Curriculum

Advice to centres up to the end of 2007 has been to certificate for Mathematics and Further Mathematics when candidates have completed all their modules. This has allowed the most favourable combination of grades for candidates to be awarded using the "least-best" rule outlined on page 26 of the specification.

Certification rules are changing from January 2008. It is now possible to ask for re-certification of AS or A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics to "unlock" the units that have previously been combined. OCR have sent a notice to centres explaining this. It can also be found on the MEI A Level page on the OCR website www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as_alevelgce
/mathematics_mei/index.html

The "least-best" rule is also being modified to allow the highest uniform mark in Mathematics that is consistent with the "least-best" grades. This is also detailed in OCR's notice to centres.

These are some changes due to take place over the next few years.

KS3/National Curriculum changes
Feb 2007	Formal consultation on new programmes of study from 5th Feb for 12 weeks.
Sept 2007	New National Curriculum for KS3 into schools.
Sept 2008	First teaching of new programme of study.
May 2011	Changes to PoS reflected in KS3 tests.
GCSE changes
Sept 2007	First teaching of two tier GCSE without coursework.
Jan 2008	Resit opportunity for Higher and Intermediate tiers of three tier MEI GCSE.
Aug 2008	First certification of two-tier GCSE.
Sept 2010	First teaching of dual GCSEs in Mathematics incorporating Functional Mathematics.
A-level changes
Aug 2010	First award of A* grade at A-level. QCA currently intends that this will be based on A2 study. In mathematics, there is no intention to change the structure of the examinations by building in AEA style questions, before the new specifications that are intended to be taught from September 2011.
Sept 2011	Proposed first teaching of new specifications. The current specifications, with 6 modules at A-level, will continue until then.

Mathematics GCSE coursework will be discontinued for first teaching from September 2007. Using and applying mathematics and data handling will be assessed within examination papers for the remainder of the lifetime of the current two-tier GCSE; specimen examination questions will be available in the near future. Students commencing 1-year courses in September 2007, to be examined in summer 2008, will still need to complete coursework.

No decisions have yet been announced concerning the assessment of the double award GCSE, for first teaching from September 2010.

There is a position paper exploring the issues concerning coursework in mathematics on this website