{"id":232013,"date":"2025-07-05T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=232013"},"modified":"2025-07-04T12:10:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:10:39","slug":"ofqual-scrutinising-edexcels-a-level-maths-replacement-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/ofqual-scrutinising-edexcels-a-level-maths-replacement-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Ofqual scrutinising Edexcel\u2019s A-level maths replacement paper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The exams regulator is \u201cclosely scrutinising\u201d Edexcel\u2019s approach to awarding A-level<\/a> maths this year following complaints that it replaced a paper with a version that missed swathes of content pupils had expected to cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 2,000 pupils have signed a petition after sitting the pure maths \u201cpaper 2\u201d issued by the board \u2013 part of the education giant Pearson \u2013 on June 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They said the paper \u201clacked key topics…fundamental to the course\u201d. They also reported overlaps with paper 1, sat on June 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearson has since confirmed that the paper was a replacement<\/a> for its original paper 2, but refused to say why it was forced to make the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board insisted \u201call candidates received and sat the correct, intended paper for each exam\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The matter has now been referred to Ofqual, which told Schools Week it was \u201caware of the concerns raised about this paper and will be closely scrutinising Pearson\u2019s approach to awarding this qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur priority at this point in the exam season is the interests of students and ensuring students\u2019 grades are a reliable indication of what they know, understand and can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘We will determine whether there have been rule breaches’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The organisation also said that, once results were released and summer exams monitoring was complete, \u201cwe will determine whether there have been any issues which have arisen over the course of the series which constitute breaches of our rules\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an update published by Pearson, the exam board confirmed it had replaced the original version of paper 2, which was taken by 99.8 per cent of candidates. The 0.2 per cent of the cohort needing modifications sat a different paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always have multiple versions of each paper available for use in every series. This allows us to replace a paper at any stage if we need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDecisions to replace a paper are never made lightly and can happen for a number of reasons. When we do replace a paper, we consider carefully the student experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearson ‘confident content assessed is reasonable’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pearson said two different papers, \u201cwhether an original and replacement, or papers sat in different series, will not always cover the same content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are confident that the content assessed in both versions of paper 2 is reasonable and appropriate for candidates to have accessed and effectively demonstrated their knowledge and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board has tasked senior examiners with overseeing the marking of both versions of paper 2, and \u201cto ensure fairness for all students, we will set grade boundaries separately for the two versions of paper 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis approach allows us to account for any minor differences in demand between the papers, so that students are fairly rewarded for their performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Pearson spokesperson said both the standard and modified versions \u201cwere equally valid exam papers, written to meet the specification requirements and our own standards and quality checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can reassure all students and teachers that they received and sat the correct intended paper and we have written to all schools and colleges that received modified versions to clarify and confirm this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Our efforts have gone to waste’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the petition website change.org<\/a>, pupils wrote of their dismay after sitting the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe worked hard for two years and it seems like our efforts have gone to waste,\u201d the organisers wrote, adding the paper \u201clacked key topics that are fundamental to the course\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were tested on the same topics multiple times. This oversight unfairly challenges our capacity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills we have painstakingly built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They added that the lack of coverage of the topics \u201cmeans that the grades we will receive on results day won’t be a true reflection of our understanding and ability in mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsually, these core topics are covered extensively across examination papers, offering students a balanced opportunity to exhibit their proficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They called on Edexcel to \u201cconsider implementing lower grade boundaries or compensatory measures for this year\u2019s exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents’ futures could be at stake, and it is only right that every effort is made to ensure an equitable assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An account on X set up in the wake of the exam, \u2013 \u201cPearson Edexcel 2025 Maths A-Level Scandal\u201d \u2013 said pupil performance in the qualification \u201ccannot be fairly or validly assessed because the exam series did not test the entire pure mathematics curriculum as required by Ofqual\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pupils complain that replacement paper missed swathes of content they had expected it to cover<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":231976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[73],"post-theme":[2345],"class_list":["post-232013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-a-level","post-theme-assessment"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t