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At Key Stage 4 students take the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in Mathematics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
They are typically taken at age 16. The qualifications are graded 9–1 in England and A*–G in Wales and Northern Ireland. A grade 4 (or C) is considered a standard pass, while a grade 5 is a strong pass. Students can take either the foundation tier (grades 1–5) or the higher tier (grades 4–9).
England’s Qualifications
GCSE’s are offered in England by the following awarding bodies:
The Department for Education’s subject content and assessment objectives for GCSE in mathematics provide further details about the qualification.
Wales’s Qualifications
GCSE’s are offered in Wales by WJEC:
Northern Ireland’s Qualifications
GCSE’s are offered in Northern Ireland by CCEA:
International Qualifications
The IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) is equivalent to GCSE. It’s available internationally and is also used by some UK schools and colleges.
Additional KS4 qualifications
There are several other maths qualifications that some schools and colleges offer that can be taken alongside, or in addition to, GCSE Mathematics in England.
England’s Qualifications
AQA offers a level 2 certificate in Further Mathematics that provides students with an introduction to the maths studied at A level. It’s designed to stretch and challenge high-achieving students who are expected to achieve top grades in GCSE Mathematics.
Eduqas offers a level 2 certificate in Additional Mathematics, which is designed to stretch the most able candidates for GCSE Mathematics and strengthen the formal techniques needed for further maths study.
AQA and Pearson Edexcel both offer a GCSE in Statistics, which focuses on how statistics are used in real life, and it’s particularly useful in preparing students to take A levels in subjects that involve handling data and interpreting statistics, such as psychology.
Cambridge OCR offers a level 3 Free Standing Mathematics Qualification (FSMQ). The qualification introduces the maths studied at A level. It is designed to provide enrichment for students with a thorough knowledge of the content of Higher Tier GCSE Mathematics, ideally on track to achieve grades 7-9.
Wales’s Qualifications
The WJEC offers a level 2 certificate in Additional Mathematics. This qualification is designed to stretch the most able candidates of GCSE Mathematics and strengthen the formal techniques needed for further study of maths.
Northern Ireland’s Qualifications
The CCEA offers a GCSE in statistics, which encourages students to develop an understanding of the basic concepts of statistical problem-solving. It also develops skills in planning, collecting, processing, analysing and representing data
The CCEA offers a GCSE in Further Mathematics and is designed for students who require knowledge of mathematics beyond GCSE Higher Tier Mathematics. It is suitable for students who are capable of working beyond the limits of the GCSE Mathematics specification.