Maths SAT Paper A 2010: Questions 5 and 6

Here are the latest questions and answers taken from the Maths SAT Paper A 2010.

Question 5 is a straightforward time question, putting four lengths of time in order, starting with the shortest. Look for the shortest length of time and put that down first. It is a good idea to cross that off so that it makes it easier to find the next shortest time.

Question 6 is a harder question but is worth two marks if answered correctly. Unfortunately one correct answer out of the three will not gain any marks. The first triangle number is easy to find by multiplying 3 by 8. The number in the square can be found by dividing 32 by 8.

Questions 5 and 6 Maths Paper A 2010

Questions 5 and 6 Paper A answers

Year 3 mental arithmetic: Sets 13 and 14

Two more sets of mental arithmetic questions suitable for Year 3 children. There are plenty of word problems this week which some children find much harder than just being given a sum to work out.

Perhaps one of the hardest types of question is the’ finding the number half way between’. Another tricky type of question is the ‘I think of a number and subtract’ type. This is difficult because finding the answer does not necessarily involve carrying out the operation spoken in the question. For example, I think of a number and subtract 12. The answer is 20. The answer can be found by adding (not subtracting) 20 and 12. Watch for the common error of answering 8 for this question.

Year 3 mental arithmetic sets 13 and 14

A study of maths achievement in the UK, led by Carol Vorderman, has a number of interesting points to make.

Firstly it claims that  there is a systematic failure in the subject, with 300 000 children leaving school at 16 unable to function efficiently with maths in their personal lives or at work. Many pupils leave school unable to complete even the most basic sums needed for everyday life, such as adding up the change in their pocket and calculating household bills.

Secondly, we are around two years behind children in the  Far East and are less likely to study maths at a higher level than in most other developed countries.

Thirdly she suggests that all students  should study a form of maths up to the age of 18.

Finally and this is a point that I have been arguing for many years, she suggests a new functional maths for 14-16 year olds who struggle with maths. Rather than take the old GCSE they should study maths which will be useful to them in the real world, such as percentages and fractions.

Other recommendations include:

1. Rebranding maths as a “subject of critical importance” to ensure it is given higher status to other disciplines.
2. Encouraging the use of maths in other primary school subjects to ensure adding, subtracting and dividing becomes part of a “daily routine” for all children from the age of five.
3. Offering parents crash courses in the subject at school amid claims too many adults have a “fear of mathematics”.
4. Creating new syllabuses spanning the last year of primary school and start of secondary education to overcome the dip in performance between the two key stages.

Year 5 Maths Worksheet: More In Out Function Machines

I have had several requests from people for another page of In Out tables, so here it is. Each table has a set rule. A number goes in, the rule is applied and a number comes out. Straightforward if you are given the number that goes in, but a little harder if you are given the number that comes out. In that case a reverse calculation has to be done.

Some children get into a muddle with these and it is a good idea to point out that if the rule is to add then the OUT number will always be larger than the IN number. If the rule is subtract, then the OUT number will always be smaller than the IN number.

This and lots more worksheets can be found in the Year 5 Calculating category.

In out function machines (2)

Year 1 money worksheets

Children in Year 1 need plenty of practice with counting coins and adding up totals. There are several worksheets in the Year 1 calculating section which are ideal for this.

One shows mixed amounts of coins yo to 10p pieces to count.

The second looks at how much change should be given from 10p when spending small amounts of money.

The third is a more general mini-investigation whicjh looks at how many different ways an 8p yoyo can be bought using a selection of 1p and 2p coins.

Go to Year 1 calculating money worksheets

Resource of the Week: Written multiplication of money

money-multiplication-p1

Multiplication of money by a single digit is very much like multiplying a 3-digit number by a single digit, but, of course, the decimal point needs to be included. It would normally be expected to answer these types of question using the standard written method.

The first 8 questions are set out in the standard way but it is important that the second set of questions, from 9 to 15 should be set out in the correct way and not attempted as shown.

When marking these check that the working is shown, especially that the numbers have been carried across. It is often a good idea for children to check the answers to this type of question by using a calculator. (If they just use the calculator to find the answer this is quite obvious as there is no working shown!)

This page any many others can be found in our Four Rules section.

Multiplication of money (pg 1)

Maths Level 4 SAT results improve

The steady improvement in KS2 SAT results continued this year, according to the Department for Education figures. Last year 79% reached at least Level 4. This year the figure rose to 80%.

There are however, several points that need to be raised about these results. Originally level 4 was talked of as being an average for 11 year old children. Now everyone is expected to reach at least this ‘average’, which is unrealistic and mathematically it would mean that the average will surely rise. Some children who work really hard but don’t reach the level can feel a great sense of failure rather than a sense of achievement.

The second point is that it hides the differences between girls and boys, which is even more marked in the English results. The question why so many boys struggle has yet to be answered and until more male teachers are recruited into Primary Schools I am sure that little will change.

In a similar vein a study published today (AptiQuant) suggests that those peple who use Internet Explorer have a lower than average IQ! Those using Chrome, Firefox and Safari have higher IQs and users of Camino and Opera came out on top. What does this mean? Probably absolutely nothing!

2010 Maths SAT paper A: question 4

Question 4 on the Maths 2010 Paper A introduces the important notion that you don’t necessarily have to get a question correct to gain marks. Part 4b points out that showing the working out could gain a mark and it is very important that children realise this. Many children are very reluctant to show their working out, preferring to just jot down and answer.

Both parts of question 4 require two separate operations to reach the answer.
Part (a) can be done in several ways. The most obvious is to identify the cost of the tuna salad (£1.60) and the apple pie (50p) and add them together. £1.60 + 50p = £2.10. This is quite tricky as it involves adding pounds and pence. Then subtract £2.10 from £2.50, leaving £0.40 or 40p.
Another way of doing part (a) is to do two separate subtractions. Take 50p from £2.50 leaves £2.00. Take £1.60 away from £2.00 leaves £0.40 or 40p. I think this is probably an easier method for many children.
The most appropriate method for part (b) is to add the cost of the cheese salad (£1.20) to the yogurt (35p) which makes £1.55. Then subtract 90p from £1.55 leaving £0.65 or 65p.
Some children may well subtract 90p from £1.20, making £0.30 and then adding the cost of the yogurt (£0.35), making £0.65 in total.
Both questions involve money written in a mixture of pounds and pence which makes this harder than it might first appear.

Question 4 from Maths SATs Paper 2010

Paper A Question 4 answers and suggested method

Resource of the Week: Maths from Stories

Maths from stories.
Hidden away on the mathsblog site is a superb selection of story books to help with early reading. These are all great books for young children to read, but an added bonus is that they all have a mathematical aspect to them. One of my favourites is The Very Hungry Caterpillar which I am sure you are all familiar with.
Another favourite is The Shopping Basket by John Burningham which is a great little book which will be thoroughly enjoyed by young children whilst at the same time helping them with counting and subtraction. Steven is a little boy who is asked by his mum to go round to the local corner shop, taking the shopping basket with him to bring back 6 eggs, five bananas, four apples….etc

Others include Mr Wolfe’s Week by Colin Hawkins, Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs which helps with the mathematical language of shape and size, Two by two by Barbara Reid and Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang.
To find this colection you need to go to the Top Maths Book heading at the top right of the blog and scroll down past the less interesting maths books. Some of the books are quite obscure and difficult to buy new copies, but they are all highly recommended and worth the effort to find.

Go to Maths from Stories

Year 2 Maths worksheet: missing numbers on a number square

The third in my series on missing numbers on a number square which can be found in the Year 2 Counting category. Each grid shows a different section from a 1-100 number grid, with only a couple of the numbers filled in. The task is to complete the number grid.

This is very good practice at counting on and back in ones, from any 2-digit starting number. It is also very good at showing the patterns in numbers, for example by moving down the grid one space the number increases by ten.

Missing numbers on a number square (3)