One of England’s largest examination boards has been urged to re-mark a query from its 2025 GCSE maths paper, after a complaint was upheld by exams regulator Ofqual.
The regulator discovered points that “could result in teachers delivering incorrect information to students, creating disadvantage and inconsistency over time”.
However, whereas awarding physique Cambridge OCR concedes in a letter to the complainant that there have been “inconsistencies in our past materials”, it instructed Tes in the present day that its marking scheme was based mostly on “correct mathematics” and that it has “taken action” to make sure that the wording of any related questions sooner or later is “completely clear”.
An on-line petition launched yesterday, which now has greater than 1,000 signatures, particulars the complaint in opposition to OCR, whereas an accompanying weblog submit claims college students have been “failed”.
Complaint over GCSE maths exams
In a letter to the complainant seen by Tes, dated 19 February, exams watchdog Ofqual says it has upheld a complaint in opposition to OCR.
The complainant – a maths trainer who spoke to Tes however requested to stay nameless – had set out considerations about OCR’s investigation after highlighting points with Question 6 in its basis and higher-tier maths papers, which centred on the scale of a fridge.
The trainer’s preliminary complaint to OCR over marking led to the identical trainer then complaining to Ofqual about how their considerations had been dealt with by OCR.
Ofqual discovered three areas of “potential for non-compliance” in three separate standards that the regulator expects to be met, together with that “awarding organisations must provide written documents that set out clear criteria for differentiating learners’ attainment”.
Overall, Ofqual discovered: “The issues identified in the specification and mark schemes could result in teachers delivering incorrect information to students, creating disadvantage and inconsistency over time.”
Ofqual invited extra proof from OCR in an effort to inform its remaining willpower, however the 19 February letter from the regulator states: “Having reviewed Cambridge OCR’s response, we have not found any evidence which would provide grounds for making further enquiries or amending our provisional decision, which remains unchanged.”
It advises that “Cambridge OCR has not met its obligations in meeting Ofqual’s rules”, and tells the complainant that “my decision is to uphold your complaint”.
OCR: Re-mark ‘not appropriate’
In a letter to the complainant dated 5 March, OCR apologises for “inconsistencies in our past materials”, however insists that there have been “no errors” in Question 6 or its mark scheme.
OCR says in its letter that “a re-mark of this question would not be appropriate”.
The weblog submit accompanying the petition, in its interpretation of the Ofqual verdict, states that the regulator has discovered that OCR was “not wrong in some minor, technical, procedural sense” however “wrong in ways that go to the heart of what an exam board is supposed to do”.
The complainant says Cambridge OCR had a constant technique of marking questions in relation to “bounds” – on this case regarding the scale of a fridge – however that this modified in 2025 with no prior point out to college students.
According to the complainant’s weblog, the fridge query was “one of the worst-performing” within the paper.
Today a spokesperson for Cambridge OCR instructed Tes: “The mark scheme for this query is predicated on the right arithmetic and according to comparable questions in previous papers in 2024, 2019 and 2017.
“Our wording in some questions asking candidates to calculate ‘maximum/minimum possible values’ could possibly be improved and we’re grateful this has been raised.
“We have taken action to ensure the wording of any similar questions will be completely clear, as well as remaining mathematically accurate.”
The weblog submit on the petition – to which consideration was drawn by London headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh on X yesterday – claims that there could also be college students resitting their GCSE this 12 months who wouldn’t have wanted to if that they had acquired “the mark they were owed”.
An Ofqual spokesperson stated: “We don’t remark publicly on particular person complaints.
“When Ofqual receives a complaint from a school or college, we investigate and notify the complainant of the outcome. Where appropriate, the relevant awarding organisation is also informed.”
In July 2025, when questioned by Tes, Ofqual chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said that each one examination paper errors are “unacceptable”.
Sir Ian was talking after Tes revealed that OCR had apologised to all students and teachers affected by errors in its A-level physics papers. Subject consultants stated the papers contained too many errors and will have “serious detrimental effects” on college students’ futures.
