Formulae and equation sheets to continue into the 2030s
The chief regulator of Ofqual has urged students not to take mobile phones or smart devices into exam halls, as the 2026 examination season gets underway in earnest. Sir Ian Bauckham has warned that they will be putting their qualifications at serious risk if they do so.
Last summer, there were 2,225 cases of mobile phone and smart device cheating, and it has been the most common category of student cheating every year in which exams have taken place since 2018. Of the above cases, 545 resulted in students being disqualified from some or all of their qualifications, while 1,240 cases resulted in a loss of marks.
Sir Ian commented: ‘With exams starting in England, I want to speak directly to students: please leave your phone at home, or hand it in before you go into the exam hall. The rules are straightforward. Being found with a smart device during an exam can have serious consequences, including loss of marks or disqualification from the subject. Do not become one of those statistics and risk your qualification and your future prospects. Keep your phone out of the exam hall.’
Ofqual has also confirmed that it will continue to require exam boards to provide students with formulae and/or equations sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams for the remaining lifetime of the current specifications (up to 2030 and 2031, and also including any resit opportunities). The aids were first introduced in 2022, after concerns about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on pupils’ learning, and their continued use had previously been confirmed up to 2028. Longer-term subject content expectations will be confirmed by the Department for Education when new qualifications are developed. The government has previously said, in its response to the curriculum and assessment review, that it will consider whether students should be required to memorise and recall each formula and equation.
Ofqual launched a three-week consultation on the proposal to continue with the aids, and received more than 2,100 responses. 91.7 per cent of respondents supported retaining the formulae sheet, with 93 per cent supporting the proposal to continue with an equations sheet. Exam boards will be required to publish the aids by 1 September the year before each exam series, and to provide copies of the formulae and equations sheets with their exam papers. They must also not set questions that can be answered solely by transferring information from the formulae or equations sheets.
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, welcomed the news saying: ‘NAHT believes that keeping these additional support materials for GCSE maths and science is the right thing to do. For students to identify the right formula to use, apply it to the information given and work out an answer is a valid assessment of their knowledge and understanding; there is no need for an additional test of memory.’
Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, also said he ‘strongly welcomed’ the decision: ‘Exams should be a test of ability and application of knowledge, not just about memorisation. By shifting focus away from rote learning of formulae and equations, there is more space for students to concentrate on developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These are exactly the sort of qualities most in demand by employers, far more so than having a good memory.’