your first finger moves in, at some point the friction becomes less on the non moving one so first finger stops and second starts, and then vice versa?
Does that sound right? I have forgotten most things above GCSE and pretty much 100% of my degree.

Thank you, yes, clear in the algebra I hope. Much appreciated feedback.

DD said the Wednesday paper was hard but not impossible. Fridays Further Maths paper was horrific though. However, we were expecting that as she’s pulled back on the Further Maths as just need AAB for uni and the Further Maths was an extra 4th A level.

Oh understanding is kind of glimmering before me! Friction is normal reaction force x coefficient of friction. If a rod is on the point of tipping about a pivot point (e.g. one finger), the normal reaction force at the other support points (i.e. the other finger) is zero therefore friction at that finger = zero and it starts to slide so it must alternate between being about to tip around one finger and then the other till they meet at the centre of mass where it is perfectly balanced.

Thank you!

🤢 this is something I’m seeing more and more. Why are you sharing AI slop as some sort of insight? Claude AI is just regurgitating discussions from across the internet / absolute meaningless drivel.

And to those of you who are using this situation to traduce a generation / just to be clear… the vast majority of these young adults have survived the covid school shutdown debacle, have had zero special consideration (unlike the years before them) and are not signing petitions. I am impressed with their overall resilience.
A bunch of idiots (and their parents, families and friends plus a few trolls) signing a petition is not representative of this year group.

@noblegiraffe wrote
I don't teach Edexcel A-level. Tbh having had a look at some past Edexcel papers I am actually shocked at how easy they are, in terms of students being hand-held through the questions. They say that they aim to have a maximum of 4 marks per question which means students are never really getting stuck into a problem.

Noblegiraffe, I have a high opinion of all your posts.

If Edexcel say they aim to have a maximum of 4 marks per question then this paper isn’t as they intended.

Only the first and last question on the paper are worth 4 marks: all the others are worth more.
There are 4 part-questions which are each worth 5 marks, including 2 in the same question.
3 out of the last 6 questions are each worth 11 marks (11%).

I taught OCR A-level Maths for well over 20 years, and although I have tutored only a few students taking Edexcel in the last 10 years naturally I have worked through all their papers. I don’t find Edexcel easier, but perhaps I’m just getting old.

edit: apologies, I didn’t mean to include AprillyJill’s post as I’m only responding to noblegiraffe’s points.

Who cares what AI has to say about anything????

The trouble with this is that’s not how Edexcel are marking this year. DSis is a marker for their international Maths papers, and she’s said those subsequent questions now get zero if they aren’t working with the correct answers to part a. So where in the past, they could still pick up plenty of marks with correct technique and maths understanding, now parts b c and d score zero, because Edexcel have decided it’s easier for markers to just do tick-box marking. She’s furious on behalf of those students.

Really? That seems rather unfair!

Given that Ofqual have said that they are closely monitoring the marking of this paper (not the international ones), departing from normal marking norms would be stupid.

By not having questions worth more than 4 marks, they mean sub-parts of questions.

You're not going to see a question on an Edexcel paper that looks like this bog-standard OCR one. They would split this into 2 parts, probably have the first part be 'show that the common ratio is ...' and then b) hence determine the sum to infinity. Which is definitely easier than the unscaffolded approach!

Exactly! I think all these people saying “but students should know proper exam technique” don’t grasp that both paper and marking are against students this year. Yes, grade boundaries will move, but if C-students could have scored decently but below a B in previous years, this time they could conceivably score zero marks, and how do you move the grade boundaries for that?

Curious to see how many schools move from Edexcel after this.

By not having questions worth more than 4 marks, they mean sub-parts of questions.

I thought it might mean that - but there were 4 part-questions each worth 5 marks, two in one question.

That is very interesting.
If it’s the only board taking that approach, and I were a Head of Maths preparing students for an International A Maths, I’d change boards.

Ah sorry, I double checked the doc and it's 5 marks max they are aiming for. The majority of the big markers being 4 marks threw me off!