How to Use Worked Maths Solutions Without Just Copying
30 October 2026 · Pi Leo Academy
A worked solution is useful because it shows the decisions between the question and the answer. To get more from it, pause at those decisions. Ask why the method works, then try it again with different numbers.
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Read the question before the solution
Take a moment to decide what the question asks. Write down a possible first step. A starting idea gives you something to compare with the worked example.
Explain a multiplication method
Consider 6 × 24. Split 24 into 20 and 4. Six groups of 24 contain six groups of 20 and six groups of 4:
6 × 24 = (6 × 20) + (6 × 4) = 120 + 24 = 144.
The important step is not simply remembering 144. It is understanding that each group of 24 has been split into a group of 20 and a group of 4. Both parts must be multiplied by 6. Drawing six rows with 20 dots and 4 dots in each row can make this visible.
A common mistake is writing 6 × 20 + 4. That multiplies only the first part. There are six groups of four as well, so the second product must be 6 × 4.
Cover the working and change the numbers
Try 7 × 23. Use the same idea: 7 × 20 = 140 and 7 × 3 = 21. Add the partial products to get 161. Then explain why both 20 and 3 were multiplied by 7.
For another check, try 4 × 32. Splitting 32 into 30 and 2 gives 120 + 8 = 128. If you get stuck, uncover only the next step rather than copying the entire solution.
Write a method reminder
Finish with one sentence you could use later: “Split one factor into parts, multiply every part, then add the products.” Keep it beside your own example. The next time you meet a similar question, attempt it before rereading the notes.
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Strategies for the four operations: open the study notes · Member study-note PDF.
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