Graham Cumming
@MathsNot
Erstwhile examination board Maths Adviser. Occasional comments about UK maths exams and pictures of buses.
But when will I need to know about Fermi estimation? #coremaths
One of the strategies proposed for raising the Titanic before it fully deteriorates was to fill it full of ping pong balls.
What’s the problem, it’s AI doing the coursework in the first place
Public opposition to teachers using artificial intelligence to mark coursework has been revealed in a major @CambPressAssess survey on AI in education tes.com/magazine/news/…
People are always asking "Is there a scientific calculator for visually impaired students?" Yes, there is, and I have just done a review At around £600, it's not cheap, but it does everything needed for GCSE Full details and manual at: dropbox.com/scl/fo/1w5olxj…
Mark schemes for PearsonEdexcel’s Summer 2025 series of International GCSE Mathematics A, Mathematics B & Further Pure Mathematics exam papers can now be found at these links: qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati… qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati… qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati…
Mark schemes for PearsonEdexcel’s Summer 2025 series of GCSE Mathematics, GCSE Statistics & Level 2 Extended Mathematics exam papers can now be found at these links: qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati… qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati… qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualificati… You’ll need your Edexcel Online log in
About time something was done to clear out the riff-raff dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
I think they should be fined by the exam boards gov.uk/government/new…
Can’t get away from exam inflation
New: Ofqual has withdrawn a decade's worth of data on access arrangements after the figures were found to have "significantly overstated" the number of pupils receiving additional support. tes.com/magazine/news/…
Spoiler: doesn’t explain why
Exam results: why do some subjects not have bell curves? | TES tes.com/magazine/analy…
If only to avoid making daft statements about tax #coremaths
If you earn £120,000 a year in the UK, you keep just 29p of every pound you make. And it’s only getting worse under Labour. Higher taxes, more red tape, and endless punishment for anyone who dares to work hard, take risks, or build something of value. They talk about…
Clowns you say, Bobby?
Chelsea Vs PSG in Club World Cup Final Spurs Vs PSG in European Super Cup Final Both Chelsea and Spurs (and tbh anyone else in world football) will be made to look like clowns. PSG looking like the best team in the past few years. #FIFAClubWorldCup #FIFAClubWorldCup2025
NEW: The rise of STEAM revisited We investigate trends in students choosing a combination of STEM and arts subjects at A-Level. vist.ly/3n8yw6u
There definitely seems to be a groundswell of feeling that we should do another GCSE to A Level grade lookup table. All credit to @kerrydunton who has done more than anyone to collect evidence. But I'm happy to give it a go in August/September 1/3
Have any maths people been working on this over the summer?
Later this year, Akshata and I will launch The Richmond Project - a new charity focused on improving numeracy. Confidence with numbers transforms lives. It unlocks opportunity, fuels social mobility, and helps people thrive. But right now, too many struggle. More to come soon.
As Graham says, do you think it's time to get a new one of these? 2023 to 2025? I'd be happy to collate them
I got a few more in after that chart so the complete version is below. It covers all exam boards.
There’s no such thing as “an eighth of a grade”
🆕 Disadvantaged students fall behind by a fifth of a grade in English and one eighth of a grade in maths compared with their better-off peers when resitting GCSEs, new research shows feweek.co.uk/significant-di…