Thousands of students have signed a petition demanding a review of the Edexcel A Level Mathematics Paper 1, which they describe as 'impossible' and 'from hell'. The exam, taken on Wednesday, has left many in tears, with one student commenting, 'I only got my name right.'
The petition on Change.org, which has gathered nearly 19,000 signatures, argues that the pure mathematics paper required 'multiple layers of reasoning' and 'unfamiliar approaches', disproportionately affecting lower-achieving candidates. Students have expressed concerns that grade boundaries should reflect the paper's difficulty.
YouTube maths teacher Bicen Maths described the paper as 'tough', noting messy numbers and a lack of 'show that' questions. He said, 'Everybody who came out of the exam had a really similar feeling. It has not been a very positively received exam so far.'
Ofqual, England's exams regulator, has confirmed it is 'closely monitoring' Pearson's marking of the exam. A spokesperson said, 'Our priority is students and ensuring their grades are a reliable indication of what they know, understand and can do.'
Pearson, the exam board, stated that every paper is developed with experienced senior examiners and rigorously checked. A spokesperson added, 'If a paper is found to be more difficult than previous years, grade boundaries will be set to reflect that.'
