We’re updating Ivy Maths.We apologise for any bugs while we make improvements. Thanks for your patience.
Study skills
How to Read a Maths Question Properly
A maths question tells you what to do if you let it. Reading one properly is a skill, and it can be practised.
In short
Read it twice before you write
Once to see what it is about, once to see what it wants.
Underline what is being asked
Find, calculate, show, explain, prove. Each one wants something different from you.
Circle the numbers and their units
Mixed units are a trap. Convert before you calculate, not after.
Look for the word that names the method
Product, difference, remainder, per, each, altogether. The words point straight at the operation.
Notice how many marks it carries
Three marks rarely means one line of working.
Check whether a diagram is to scale
If it says not drawn accurately, measuring it will mislead you.