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PROPOSED new rules for marking A-level mathematics discriminate against students choosing to study mechanics, an essential foundation for university engineering and physics, educationists have warned.

A marking system called "the diving tariff" proposed by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority offers candidates more marks for the more difficult papers. Students choosing to study just pure maths and statistics sit only two basic, low scoring exams. Those opting for a combination of pure maths, statistics and mechanics have to sit three of the lower scoring basic papers.