Revision guideExam technique
It means writing down how you got your answer, not just the answer. In GCSE maths a lot of the marks are for the method, so a pupil who writes the steps can score well even when the final number comes out wrong.
It's also the name of our app, because it's the one habit that changes maths marks the most.
Coming soon to the App Store
01 / Why it mattersWhere marks come from
02 / What good working looks likeA worked example
Here's a reverse percentages question, a Higher favourite, worked the way an examiner likes to see it.
Answer £200
Taking 25% off £150 and getting £112.50, or adding 25% of £150 to get £187.50. The £150 is already 75% of the price, so you work back from 75%, not from 100%.
03 / Habits that earn marksDo these every time
"150 ÷ 75 = 2" earns a mark. "2" on its own can't.
A word or two, like "1% = £2", shows the examiner your method even if the arithmetic goes wrong later.
Round only at the end, and write the unrounded value before the rounded one.
Cross out with one neat line instead. Crossed-out work you didn't replace can still be marked.
On the answer line, with units, rounded as the question says.
04 / Practise itEvery answer, every step
In Show Working every answer comes with its working, one step at a time, so you learn the method and not just the answer. Try it now with free GCSE maths questions with answers, or pick a topic from the GCSE maths topics.
Coming soon to the App Store
05 / QuestionsAll questions
Often, yes. On questions worth more than one mark, most of the marks are usually for the method. With no working, a wrong answer scores nothing, and on questions that say "show your working" even a right answer on its own can lose marks.
Yes. If your working shows a correct method, you can earn method marks even when the final answer is wrong. That is why it pays to write every step.
Show WorkingComing soon to the App Store
Show Working