GCSE (9-1) Mathematics Specification Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Mathematics (1MA1) First teaching from September 2015 First certification from June 2017 Issue 2 Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Mathematics (1MA1) Specification First certification 2017 Issue 2 Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications Edexcel, BTEC and LCCI qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body offering academic and vocational qualifications that are globally recognised and benchmarked. For further information, please visit our qualification websites at www.uk or www. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page at qualifications.com/contactus About Pearson Pearson is the world's leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 70 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. We put the learner at the centre of everything we do, because wherever learning flourishes, so do people.
Find out more about how we can help you and your learners at qualifications.com This specification is Issue 2. Key changes are sidelined. We will inform centres of any changes to this issue. The latest issue can be found on our website.
References to third party material made in this specification are made in good faith. Pearson does not endorse, approve or accept responsibility for the content of materials, which may be subject to change, or any opinions expressed therein. (Material may include textbooks, journals, magazines and other publications and websites.) All information in this specification is correct at time of publication. ISBN 978 1 446 92720 5 All the material in this publication is copyright © Pearson Education Limited 2015 From Pearson’s Expert Panel for World Class Qualifications “The reform of the qualifications system in England is a profoundly important change to the education system.
Teachers need to know that the new qualifications will assist them in helping their learners make progress in their lives. When these changes were first proposed we were approached by Pearson to join an ‘Expert Panel’ that would advise them on the development of the new qualifications. We were chosen, either because of our expertise in the UK education system, or because of our experience in reforming qualifications in other systems around the world as diverse as Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and a number of countries across Europe. We have guided Pearson through what we judge to be a rigorous qualification development process that has included: ● Extensive international comparability of subject content against the highest- performing jurisdictions in the world ● Benchmarking assessments against UK and overseas providers to ensure that they are at the right level of demand ● Establishing External Subject Advisory Groups, drawing on independent subject- specific expertise to challenge and validate our qualifications ● Subjecting the final qualifications to scrutiny against the DfE content and Ofqual accreditation criteria in advance of submission.
Importantly, we have worked to ensure that the content and learning is future oriented. The design has been guided by what is called an ‘Efficacy Framework’, meaning learner outcomes have been at the heart of this development throughout. We understand that ultimately it is excellent teaching that is the key factor to a learner’s success in education. As a result of our work as a panel we are confident that we have supported the development of qualifications that are outstanding for their coherence, thoroughness and attention to detail and can be regarded as representing world-class best practice.” Sir Michael Barber (Chair) Professor Sing Kong Lee Chief Education Advisor, Pearson plc Director, National Institute of Education, Singapore Bahram Bekhradnia Professor Jonathan Osborne President, Higher Education Policy Institute Stanford University Dame Sally Coates Professor Dr Ursula Renold Principal, Burlington Danes Academy Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland Professor Robin Coningham Professor Bob Schwartz Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Durham Harvard Graduate School of Education Dr Peter Hill Former Chief Executive ACARA Introduction The Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 to 1) in Mathematics is designed for use in schools and colleges.
It is part of a suite of GCSE qualifications offered by Pearson. Purpose of the specification This specification sets out: ● the objectives of the qualification ● any other qualification that a student must have completed before taking the qualification ● any prior knowledge and skills that the student is required to have before taking the qualification ● any other requirements that a student must have satisfied before they will be assessed or before the qualification will be awarded ● the knowledge and understanding that will be assessed as part of the qualification ● the method of assessment and any associated requirements relating to it ● the criteria against which a student’s level of attainment will be measured (such as assessment criteria). Rationale The Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Mathematics meets the following purposes, which fulfil those defined by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) for GCSE qualifications in their GCSE (9 to 1) Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements document, published in April 2014. The purposes of this qualification are to: ● provide evidence of students’ achievements against demanding and fulfilling content, to give students the confidence that the mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding that they will have acquired during the course of their study are as good as that of the highest performing jurisdictions in the world ● provide a strong foundation for further academic and vocational study and for employment, to give students the appropriate mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding to help them progress to a full range of courses in further and higher education.
This includes Level 3 mathematics courses as well as Level 3 and undergraduate courses in other disciplines such as biology, geography and psychology, where the understanding and application of mathematics is crucial ● provide (if required) a basis for schools and colleges to be held accountable for the performance of all of their students. Qualification aims and objectives The aims and objectives of the Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Mathematics are to enable students to: ● develop fluent knowledge, skills and understanding of mathematical methods and concepts ● acquire, select and apply mathematical techniques to solve problems ● reason mathematically, make deductions and inferences, and draw conclusions ● comprehend, interpret and communicate mathematical information in a variety of forms appropriate to the information and context. The context for the development of this qualification All our qualifications are designed to meet our World Class Qualification Principles[1] and our ambition to put the student at the heart of everything we do. We have developed and designed this qualification by: ● reviewing other curricula and qualifications to ensure that it is comparable with those taken in high-performing jurisdictions overseas ● consulting with key stakeholders on content and assessment, including learned bodies, subject associations, higher-education academics, teachers and employers to ensure this qualification is suitable for a UK context ● reviewing the legacy qualification and building on its positive attributes.
This qualification has also been developed to meet criteria stipulated by Ofqual in their documents GCSE (9 to 1) Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements and GCSE Subject Level Conditions and Requirements for Mathematics, published in April 2014. [1] Pearson’s World Class Qualification principles ensure that our qualifications are: ● demanding, through internationally benchmarked standards, encouraging deep learning and measuring higher-order skills ● rigorous, through setting and maintaining standards over time, developing reliable and valid assessment tasks and processes, and generating confidence in end users of the knowledge, skills and competencies of certified students ● inclusive, through conceptualising learning as continuous, recognising that students develop at different rates and have different learning needs, and focusing on progression ● empowering, through promoting the development of transferable skills, see Appendix 1. Contents Qualification at a glance 1 Knowledge, skills and understanding 3 Foundation tier knowledge, skills and understanding 5 Higher tier knowledge, skills and understanding 12 Assessment 21 Assessment summary 21 Assessment Objectives and weightings 24 Breakdown of Assessment Objectives into strands and elements 26 Entry and assessment information 28 Student entry 28 Forbidden combinations and discount code 28 November resits 28 Access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration 29 Equality Act 2010 and Pearson equality policy 30 Awarding and reporting 31 Language of assessment 31 Grade descriptions 31 Other information 33 Student recruitment 33 Prior learning 33 Progression 33 Progression from GCSE 34 Appendix 1: Transferable skills 37 Appendix 2: Codes 39 Appendix 3: Mathematical formulae 41 Qualification at a glance Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Mathematics ● The assessments will cover the following content headings: 1 Number 2 Algebra 3 Ratio, proportion and rates of change 4 Geometry and measures 5 Probability 6 Statistics ● Two tiers are available: Foundation and Higher (content is defined for each tier). ● Each student is permitted to take assessments in either the Foundation tier or Higher tier.
● The qualification consists of three equally-weighted written examination papers at either Foundation tier or Higher tier. ● All three papers must be at the same tier of entry and must be completed in the same assessment series. ● Paper 1 is a non-calculator assessment and a calculator is allowed for Paper 2 and Paper 3. ● Each paper is 1 hour and 30 minutes long.
● Each paper has 80 marks. ● The content outlined for each tier will be assessed across all three papers. ● Each paper will cover all Assessment Objectives, in the percentages outlined for each tier. (See the section Breakdown of Assessment Objectives for more information.) ● Each paper has a range of question types; some questions will be set in both mathematical and non-mathematical contexts.
● See Appendix 3 for a list of formulae that can be provided in the examination (as part of the relevant question). ● Two assessment series available per year: May/June and November*. ● First assessment series: May/June 2017. ● The qualification will be graded and certificated on a nine-grade scale from 9 to 1 using the total mark across all three papers where 9 is the highest grade.
Individual papers are not graded. ● Foundation tier: grades 1 to 5. ● Higher tier: grades 4 to 9 (grade 3 allowed). *See the November resits section for restrictions on November entry.
Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Mathematics 1 Specification – Issue 2 – June 2015 © Pearson Education Limited 2015 2 Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Mathematics Specification – Issue 2 – June 2015 © Pearson Education Limited 2015 Knowledge, skills and understanding Overview The table below illustrates the topic areas covered in this qualification and the topic area weightings for the assessment of the Foundation tier and the assessment of the Higher tier. Tier Topic area Weighting Number 22 - 28% Algebra 17 - 23% Ratio, Proportion and Rates 22 - 28% Foundation of change Geometry and Measures 12 - 18% Statistics & Probability 12 - 18% Number 12 - 18% Algebra 27 - 33% Ratio, Proportion and Rates 17 - 23% Higher of change Geometry and Measures 17 - 23% Statistics & Probability 12 - 18% Content ● All students will develop confidence and competence with the content identified by standard type. ● All students will be assessed on the content identified by the standard and the underlined type; more highly attaining students will develop confidence and competence with all of this content. ● Only the more highly attaining students will be assessed on the content identified by bold type.
The highest attaining students will develop confidence and competence with the bold content. ● The distinction between standard, underlined and bold type applies to the content statements only, not to the Assessment Objectives or to the mathematical formulae. Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9 - 1) in Mathematics 3 Specification – Issue 2 – June 2015 © Pearson Education Limited 2015 Foundation tier Foundation tier students will be assessed on content identified by the standard and underlined type.