NumberFoundation and Higher

Order of operations: GCSE maths practice with worked answers

Show Working has 1 kind of order of operations question for GCSE Maths, for Foundation and Higher. Every question is new each time and comes with the working, step by step.

Order of operations, often remembered as BIDMAS, tells you what to work out first: brackets, then indices (powers), then division and multiplication, then addition and subtraction.

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Worked example 1: order of operations (bidmas)

Work out 4 + 5 × 4.

Multiplication comes before addition. 5 × 4 = 20.
Then add: 4 + 20 = 24.

Answer 24

01 / What's covered1 kind of question

Order of operations questions in the app

Each kind makes fresh questions every time, so you can practise as often as you like.

Order of operations (BIDMAS)Both tiers

Worked example 2: order of operations (bidmas)

Work out (8 + 1) × 6 − 2.

Brackets first: 8 + 1 = 9.
Then multiply: 9 × 6 = 54.
Then subtract: 54 − 2 = 52.

Answer 52

A common mistake

Working left to right. In 4 + 5 × 4 the multiplication comes first, so the answer is 24, not 36.

02 / Practise itiPhone and iPad

Practise order of operations in Show Working

In the app, open Topics and choose Order of operations for ten fresh questions. Ask for a hint if you are stuck, and open the working to see the method one step at a time.