Functional Maths WALT Be able to answer Functional Maths questions on GCSE papers and get full marks

What are functional maths questions? Functional Maths questions are based on real life problems: – Working out electricity bills from meter readings – How much compost you need to fill a plant pot – How much cement/sand/gravel you need to mix concrete – How much a carpet would cost for your bedroom – Calculating how much you spend on petrol for a trip in a car They don’t need you to learn any new maths skills They DO need you to write your answers out differently

Functional Questions You need to use written English to explain the solution you have arrived at. They are worth anything from 4 up to 6 marks and you must show all of your working out. At all times, you must make clear what it is that you are working out. E.g. it is not enough to just scatter calculations around the page and hope that the examiner can work out what you are doing. If you are working out train ticket prices then write “train ticket prices” next to the correct calculation.

An Example : A teacher is organising a school trip to the coast. She needs transport for 120 students and 15 adults. Each coach takes 54 passengers. How many coaches should she book? 135 ÷ 54 = coaches ×

An Example : A teacher is organising a school trip to the coast. She needs transport for 120 students and 15 adults. Each coach takes 54 passengers. How many coaches should she book? 120 students, 15 adults There are 54 passenger seats on each coach. Total passengers = =135 people Coaches needed = number of passengers divided by seats per coach = 135÷54=2.5 As the teacher cannot hire 0.5 of a coach, the number needs to be rounded up. The teacher needs 3 coaches for the trip. Facts from the question Calculations in words then numbers Explain what you are calculating and why Write your thinking down Does your answer make sense, does it have units, should you round it?

How marks are awarded Representing Analysing Interpreting Quality of written communication

Q. Susan rents a holiday flat for a week. She pays for the electricity for the week. The meter reading at the start of the week is 4058 units. The reading at the end of the week is 4221 units. The electricity costs pence per unit. She needs to work out the total cost of the electricity she has used. Me ter reading at start of week = 4058 units. Meter reading at end of week = 4221 units. Total units used = end of week reading – start of week reading = 4221 – 4058 = 163 units. Cost per unit = 15.67p Total cost = number of units x cost per unit = 163x15.67= This is in pence, round it to pounds and pence. Susan pays £25.54 Facts from the question Calculations in words then numbers Explain what you are calculating and why Does your answer make sense, does it have units, should you round it? Write your thinking down

Checklist  Highlight the important facts in the question  Write out the facts you are going to use  Write out each step to explain what you need to do and what you are working out  If you use a calculator, write down the calculation you put into your calculator  Complete the calculation  Write out clearly the answer to the step with words to say what the answer is about  Show your logical thinking  Round the answers and show units if necessary  Does the answer make sense? Mr Shah is working out the cost of electricity he used in April. Meter Readings: 1 st April April Mr Shah has to pay: 21.3p for each of the first 70 units used in April And 10.2p for each of all of the other units used in April. Work out the total cost of the electricity he used in April.

Plenary Design your own functional maths question, answer it and write a marks scheme. The total marks should be 10, half of these can be for calculations but the other 5 should be based on checklist items Checklist  Highlight the important facts in the question  Write out the facts you are going to use  Write out each step to explain what you need to do and what you are working out  If you use a calculator, write down the calculation you put into your calculator  Complete the calculation  Write out clearly the answer to the step with words to say what the answer is about  Show your logical thinking  Round the answers and show units if necessary  Does the answer make sense?