Gcse maths test

[Psamathe]

In my day I seem to remember grades were not assigned by absolute mark eg 9/10 answers correct given a grade A but graded by ranking ie top n% of results got grade A, next m% got B, etc. That way easy of hard papers made little difference to your grade as it is how you do relative to others. Plus you don't suffer grade inflation. Controversial maybe in that you can still use grades to check teachers as there is a massive student numbers across loads of schools so grouping by teacher would still highlight any shortcomings.

Assumed that year on year educational standards are constant which I suspect might be a better control than periodic political interference to "make them harder" or address grade inflation so high grade one year becomes rquivalent to lower grade the following year.

Ian

 

[DaveReading]

Q4
(i) 2/3
(ii) 1/12

Those answers don't appear to bear any relation to Q4.

 

[MontyVeda]

Not in our town. Seems it was different in places then . Secondary moderns had heaps doing well at O level in our town.

only the top tier could study for O levels in my high school. majority was CSE. This was '85. I think GCSE was introduced in '87?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

only the top tier could study for O levels in my high school. majority was CSE. This was '85. I think GCSE was introduced in '87?

https://www.aqi.org.uk/timelines/qualification-reform-in-england-since-1950/

 

[MontyVeda]

https://www.aqi.org.uk/timelines/qualification-reform-in-england-since-1950/

a year out... I never was great with numbers

 

[Chromatic]

1/7

 

[PaulSB]

Here's an actual past paper (Higher) from 2023. Looking at it, it does seem a little easier than I remember my O Level from the mid 80s, but I'd still bet a majority of the folks huffing and puffing about the arithmetic test would fail it.

I'm 70 and took 'O' level Maths in 1970. I can answer Qs 4, 5, 14. The remainder I couldn't even begin. I'm very good at arithmetic but maths? We weren't shown this let alone taught it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I'm 70 and took 'O' level Maths in 1970. I can answer Qs 4, 5, 14. The remainder I couldn't even begin. I'm very good at arithmetic but maths? We weren't shown this let alone taught it.

What was taught varied over the years as the syllabus changed

even where you lived changed it as most school used the local exam board (I think)

Apparently some places did some stats at GCSE and other did none at all until 'A' Level

 

[lazybloke]

What was taught varied over the years as the syllabus changed

even where you lived changed it as most school used the local exam board (I think)

Apparently some places did some stats at GCSE and other did none at all until 'A' Level

I only remember basic probability in O Level maths. Things like classmates sharing a birthday, or chances of pulling a certain scrabble letter out of a bag.

Not sure we did much stats even at A Level.

Lots of distributions and regressions in my Further Maths A Level though. They were hard work.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I only remember basic probability in O Level maths. Things like classmates sharing a birthday, or chances of pulling a certain scrabble letter out of a bag.

Not sure we did much stats even at A Level.

Lots of distributions and regressions in my Further Maths A Level though. They were hard work.

A level was even more variable
the exam board our school used had 2 options
a) Pure maths and Mechanic
b) Pure Maths and stats

The only option my school offered was option (a)

and the GCSE had no stats at all at the time
so I did no actual stats at all

which was a problem for some people when they went onto University and did course that assumed they at least knew the basics!

 

[Psamathe]

which was a problem for some people when they went onto University and did course that assumed they at least knew the basics!

Part of my University course was Stats (mandatory module) presumably as they found many students had no past stats (I was one of those who didn't despite having done A level "Maths").

Ian

 

[Beebo]

A level was even more variable
the exam board our school used had 2 options
a) Pure maths and Mechanic
b) Pure Maths and stats

I did A level maths back in the 90s. We had two separate classes.
The students doing physics tended to do mechanics, where as the students doing, biology, economics or geography tended to do stats.

Taking A level maths was a big mistake for me. Having found GCSE easy, the jump to A level was too big.

 

[stephec]

Maybe they should make maths relavent?

 

[DaveReading]

When I was in the Sixth Year at school, our headmaster (who at the time was President of The Mathematical Association) took a small group from the top Maths set, including yours truly, for "extra" lessons.

It was frankly terrifying.

 

[Gwylan]

7

Frightening if that's the level

Last question is vague, well not clear.