More than 19,000 raging students sign petition claiming A-level maths exam was 'too hard'

More than 19.000 pupils have signed a petition claiming an A-level maths exam was too hard, comparing it to a "war crime".Pearson Edexcel's Maths 1 paper, sat on Wednesday, was criticised by students who claimed it was significantly harder than past papers and previous exams, leaving them feeling "overwhelmed" and "uncertain".The petition - which received over 15,000 signatures in just 24 hours - is demanding a "thorough review" of the A-level paper and the "impact that the paper's difficulty may have had on student outcomes across the country".The petition also referenced a poll from popular educational content creator Mr Bicen where 54 per cent of pupils felt the paper was "worse than expected, bad/awful". TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Addressed to the exam body, the petition said there was "widespread concern" from teachers, pupils, and tutors the paper was "a significant increase in difficulty" as compared to previous years.It read: "Across schools and colleges, students who consistently achieved high grades in mock examinations, past papers, and classroom assessments reported leaving the examination hall feeling uncertain and overwhelmed."Many candidates who had demonstrated strong mathematical ability throughout their studies found themselves unable to complete substantial sections of the paper within the allotted time."One woman, named Karen, told the Mail: "My son has studied so hard for this exam and came home so deflated by the content and difficulty in the exam. This will have an impact on Uni offers."Pearson said its grade boundaries would be set according to the range of marks achieved - the standard process.Another parent, Denise, wrote in the petition's comments: "It cannot be right that so many students were distressed during and after the exam and now feel that their university places are at risk."The petition raised concerns over consistency, noting that while demanding questions had appeared in previous exams, they were usually confined to a small section at the end of the exam."Many students felt that questions required multiple layers of reasoning, extended algebraic manipulation, and unfamiliar approaches beyond what had typically been expected in previous examination series," it added.The signatories have demanded Pearson take three actions.LATEST EDUCATION NEWS:Conservatives demand schools are not used as 'vehicles for migrant indoctrination'Thousands of students face major grading change after A Level paper leak linked to PakistanGCSE French exam sparks ‘woke social engineering’ row over ‘bisexual little sister’ questionFirstly, review "the balance of question styles, accessibility, and time demands" to determine consistency with previous years.Secondly, pupils have asked Pearson to "provide transparency" about how grade boundaries are determined, and - emphasising that they were not requesting grade inflation - that outcomes "accurately reflect the exceptional difficulty many candidates experienced".Pupils complained that a third of the paper was locked behind a challenging section which many could not complete, leaving them unable to advance to subsequent sections.One commenter, a pupil named Eric, said the paper was a "war crime", and another, Phoebe, said she "had an anxiety attack" during the final 30 minutes of the exam and did not write anything.Another, pupil, Yuri wrote: "This was not a paper. This was a war zone. In fact, the Enigma code was easier to crack than some of those questions."The outcry follows a similar petition against Scotland's Higher Maths paper, which was described as "unrecognisable", claiming it was "poorly worded, inconsistently structured, and out of step with every previous paper"Examinations regulation watchdog Ofqual said it was aware of the concerns raised by students and would "closely" monitor Pearson's approach to marking the exam.A spokesman for Pearson said: "We know this is an intense time for students and are committed to ensuring a fair exam experience for all candidates."Every paper is developed with input from experienced senior examiners and rigorously checked to ensure it reflects the course and meets required standards. If a paper is found to be more difficult than previous years, grade boundaries will be set to reflect that."When setting grade boundaries, we review a range of evidence, including statistical data and expert judgment. This process ensures students receive results that fairly reflect their performance and are comparable across exam series." Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter