Edexcel A-Level maths exam: Students furious at lack of whole numbers in non-calculator paper

The exam reportedly contained no whole numbers and asked students to multiply complex fractions and work with decimal points in their heads

Students took to social media to share their sorrows within hours of the exam finishing (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Students sitting A-Level exams have complained after they were set an Edexcel Maths C1 non-calculator paper which contained questions they say required a calculator.

Pupils took to social media to say the exam required them to multiply complex fractions and work with decimal points in their heads.

The questions reportedly did not include whole numbers, which are quicker and easier to multiply and divide without a calculator.

Other students said the paper was nothing like the practice exam papers they had been set and complained they had not been taught the material set.

Within hours of the exam finishing, students took to social media to share their sorrows, using the hashtag #edexcelmaths.

Pupils complained the paper bore no relation to past papers and required a calculator:

Some made puns about the paper:

While others mocked the difficulty of the questions they were set:

A spokesperson for Pearson Edexcel said: “We can confirm that the paper was a reflection of the curriculum that students have studied this year.

“With every paper there will always be questions that some students find difficult, which is often reflected in social media comment.”

The outrage came after pupils sitting an AQA GCSE biology paper expressed their frustration about unexpected and seemingly unrelated questions.

The exam asked students to define an "independent company", prompting streams of complaints on social media.