Maiths

Revision guide

Common reasons students lose marks despite a sensible method

A response can begin well and still lose marks in execution or communication. Classifying the exact loss leads to a better correction than writing 'careless'.

Execution errors

  • Sign or arithmetic slip
  • Premature rounding
  • Calculator mode error
  • Incorrect substitution
  • Dropped solution or case

Communication errors

  • Missing units
  • Unsupported conclusion
  • Unclear construction or graph scale
  • Answer not given in the requested form
  • Working overwritten beyond recognition

Replace 'careless' with a cue

Write a specific check such as 'substitute both roots', 'write the multiplier before calculating' or 'check whether area units are squared'.

Content reviewed: .