Since the answer page prompts you to put spaces in your answer without punctuation, my first guess is the answer is two words: first word 12 letters, second word 9 letters. I get this from the number of major columns. This is probably way off though.

This one's a lot easier than it looks. The numbers aren't so much the key, it's more the layout.

How else can the terms on the cards be written?

Are there supposed to be visible letters when the terms are written out fully?

Another, 'can't see the wood for the trees', one

YES

Write out the full expression for each value given (the right hand side of the equation is most important), e.g. 2^3 = 2x2x2, 1^0 = 1, 3 = 3, 2^1 = 2, 5^3 = 5x5x5. Write each vertical line from the card in the same way and you should start to see something

The first line is: 2^3 1^1 3 2^1 5^3 Writing them out in full gives you this: 2x2x2 1 3 2 5x5x5 Which looks like a letter, which just so happens to follow 'B'. Do this for every line and you'll have cracked your code!

cliff ice fell fleet left

2x2x2 1 3 2 5x5x5 3 0 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 0 3 1 2x2x2 0 2 4x4x4 4 3 1 2 Which as spoiled earlier on this forum is meant to be read as 'Cliff'

..the factorials (!). for example, 3! = 3x2x1