The New Gcses - Are You Prepared?

With changes to how GCSEs are examined especially in English & Maths there is a greater need for tutees to be prepared and ready for the new challenge ahead. So here are the 10 things you should know about the new GSCEs.

1. It's bigger The new GCSE is bigger in size than the current GCSE (carry on reading to see why) and therefore it may require more teaching time in the future. See page 20 for more guidance on teaching time for the new GCSE.

2. There's more content at both tiers There has been an increase in the breadth and depth of content to be covered at both Foundation and Higher tiers. Some content that previously was assessed at Higher tier only will now be assessed at Foundation tier. More content has been added to the Higher tier to stretch and challenge the most able students and to help prepare them for A Level Mathematics. See pages 7-11 for more information on the changes to content.

3. There are new Assessment Objectives The new Assessment Objectives place greater emphasis on mathematical problem solving and mathematical reasoning and communication. These follow on from the teaching and learning aims of the Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 programmes of study. See pages 13-14 for more information on the new Assessment Objectives.

4. There are more formulae that students will need to memorise for the examinations The number of formulae that students can be provided with in the examinations has been reduced, so students will need to memorise some formulae, such as the quadratic formula. See page 15 for the list of formulae that can be provided to students in the examinations (as part of the relevant questions).

5. There are more examination papers for students to take More assessment time is required to assess the larger body of content, therefore the new GCSEs will see students take three examination papers at the end of the course. See page 12 for more information on the assessment structure of the new GCSE.

6. There's a new grading system A new grading system has been introduced using numbers to represent grades instead of letters. The new grades are on a scale of 9-1, with 9 representing the highest grade and 1 the lowest. See page 17 for more information on the grading scale and how the grades relate to current GCSE grades. Visit the link below to compare the old grades with the new.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/377768/2014-09-12-grading-the-new-gcses-in.pdf

7. The structure of the papers has changed The new structure of the papers will see fewer questions targeted at the lowest grades and more questions targeted at the highest grades at both tiers. See page 4 for the new requirements.

8. The assessments will be more demanding The new content added to both tiers, increased emphasis on mathematical problem solving, reasoning and communication, as well as the increased assessment time and change in the structure of the papers, all mean that GCSE Mathematics examinations will be more demanding in the future. Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Mathematics Getting Started Guide Issue 2 © Pearson Education Ltd 2015.

9. There are more rules around examination entries A number of rules have been introduced to limit inappropriate early entry, resits and double entries. See page 21 for more information on the rules around examination entries.

10. There are a lot of things changing, but we want to ensure the things you like stay the same We have spoken to thousands of teachers since the start of the reforms and, while there are a number of changes that are outside our control (see page 4 for the new requirements), there are some things you have told us that you want to keep the same.

We will continue to ramp our papers in difficulty and will continue to place a great deal of importance on the language of our papers. This is not about reducing the number of words but ensuring the language used is simple and that the contexts used help candidates understand and access the mathematics being tested. There will also be more support available from us to help you teach the new GCSE, driven by all the feedback you have given us. In 2010, we supported schools through the changes. In 2015 we want to do that all over again. We hope you find this guide helpful, but remember it's only a small part of how we will be supporting you. Pearson Edexcel