As reported by the Independent, GCSE pupils in England may continue receiving formula sheets in maths and science exams for the remainder of the decade under proposals being considered by ministers
The practice began in 2022 as a temporary response to pandemic disruption, allowing students to refer to key equations during tests rather than committing them to memory. Two years later, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed the arrangement would stay in place until at least 2027.
The government has now asked Ofqual, the exams regulator, to explore whether the policy should run for longer. If adopted, pupils taking GCSE maths, physics and combined science would continue to be provided with formula sheets during their exams.
Regulators have opened a consultation on whether the approach should remain until the current GCSE framework is replaced as part of a wider curriculum overhaul. Once new qualifications are introduced, ministers will decide whether memorising equations should again form part of the assessments.
That broader curriculum review is expected to produce an updated national curriculum by spring 2027. Schools would begin teaching the revised content from September 2028, with the first cohort sitting the redesigned GCSEs the following year.
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