MathSetuMany marks are lost not because the method is unknown, but because of small slips. These are the ones seen most often.
- Sign errors: forgetting to change the sign when a term crosses the equals sign, or when a bracket has a minus in front of it.
- Skipping steps: board examiners give marks for steps. A correct final answer with no working can lose marks, and a wrong answer with correct steps still earns some.
- Units: writing an area in cm instead of sq cm, or leaving the unit out altogether.
- Not answering what was asked: finding x when the question asked for 2x + 1, or the radius when it asked for the diameter.
- Copying the question wrongly: one wrong digit at the start makes the whole solution wrong.
- Rounding too early: keep fractions or surds until the last step, then round once.
- No final statement: in word problems, end with a sentence that answers the question.
A two-minute check
Before handing in the paper, go through each answer and ask three things: did I answer what was asked, are the units there, and does the answer look reasonable? A person's age cannot be negative and a probability cannot be more than 1.