Letter from Sir Ian Bauckham CBE to The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP
Published 3 October 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP
Secretary of State for Education
Dear Secretary of State,
Thank you for your letter dated 3 October 2024 about your subject content expectations for students taking GCSE qualifications in mathematics, physics and combined science in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Ofqual requires exam boards to produce GCSE exam papers that test students on the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the Department for Education’s published subject content for these subjects. Prior to the pandemic, this included testing students’ ability both to recall and to use specific formulae and equations in GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams. For exams in 2022, 2023 and 2024, however, the government confirmed that students would not have to recall these formulae and equations. Instead the relevant formulae and equations were supplied for students to use in exams.
Thank you for setting out your decision that students taking these qualifications in 2025, 2026 and 2027 should not have to recall but should be able to use the usual formulae and equations. To support this continued change in subject content expectations, Ofqual will now consult on adaptations to the assessment requirements for these subjects. The consultation will seek views on continuing to require exam boards to provide support materials, in the form of formulae and equation sheets, for these exams, as they have done in previous years.
It is important that there is clarity for teachers and students so they know, as soon as possible, what changes will be made to the exams for which they are preparing. In view of this Ofqual’s consultation has been launched today and will remain open for 2 weeks until 11.45pm on Thursday 17 October 2024. Ofqual will consider all responses to the consultation and will announce its decisions as soon as possible after that.
Yours sincerely,
Sir Ian Bauckham CBE
Chief Regulator at Ofqual