1.1 Formulating the problem
In the western world, the early education system largely focuses on learning by rote, adhering to syllabuses and checking boxes. It really does not encourage problem solving, forming logical arguments or, essentially, thinking.
That tactic works fine (although arguably is not the best way to teach useful life skills...) as long as all examinations are purely knowledge tests. This is largely true until GCSE. However, at this point it becomes progressively less viable. This becomes especially true towards the harder end of A-level Maths/Physics, Further Maths and at University.
The Department for Education realised this it is far more useful to teach people to think and problem solve than it is to teach them to regurgitate facts. There is a reason why so called STEM degrees are considered some of the strongest and most employable degrees available being able to problem solve is useful. As a result, they recently reformed the Maths and Physics A-level systems to emphasise more thorough understanding and problem solving, with less of an emphasis on purely memorising equations and facts. In other words, the exams have been made harder. It is important to remember, however, that it is still just as easy or difficult to get the same grades as before, as the boundaries are adjusted to allow the same proportion of students to get each grade each year.
The problem with this, however, is that when students spend 15 odd years being taught how to walk, suddenly being thrown into a pool and being expected to swim doesn t necessarily go smoothly. This is shown by the grade boundaries for Edexcel 2019 A-level Maths and Physics, shown below, which are the first normal (non-further mathematician only) cohort to take the new exams.
2019 Edexcel grade boundaries:
Physics: A* - 206/300 (68.7%), A - 176/300 (58.7%)Maths: A* - 217/300 (72.3%), A - 165/300 (55.0%)
These are drastically lower than the previous syllabuses grade boundaries, representing the increased difficulty of the questions. A similar pattern can be seen across other exam boards.
Whereas before, doing well was very strongly slanted towards simply knowing the material well, there is now more of an emphasis on problem solving and a thorough understanding of the topics. The lower grade boundaries mean that, if you learn this additional skill, it becomes much easier to ensure the top grades are reached, as it is not a skill most students are good at or, more accurately, are taught and have much practice in. There is a widespread misconception that problem solving ability is a talent one either has it or does not. This is false. More on this later but, for now, it is important to understand that, as with almost everything, problem solving is a skill that comes from a mix of teaching and practice.
Additionally, as the change in question style and syllabuses happened so recently, it is currently much less obvious how to best prepare for the exams. There are very few current spec past papers and, as a result, students are much more likely to be caught out by unfamiliar questions that they have not prepared for. This is actually a good thing for you, as it lowers the grade boundaries artificially it is possible to prepare just as well for the new spec exams as the old ones, it just takes a bit more thought and strategy than simply looking at the last 10 years of past papers.
