Summer 2022 – advance information and formulae sheets – FAQs for GCSE, AS and A Level Maths, Core Maths and FSMQ
01 March 2022
Ruth Wroe, Steven Walker, Caroline Hodgson and Neil Ogden, OCR Maths Subject Advisors
In the past few weeks we’ve run several online Q&A webinars to give you a chance to ask questions about advance information and other qualification adaptions for students taking exams in 2022. We’ve already published general FAQ blogs for teachers and for students so the answers to some of your questions may be in those, but in this blog we also respond to the specific questions that maths teachers have been asking.
Advance information
What has been removed by advance information?
The intention of advance information isn’t to reduce content, but to focus student revision for the forthcoming exams. There is still an expectation that all content is covered and all should be revised. Nothing has been ‘cut’ from the specification, but the advance information should be used to help focus student revision on the areas worth the most marks.
I’ve spotted a particular topic in a specification that isn’t listed on the advance information. Does this mean students won’t need to revise it for the exams?
This isn’t the case. Advance information lists topics that will be assessed and that revision should be focused to cover, but other topics may still be assessed. Note that the front cover of each advance information document for our maths qualifications includes a statement either confirming that topics not listed may still form part of particular questions, or a statement confirming that topics listed are the ‘key areas of focus for revision’. All advance information documents also advise that teaching and learning should still cover the entire subject content. Non-listed topics may also support students’ knowledge and understanding of the listed topics.
Do the topic descriptions in the advance information match the specification content statements?
Specification content statements have been used in the advance information for GCSE (9-1) Maths, Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths and Core Maths. However, in GCSE (9-1) Maths some descriptions have also been used that are not from the specification, but instead provide more specific information than the specification’s subject content statement would have given. For AS and A Level Maths and Further Maths, the description in the advance information refers to content themes by question.
In all cases, we strongly recommend you refer to the specification document for your qualification alongside its advance information, since the specification document will help provide clarity and/or exemplification for the content listed.
In the AS and A Level advance information, does each bullet point list topics included in one question? If there is more than one topic on a single line against a bullet point, will they each be assessed in the question?
Yes, each bullet point represents a question. If there is more than one topic on a single line, each topic listed will each be assessed in that question. The main topic of each question will be listed first. Bear in mind that topics not explicitly given in the list may appear in low tariff items or via synoptic questions.
Sometimes a topic is listed in the advance information using a description that seems quite specific about the content that will be assessed. Other statements seem less specific. Why are some statements more/less specific than others?
This will be due to the way the topic is assessed in different questions. For example, if a question is a routine (i.e. AO1) question that explicitly tells students to carry out a particular calculation or to use a particular method, then the advance information may also provide more particular, specific information. Alternatively, if a question is a problem-solving question where part of the requirement is for students themselves to determine the calculations to carry out or the method to use, then the advance information may not be able to be so direct, otherwise it would potentially invalidate the problem-solving aspect of the given question.
For AS or A Level Maths, there is no mention of the Large Data Set in the advance information. Is it included in the assessment in 2022?
Yes, there will still be questions on the Large Data Set in 2022. The Large Data Set is a context that topics will be assessed within, rather than it being a topic in itself.
Will students taking GCSE (9-1) Maths exams in November 2022 also be given advance information?
Yes, students taking GCSE (9-1) Maths in November 2022 will also be provided with advance information. This will be published by July 2022 at the latest. Students taking GCSE (9-1) Maths in November 2022 will also be given a formulae sheet.
Are other awarding organisations providing advance information that is more detailed, or that is including content from low tariff items / synoptic questions?
No. The approach per qualification is the same across all awarding organisations.
Formulae sheets
Will the 2022 extra formulae sheet be part of the question paper booklet, or a separate loose sheet?
It will be a separate loose sheet. This means with current students you can use past papers as mocks with the relevant formulae sheet, to give students the same setup as they will have in 2022. It also means you'll be able to use 2022 question papers as mocks in future years without needing to worry about removing a formulae sheet from the document.
Are there differences in the GCSE (9-1) Maths formulae sheets from different awarding organisations? Are some awarding organisations providing different formulae to others, or with different notation/diagrams?
No. The GCSE (9-1) Maths formulae sheets are the same across all awarding organisations. They all provide the same formulae, using the same notation and with the same diagrams.
Will there be any resources to support students with the 2022 extra formulae sheet?
Yes. We have recently published ‘Formulae Sheet Top Tips’ documents for both GCSE (9-1) Maths and Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths. Four formulae tests are now also now available for GCSE (9-1) Maths, plus two formulae check-in tests for Level 3 FMSQ: Additional Maths. As ever, keep an eye on @OCR_Maths or sign up to our maths subject updates to hear about further new resources.
Are there any changes to the formulae that students will be provided with in AS and A Level Maths or Further Maths? Will students also be given an extra formulae sheet for those qualifications in 2022?
No. We are only permitted to provide extra formulae to students in the 2022 GCSE (9-1) Maths and Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths exams.
Other
Apart from advance information and formulae sheets, are there any other differences for maths qualifications for the 2022 series, compared to pre-pandemic assessments?
The summer 2022 exam timetables have longer gaps between papers for many qualifications. This was part of contingency planning (to decrease the likelihood of students affected by the pandemic missing all exams for a qualification), however it could additionally aid students’ preparations with the advance information this summer. The longer gaps between papers mean that in many cases students have longer to focus revision on the topics listed for a particular paper in advance of that exam.
Grading will also be more generous in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic assessments. Ofqual has confirmed that grading standards in 2022 will be at ‘a midway point between 2021 and 2019’, creating ‘a grade distribution that is generous compared to 2019 but as fair as possible to students’.
Stay connected
If you have any questions about 2022 assessments or any other qualification queries, please get in touch at maths@ocr.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @OCR_Maths. You can also sign up to subject updates and receive email information about our latest maths resources and support.
About the authors
The Maths Subject Advisor team look after our full suite of maths qualifications from Entry Level Maths through to A Level. This includes creating and preparing resources, leading sessions at network events and conferences plus supporting teachers delivering our qualifications. We’ll be glad to answer any queries you have about our qualifications, so feel free to get in touch anytime via email, telephone or social media.
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