Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
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Re: Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
It may not be mentioned by name but doesn't the line, " understand the use of brackets to determine the order of operations", cover it?Bodmas is not a part of ks2 maths
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jugglermum
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Re: Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
Question 21 gl paper 5
37x497+63x497
Gl answer gives 49700
My poor dd spent ages working it out left to right today. Got 9,170,644 which was a multiple choice answer. She lost so much time on it and got it wrong!
Seems really unfair question to me. Is this where bodmas is to be applied. My dd never been taught it and with 2 weeks to go not sure i want to start throwing in new concepts either.
Then there is the exam technique aspect of spending so long on one question too
37x497+63x497
Gl answer gives 49700
My poor dd spent ages working it out left to right today. Got 9,170,644 which was a multiple choice answer. She lost so much time on it and got it wrong!
Seems really unfair question to me. Is this where bodmas is to be applied. My dd never been taught it and with 2 weeks to go not sure i want to start throwing in new concepts either.
Then there is the exam technique aspect of spending so long on one question too
Re: Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
You can explain this to her simply without really teaching a new concept.
Just use much smaller numbers.
E.g. 7 x 8 is the same as 5 x 8 plus 2 x 8.
Reword if this helps e.g. 7 lots of 8 is the same as 5 lots of 8 plus 2 lots of 8. Get her to think of some other examples. The original question should click for her very fast.
There is loads in those 8 gl familiarisation papers which is not in the year 5 old national strategy units and blocks but which must crop in some 11 plus exam somewhere under the sun.
Just use much smaller numbers.
E.g. 7 x 8 is the same as 5 x 8 plus 2 x 8.
Reword if this helps e.g. 7 lots of 8 is the same as 5 lots of 8 plus 2 lots of 8. Get her to think of some other examples. The original question should click for her very fast.
There is loads in those 8 gl familiarisation papers which is not in the year 5 old national strategy units and blocks but which must crop in some 11 plus exam somewhere under the sun.
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jugglermum
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:45 pm
Re: Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
Thanks mystery - It would certainly seem earier with smaller numbers so will give it a go. I just think it should have had brackets around the two sets of multiplication to make it clearer.
Re: Bodmas in 11 plus entrance exams
Yes I know what you mean. But in a way it is better not to do that as the brackets are not necessary so it is kind of "wrong" to use them.
I think there are other GL maths questions where one is expected to manipulate numbers in a similar way to in this example, and also to understand that in an algebraic expresseion 5a plus 2a equal 7a for example.
I think it's probably best to focus on the logic and what it means - it is quite natural to see that 5 lots of something plus 2 lots of something equals 7 lots of something. It would be little perverse to interpret it as (5lots of something +2) x 7 ----- and if there were loads more terms in the expression doing it in left to right order without doing multiplication and division first would get clumsier and clumsier.
It also follows on from the way children have learned to multiply bigger numbers. e.g. 23 x 5 = 20x5 plus 3x5. This is how they are taught to multiply initially so the GL example follows on from this.
I think it is worth doing - it shouldn't confuse her before the exam as there is plenty of other stuff she already will know and understand on to which to hook it.
Which school is she trying for?
I think there are other GL maths questions where one is expected to manipulate numbers in a similar way to in this example, and also to understand that in an algebraic expresseion 5a plus 2a equal 7a for example.
I think it's probably best to focus on the logic and what it means - it is quite natural to see that 5 lots of something plus 2 lots of something equals 7 lots of something. It would be little perverse to interpret it as (5lots of something +2) x 7 ----- and if there were loads more terms in the expression doing it in left to right order without doing multiplication and division first would get clumsier and clumsier.
It also follows on from the way children have learned to multiply bigger numbers. e.g. 23 x 5 = 20x5 plus 3x5. This is how they are taught to multiply initially so the GL example follows on from this.
I think it is worth doing - it shouldn't confuse her before the exam as there is plenty of other stuff she already will know and understand on to which to hook it.
Which school is she trying for?