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Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Mathematics Foundation level [1MA1F] is an exam owned by Pearson plc and administered by the Edexcel Exam Board within the British educational system at the GCSE level. It is generally taken by students attending a British or International school at the age of 16. The Foundation Tier paper is intended for lower achieving students, and only grades 1 to 5 are awarded to students taking it. The companion paper is the Higher paper (grades 4 to 9 awarded).
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The exam comprises three papers. Paper 1 is non-calculator and Papers 2 and 3 are calculator. The time allowed for each paper is 90 mins. It is a written examination.
In contrast to legacy examinations at the same level, there is no differentiation as to content between the three papers. Any part of the curriculum may appear in any of the papers. The curriculum content, which is vast for the level, is described in detail in the specification.
This specification broadly subdivides the content into (1) Number, (2) Algebra, (3) Ratio, proportion and rates of change, (4) Geometry and measures, (5) Probability and (6) Statistics.
In contrast to American exams, the content of Edexcel Foundation Level mathematics is precisely defined. Notwithstanding, the sub-divisions and presentation of the curriculum in the specification is a description of content only, and does not provide a scheme of work. It may encourage a "flat" approach to course design - a student would be ill-advised to work through the curriculum in the order in which it is presented by the specification. All Mathematics content is structured by conceptual difficulty, and the specification does not directly cater for this feature.
Many structured textbooks are offered to the British market that cater to this need. However, there is also a need for an approach that integrates the curriculum design with profiling of the student's attainment, which is the approach of blacksacademy.net.
The blacksacademy.net approach to the question of "what is the curriculum of Edexcel Foundation Tier Mathematics?" is to analyse the questions presented in past papers, a number of which Edexcel publish for free download.
Two courses are presented by blacksacademy.net to meet the requirement of a student whose need is to study systematically for the exam. The Short Course is an arrangement of the curriculum content that has been tested in published papers according to conceptual level.
In the Full Course the short course is filled out with the intermediate chapters of content that may be found in the specification. We begin either course with the lowest ranked chapter of content, where ranking is by conceptual difficulty. In the case of any Higher level GCSE curriculum, the difference between the short course and long course, both of which are automatically generated from the analysis of the exam content, may be minimal. This is because the length of the exam (4.5 hours) and the presence of a specification ensures that the exam routinely assesses all the curriculum content.
Whichever course the student follows (Short or Full), the student should appreciate that rapid improvement in attainment can only be achieved by corresponding hours of study. By the time a student of the British educational system takes GCSE Mathematics, he or she has been studying in school for 11 years, and should have a total classroom time of approximately 1,500 hours. It generally takes 1 year to improve by 1 grade at GCSE. However, the blacksacademy.net system and algorithm is designed to optimise learning and maximise the rate of learning.
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The student begins by taking a diagnostic, which provides a detailed analysis of the student's skills that is matched against the skills assessed in Edexcel GCSE Higher Level Mathematics.
The student selects a program of study (short course, long course, other) and starts this course at a chapter in his/her optimal working zone. This is curriculum content that is just outside the student's "comfort zone", but where the student can progress. The student progresses chapter by chapter.
At the conclusion of each chapter, the student has the option to take a consolidation multiple-choice test. This ongoing testing compacts the student's skills in the "consolidation zone", and systematically increases the task difficulty in each topic. Taking a test updates the student's profile.
Thus the student is aware at each stage of how he or she is progressing towards success in the exam.
Students may study either with or without a tutor. The student pays for the content of the program chapter by chapter. Tuition is charged separately.
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While it is cheaper to study independently (without a tutor), we encourage students to work with a tutor. Most students find the work involved in mastering a curriculum demanding, and benefit from the explanations offered by the tutor. All tuition is highly interactive.
The tutor is trained to get the student to do as much of the work as possible. Learning is active not passive—the student progresses by solving problems with prompts and guidance from the tutor.
In addition, the tutor provides constant encouragement to the student.
GCSE Mathematics is aimed primarily at students at or below the age of 16. It may also be taken by adults. Students below the age of 18 may register at blacksacademy.net, but they cannot progress beyond three chapters unless they have a parent or equivalent to whom reports are sent. Parents and guardians may register on behalf of a student.
The registration process is simple and quick. The same link works for both parents and independent students.
To proceed to registration, parents and students must accept the privacy and end-user agreement. There is no advertising, and both parents and students may use an alias.
The diagnostic test and the first three chapters are free.
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REGISTER AND TAKE DIAGNOSTIC TEST |
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