What can we learn from the 2019 GCSE Mathematics papers? By Jemma Sherwood We have now seen the third year of the new GCSE in Mathematics and we are starting to get a feel for the question types, the mix of procedure and application, and the complexity of the problems. It is clearly a different […]
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The examiner reports from OCR have now been published, highlighting some of the features of the best answers from the summer exams of 2019. There were several key characteristics that helped essays to score higher marks; the examiners’ reports should help current students to see where they can improve as they develop their own writing. […]
Author: Gwen Nelson The literature NEAs involve a comparison of different texts, linked via a theme, form, or authorial method with application of literary criticism. It is a demanding piece of work which is worth 20% of the A-Level as a whole. There are varying approaches across Centres, with some choosing to use one common […]
Author: Gwen Nelson Reading a set for exam reports for AS and A-Level for different versions of the A-Level course is no mean feat, but nowhere near as difficult as actually doing the marking and leading a bunch of exhausted assistant examiners. So, to all assistant examiners and team leaders, I thank you for a […]
We’re now three years into what is still being referred to as the ‘new spec’, and students, teachers and examiners have settled into a pattern of expectation: most students know what to do in the exam, teachers teach it and examiners examine it. Something is obviously working because results continue to get better year on […]
So, just like that, another exam season is over and the GCSE Geography exams of 2019 are completed. With this being the second cohort of Year 11s to sit the reformed Geography specifications, I think that many Geography teachers were intrigued to see another set of live papers – what would be tested this year? […]
Examiners’ reports are a wealth of information, giving data about how many students tried each question as well as breaking down misconceptions for every section. Are there any key messages that we can draw from the examiners reports to improve the performance of our students? Sam Holyman has looked through the reports to give you […]
It’s now the third time through the A levels for the new (ish) reformed A level specifications, or the fourth time round if you count the AS exams (which are now sat by just a quarter of those who took them 2 years ago). That usually means that teachers and students are getting more used […]
Learning to ‘face a few responsibilites’ Working with a student the other day, I realised that writing about the character of Mr Birling in ‘An Inspector Calls’ is probably the most difficult. When teachers who have taught AIC for years tell me it is ‘too clumsy’, ‘too obvious’, ‘too preachy’, they are referring in part […]
The examiners were pleased that students had been well prepared for the specification, and had gained considerable knowledge. There were some concerns about the accuracy of material students are coming across online, and it’s important that we should guide them towards more reliable sources, and teach them to be critical and check facts. There were […]