Work this one out... 14-year-olds now have to score only 21% to pass maths exams

The National Assessment Agency said yesterday that students had to score 21 per cent to reach the expected standard - level five - in the Key Stage Three maths national curriculum paper.

The revelation is likely to fuel accusations about the dumbing down of the subject.

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Each year, grade thresholds are set for National Curriculum tests in English, maths and science.

In maths at Key Stage Three, papers are set on a number of levels. The paper causing controversy was aimed at pupils judged to be working between levels five and seven. Level seven is above the standard expected of 14-year-olds.

There was also a low pass mark of 36 per cent for the slightly easier paper covering levels four to six.

On the easiest paper for the age group, levels three to five, 14-year-olds needed 64 per cent to attain level five.

Teachers have warned that some schools may let weaker pupils do the harder tests in the hope that they will scrape a level five with 21 or 36 per cent.

Jennie Golding, chair of the teaching committee at the Mathematical Association and head of maths at Woodroffe School in Dorset, said: 'The gut feeling in schools is that it is easier to get a level five on a four-six paper with a low threshold than by getting more questions right on a level three to five paper.

'Educationally, what you want is to have pupils taking papers where they can comfortably complete most of the questions.

'Passing a harder question with a very low proportion of questions right gives them precious little to build on at Key Stage Four (ages 14-16).'

Last year, pupils had to score 22 per cent to achieve level five in the harder maths paper; 38.7 per cent in the level four to six paper and 68.7 per cent in the three to five paper.

The threshold for a level five in Key Stage Three English this year was 31 per cent; in science it was 57 per cent on the easier level three to six paper and 32 per cent on the level five to seven exam.

In previous years, maths GCSE has sparked accusations of a watering down of standards after it emerged that pupils could gain a C with just 16 per cent.