Sitting maths exam early doesn’t add up

A target-driven culture based on league tables is skewing behaviour, with headteachers putting the best interests of their school above those of their students, the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (Acme) said.

It is calling for the Government to take immediate action to ensure all pupils have maths lessons up to the age of 16.

The numbers of pupils taking their maths GCSE early has more than doubled in two years, according to official figures.

Last year nearly 11 per cent (83,179 pupils) of those sitting GCSE maths were aged 15 or younger, compared to just under five per cent (32,908) in 2008.

In a quarter of schools that enter pupils for GCSE early, students stop studying maths once they achieve a grade C, Acme said.

The committee raises concerns that the practice of early entry has a negative effect on most students’ maths education, and hinders their chances of taking a wide range of subjects after the age of 16 and at university.

Pupils on the borderline of getting a grade C or D are being entered for their GCSE with many exam boards to increase their chances of a C grade, it says.

Evidence suggests over half of those entered for GCSE maths early retake it at least once, and some up to four times.

Acme warns that some students who take GCSE maths early end up “settling” for the grade they get, which can affect university applications later ons.

Students can spend one or two years at school without maths lessons if they stop the subject after achieving a C grade.