Maths exam 'more demanding than intended' says exam board

A Scottish exam board has admitted that this year's new Higher Maths exam was too hard.

The exam, which students take as an equivalent to the A Levels taken in England and Wales, sparked a storm of controversy as students took to Twitter to complain about the difficulty of the questions.

There were also numerous petitions signed with one claiming the exam had "reduced individuals to tears".

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Speaking on results day, the Scottish Qualifications Authority said the assessment did prove to be more demanding than intended and as such the grade boundaries had been reduced.

It said this ensured that candidates still received the grades they deserved. If someone who received a C last year had sat this year's exam, they would still have been awarded a C grade.

Overall 70.8 per cent of students attained a C or better in the new exam compared with 73.1 per cent who took the existing test.

The exam was not the first this year to provoke the ire of schoolchildren in the UK. This year's GCSE maths exam contained a similarly difficult question concerning Hannah and the colour of her sweets:

Here are some of the questions from the Higher exam deemed too difficult for Scotland's teenagers, alongside some posers that have stumped students over the years, see how many you can answer:

Answer and solution here.

Answer and solution here.

Answer and solution here.

To clear up any ambiguity in the question, Cheryl tells Albert the month in which her birthday falls, and she tells Bernard the day's number. In other words, Albert is told either May, June, July or August. Bernard is told either 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19.

Answer and solution here.

5.

A machine that cost £35,000 is operated 8 hours a day in a 5-day week but one hour each day is used for test purposes. For use of the machine there are three scales of charges, the first at the rate of £5 an hour for private use, the second at £15 an hour for research work and the third at £40 an hour for commercial work. It is estimated that the number of hours charged at the first, second and third rates are in ratios 4:2:1. What percentage of total receipts do receipts from commercial work represent?

Answer and solution here.