Recent and Proposed changes to Maths GCSE
Students who sit GCSE Maths this summer, 2008, will be entered for one of two possible tiers, Higher or Foundation, unlike their older brothers and sisters who had three tiers, Higher, Intermediate and Foundation, available. The Higher tier leads to grades A* - D (and Unclassified), the Foundation to C – G (and Unclassified).This two-tier system is generally thought to be a good thing as it allows weaker students to have the opportunity to achieve a grade C, unlike the ‘old’ Foundation level, although they will need to get very high marks on their papers to do so. Those students thought of as C-grade candidates who would have sat the Intermediate papers in the past, will be entered for Higher and so have the chance of getting the highest grades. However, it is likely that some of the Higher entrants will not be taught A and A* material if it is deemed inappropriate. Coursework – ‘Using and Applying’ and ‘Data Handling’- currently contributes 20% of the final mark. However, Mathematics is the first of the academic subjects for which coursework has been discontinued - from September 2007 for normal two-year courses - and students now in Year 10 who will take GCSE in 2009 will not have a coursework component.
There are other changes in the pipeline with the introduction of the new 14-19 structure but details have not yet been finalised for Maths. Students reaching Yr 10 in September 2010 will be the first cohort affected in Maths although the introduction of new requirements in some other subjects is earlier. For more information see:
