We respectfully request that Pearson Edexcel and Ofqual conduct an immediate review of the A Level Further Mathematics Paper: Decision Mathematics 1 (9FM0/3D) 2026. This exam was heavily flawed due to poor physical layout, disproportionate difficulty, and severe structural barriers that directly disadvantaged candidates.

1. Catastrophic Paper Layout & Formatting Barriers
Separated Worksheets: Critical algorithm and Simplex tables were printed on completely separate sheets from the question prompts, forcing candidates to constantly flip between papers. This disrupted cognitive focus and cost immense amounts of time.

No Correction Space: The pre-printed tables provided zero physical space to correct an error. If a student made a single mistake, they were forced to cross it out, rendering the tiny table cells completely illegible and unusable. Only 1 of the questions provided an additional table for students who made an error on the first table.

Inconsistent Line Allocation: While the tables lacked vital space, irrelevant questions were allocated an excessive, unnecessary amount of blank answer lines, demonstrating a fundamentally poorly designed layout.

2. Failure to Meet the Equality Act 2010
Mathematics is an analytical discipline, not an artistic one. By forcing students to manually draw extreme, complex network graphs and matrices under severe time constraints, the paper actively discriminated against students with physical or cognitive processing difficulties.

Under the Equality Act 2010, exam boards have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to avoid putting disabled students at a substantial disadvantage. This paper's heavy reliance on fine-motor-skill drawing directly penalised students with dyspraxia, dyslexia, and dysgraphia, students with hand mobility issues who physically cannot write in microscopic boxes and anyone who suffered a temporary hand/wrist injury or muscle fatigue during the exam period.

3. Draconian Marking Constraints on the Simplex Method
No Route to Recovery: The design of the Simplex and algorithmic questions did not allow students a viable path to continue answering if they made a minor slip in an early stage.
Extreme Penalties: A single early arithmetic error effectively invalidated the entire rest of the question, trapping capable students in cascading point losses regardless of their actual mathematical comprehension.

Our Explicit Demands to Pearson Edexcel and Ofqual:

Lower Grade Boundaries: Position the 2026 grade boundaries below the 2025 thresholds to reflect the excessive layout complications and extreme paper difficulty.

Enforce Error Carried Forward (ECF): Instruct examiners to rigidly apply Method (M) and Follow-Through (FT) marks. Students must be rewarded for proper execution of the Simplex and optimization algorithms, even if a calculation slip occurred early on. Surprisingly, this has not been implemented yet and it shows that examiners of Decision are lazy, they cannot mark a student's knowledge or demonstration of the topic.

Formal Investigation: Launch an inquiry into the physical design of Decision Mathematics papers to ensure future booklets allocate realistic working space inside pre-printed tables.

We are demanding fairness and consistency. A student's A-Level grade and university future must rely on their mathematical knowledge, not their ability to function as a rapid artist on poorly spaced exam paper.

Yours faithfully,
The Undersigned Teachers, Exam Officers, Students, Parents, and Supporters