SCORE (Science Community Representing Education), a collaboration of leading science organisations, has published a report which analyses the type, extent and difficulty of mathematics within the 2010 A-level examination papers for the three sciences – biology, chemistry and physics. The full report is available here
The Nuffield Foundation has also published an analysis of the mathematical content in six other A-level subjects that require quantitative skills – business studies, computing, economics, geography, psychology and sociology. The full report is available here
The reports consider whether the type of mathematics in the examinations was suitable for progression within the subject’s field (type), the proportion of the examination that depended on mathematical knowledge (extent), and the complexity of the mathematical questions (difficulty).