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Total Maths Newsletter

Hello Colleague

We hope you had a fantastic break over half-term and that you’ve got off to a great start in the classroom. 😊

The November 2024 GCSE (9-1) Maths exams are nearly upon us. If you have students taking the qualification, we wish them every success. The exam dates are below and students will be given a formulae sheet in each exam. Question papers will be published online on Teach Cambridge a few days after each exam has been sat.

  • Wednesday 6 November morning – J560/01 and J560/04 (calculator papers)
  • Friday 8 November morning – J560/02 and J560/05 (non-calculator papers)
  • Monday 11 November morning – J560/03 and J560/06 (calculator papers)

If you’ll be in London on Tuesday 26 November for the PiXL Maths Conference, we look forward to seeing you there. Drop by our stand to discuss our qualifications and support, plus you’ll be able to pick up a few free things from our stand… 😊

We’re very interested to speak with teachers willing to share their thoughts and opinions on the future of maths at KS3 and GCSE (including ITTs, ECTs and non-maths specialists; there’s also no need to teach our qualifications). We're exploring how the current maths curriculum and assessment could be reimagined and evolved into a more supportive, relevant and confidence-inspiring qualification that provides students with skills for life and work. To get involved, complete this form and we’ll get back in touch with different ways to join the discussion, from surveys to interviews and focus groups.

As ever, if you have any queries or need any further support, please get in touch with us. Our role is to support you as you deliver our qualifications.

Neil, Steven, Ruth, Caroline and Amy - your OCR Maths Subject Advisors 

maths@ocr.org.uk
@OCR_Maths
01223 553998
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Formulae sheets for GCSE (9-1) Maths and Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths
Student writing

If you have students entered in the November 2024 GCSE (9-1) Maths resit series, students will be given a formulae sheet in each exam.

For exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027, last month Ofqual ran a public consultation requesting views on continuing to provide formulae sheets to students sitting GCSE (9-1) Maths (and Physics & Combined Science).

The consultation has now closed, but as soon as we hear the outcome we’ll let you know. Keep an eye on @OCR_Maths for the latest updates.

The outcome of the consultation will also determine provision of the extra formulae sheet to students sitting Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths in these years.

Ofqual formulae sheets consultation
Autumn term Teacher Networks

Throughout this term we’ll be running Teacher Networks on specific topics to support you.

Please see below for upcoming dates. Places are free and available to book now.
Teachers in a room
  • Tuesday 5 November - GCSE (9-1) Maths face-to-face in Leeds – We’ll be heading up to the offices of White Rose Education to deliver an afternoon Teacher Network. In the first hour we’ll cover the essentials of our GCSE (9-1) Maths for anyone considering teaching it, or just wanting to make sure they’re getting the most from the qualification and support. In the second hour we’ll review student performance in the summer 2024 exams and more. Feel free to attend for both hours or just one.
  • Wednesday 27 November - GCSE (9-1) Maths (online) – We’ll share student performance data and trends over time, up to and including reviewing summer 2024.
  • Thursday 28 November - A Level Maths (online) – We’ll focus on year 13 mocks, with a discussion on using mark schemes, examiners’ reports and candidate exemplars with students and an opportunity to share planning and assessment ideas.
  • Tuesday 3 December - GCSE (9-1) Maths (online) – We’ll discuss mocks at this event. We’ll share resources to support you and we look forward to hearing your ideas for best practice.

Whether you’re already teaching a qualification or just interested in learning more, you’re very welcome to attend.

Teacher Networks
GCSE (9-1) Maths introductory webinars
GCSE Maths for all

In December we’ll be running some short, 30 minute webinars, each focussing on a specific aspect of our GCSE (9-1) Maths qualification.

Dates and links to book your place are below:

Whether you’re new to the qualification or more experienced and just wanting to make sure you’re aware of all the latest support and resources we’ve published recently, get yourself a place now at the links above. Please feel free to book for all three or just one.

If you’d prefer to hear all the content in a single session, book yourself a place on our 14 January ‘Choosing OCR GCSE (9-1) Maths’ session (please see the article below).


GCSE (9-1) Maths for all
Professional development for 2024/25

Our professional development courses for 2024/25 are now available to browse and book. The courses below are coming up in the remainder of this term and into 2025.

Head over to our maths professional development webpage to book your place and view other courses coming up over the year.
Teachers talking
  • Tuesday 12 November - GCSE (9-1) Maths - Foundation Tier summer 2024 exam review
  • Wednesday 13 November - AS & A Level Maths A summer 2024 exam review
  • Thursday 14 November - Core Maths A summer 2024 exam review
  • Thursday 21 November - Core Maths B summer 2024 exam review
  • Wednesday 27 November - Enhance your Teaching: Getting the most out of your calculator for GCSE (9-1) Maths
  • Thursday 28 November - GCSE (9-1) Maths - Higher Tier summer 2024 exam review
  • Monday 2 December - AS & A Level Further Maths A summer 2024 exam review
  • Thursday 5 December - AS & A Level Further Maths B (MEI) summer 2024 exam review
  • Wednesday 11 December - AS & A Level Maths B (MEI) summer 2024 exam review
  • Tuesday 14 January - Choosing OCR GCSE (9-1) Maths
  • Wednesday 15 January - Developing problem-solving skills in pure maths for A Level Maths A and A Level Maths B (MEI).

Materials from past courses are available to you to download from Teach Cambridge. Select your qualification, then in the left-hand menu go to ‘Training’, then ‘Past training events’.

Maths Professional Development
Using a calculator effectively in Core Maths exams blog
Person reading our blog on a tablet

Now available for you to read is ‘Using a calculator effectively in Core Maths exams’, a guest blog from maths technology consultant Gerard Dummett. In the blog, you'll find ways to enhance your students’ calculator skills ready for the exams, including some great tips and links to further support.

If you’d like to hear more from Gerard, he’ll also be hosting our ‘Enhance your Teaching: Getting the most out of your calculator for GCSE (9-1) Maths’ professional development session on Wednesday 27 November (please see the article above).

For many more blogs, please visit our ‘maths blogs’ webpage.

Maths blogs
Examine with us

Interested in being part of our assessor team? We have plenty of great opportunities.

If you’d like to mark exam papers in 2025, we’re currently recruiting Examiners for GCSE (9-1) Maths, Level 3 FSMQ: Additional Maths, Further Maths A and Further Maths B (MEI).
Teacher smiling

Or, if you're interested in monitoring and ensuring the standard of Examiners throughout the examination period, we’re recruiting Principal Examiners for Core Maths, A Level Maths B (MEI) and A Level Further Maths A. More information and application details are available online. Applications for these roles close on Sunday 17 November.

You can also browse other opportunities and sign up for job alerts on our Assessment Specialist webpage.

View vacancies
Formative assessment research
Student in a classroom

We’re conducting a research study into how formative assessment is used in the classrooms and how you use the results of any formative assessment pieces.

If you’re currently teaching maths to year 9 students, you're invited to take part in a remote interview to share your experiences, the challenges you face and discuss ideas.

Your feedback will be anonymous and will play a valuable role in shaping future developments that support your work in the classroom.

The interview will take about 45-60 minutes and can be scheduled at a time convenient for you. As a token of appreciation for your time, we'll be able to offer a small remuneration for taking part.

If you would like to participate or have any questions, please contact us.

Contact us

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