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GCSE mathematics monitoring report 2008

In 2008, Ofqual monitored the new specifications in GCSE mathematics offered by the three England-based unitary awarding bodies – the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Edexcel, and Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR).

A key area of Ofqual’s monitoring is the scrutiny of question papers and associated mark schemes. Across all three awarding bodies, Ofqual found that, on the whole, question papers were clear, well-written and accessible to candidates, and had good-quality mark schemes.

However, Ofqual requires awarding bodies to address a small number of issues relating to question papers and mark schemes. Some question papers did not provide sufficient opportunities for candidates to demonstrate skills required by the assessment objectives, while others did not address specification content appropriately. There are also some concerns regarding the targeting of questions to grades.

Ofqual has required awarding bodies to agree appropriate action plans to address the issues raised by its monitoring. Ofqual will monitor the implementation of the action plans in future examinations.