Can I get full marks for writing the incorrect working out but the correct answer?

Original post by s4b3rt00th

Can I get full marks for the question if I write the incorrect working (even if they were close to correct - rounding it wrong, missing step... etc.) out but still write the correct answer?

I realised that a lot of the questions in the GCSE maths exams I managed to do this for a number of questions and now I'm worried that I will lose a significant number of marks. I didn't think that it would be an issue but I have been recently told it might be.

I wouldn't have thought so, say it's a three mark question you'll probably get 1, possibly 2 marks for the right answer. A big part of the maths exams is they want to see how you arrived at the answer..

Of course not

Original post by s4b3rt00th

Can I get full marks for the question if I write the incorrect working (even if they were close to correct - rounding it wrong, missing step... etc.) out but still write the correct answer?

I realised that a lot of the questions in the GCSE maths exams I managed to do this for a number of questions and now I'm worried that I will lose a significant number of marks. I didn't think that it would be an issue but I have been recently told it might be.

Well no...

There's nearly always marks for working as well as marks for the correct answer. You could never get full marks for just writing the correct answer to every question unless it was a 1-marker

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 4

There isn't really a "right" working in maths. If you worked it out and got the final answer you will get all of the marks.

They want to see working so that they know you didn't copy it off someone else. But if they can see you worked to the answer, it doesn't matter which method to use. Unless, of course, it tells you which method to use.

Reply 5

Rarest

20

If it was a 1 marker, then yeah you get all the marks. If it was a 2 marker then yeah you could get the 2 marks. 3+ markers, you will not get full marks as they expect some working.

Reply 6

3121

If you arrived at the correct answer, likelyhood of your method being somewhat correct is higher than getting the right answer with a random method.

Reply 7

Original post by Sternumator

They want to see working so that they know you didn't copy it off someone else. But if they can see you worked to the answer, it doesn't matter which method to use. Unless, of course, it tells you which method to use.

You have never seen an examiner's mark scheme, have you?

Reply 8

Original post by Good bloke

You have never seen an examiner's mark scheme, have you?

I have.

Reply 9

Original post by Sternumator

I have.

Yet you appear unaware that they often state something like 'if no errors in working'.

Reply 10

DFranklin

18

Original post by Sternumator

There isn't really a "right" working in maths. If you worked it out and got the final answer you will get all of the marks.This isn't true. To give a fairly frivolous example:

Q: Simplify 16/64
A: Cancel the 6's to get 1/4.

It's actually not at all uncommon for people to try to sneak in sign changes etc. into their working to fudge their answer to look like the result the examiner's looking for (although I confess I'm not sure how much of an issue this is likely to be at GCSE).

Reply 11

Original post by Good bloke

Yet you appear unaware that they often state something like 'if no errors in working'.

If you have got the right answer, you have either fluked it or haven't made any errors in your workings. Based on the op saying he has done that many times in the paper, it clearly isn't a fluke. You get the benefit of the doubt in those situations.

You don't have to write down every step and you can round to whatever you want as long as it comes out right.

As I said though, it does depend on the question. If they have asked for a specific method or told you to show the answer is x then workings are important.

There are marks for method if you have got it wrong but they are like a consolation prize. If you get the correct answer, you get the marks anyway.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 12

Original post by DFranklin

This isn't true. To give a fairly frivolous example:

Q: Simplify 16/64
A: Cancel the 6's to get 1/4.

It's actually not at all uncommon for people to try to sneak in sign changes etc. into their working to fudge their answer to look like the result the examiner's looking for (although I confess I'm not sure how much of an issue this is likely to be at GCSE).

Your answer would be full marks because the question doesn't ask you to show your working.

I take your point for longer questions but you are extremely unlikely to fluke a longer question. It's not going to happen more than once a paper.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 13

DFranklin

18

Original post by Sternumator

Your answer would be full marks because the question doesn't ask you to show your working.Not all questions will expliclty tell you to show your working. It depends on what the question setter has in mind. In this case, since the question setter is, um, me, you can draw your own conclusions.

Reply 14

Mr no1

Original post by DFranklin

This isn't true. To give a fairly frivolous example:

Q: Simplify 16/64
A: Cancel the 6's to get 1/4.

It's actually not at all uncommon for people to try to sneak in sign changes etc. into their working to fudge their answer to look like the result the examiner's looking for (although I confess I'm not sure how much of an issue this is likely to be at GCSE).

And 13/31 is 1
I love this one as well^^

Reply 15

Original post by Sternumator

You don't have to write down every step and you can round to whatever you want as long as it comes out right.

As I said though, it does depend on the question. If they have asked for a specific method or told you to show the answer is x then workings are important.

There are marks for method if you have got it wrong but they are like a consolation prize. If you get the correct answer, you get the marks anyway.

You are completely wrong. I am looking now at an AQA maths mark scheme, for instance, which allows for one question any of several methods (using the annotation 'oe' meaning 'or equivalent') but gives four marks for each step of the method being correct plus one for the right answer. There is leniency for just one sign or expansion error altogether. Getting the right answer but all the steps wrong, as described by the OP, would be worth just one mark.

Another question allows either of two methods and is worth up to four marks for either method but only if every step of the method is correct as well as the answer.

There are far more marks, in general, for correct method demonstration than for an answer being correct.

Another question in this same scheme even disallows a correct answer if the method is not seen. Others allow incorrectly rounded answers only if the correct method has been demonstrated.

In short, and regardless of a correct answer for multi-mark questions, no method, no method marks; incorrect method, reduced or no method marks

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/mathematics/gcse/mathematics-8300/assessment-resources

.

Reply 16

Notnek

Original post by Good bloke

You are completely wrong. I am looking now at an AQA maths mark scheme, for instance, which allows for one question any of several methods (using the annotation 'oe' meaning 'or equivalent' :wink:

but gives four marks for each step of the method being correct plus one for the right answer. There is leniency for just one sign or expansion error altogether. Getting the right answer but all the steps wrong, as described by the OP, would be worth just one mark.
.

Actually for a lot of 9-1 GCSE questions, if the final accuracy mark is achieved then the student will automatically receive full marks for the question. This is mentioned at the top of GCSE AQA mark schemes:

Questions which ask students to show working
Instructions on marking will be given but usually marks are not awarded to students who show no working.

Questions which do not ask students to show working
As a general principle, a correct response is awarded full marks.

But this is also important

Responses which appear to come from incorrect methods
Whenever there is doubt as to whether a student has used an incorrect method to obtain an answer, as a general principle, the benefit of doubt must be given to the student. In cases where there is no doubt that the answer has come from incorrect working then the student should be penalised.

Having said all this, I always encourage students to show all their working for every question.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 17

Notnek

Original post by Reality Check

Well no...

There's nearly always marks for working as well as marks for the correct answer. You could never get full marks for just writing the correct answer to every question unless it was a 1-marker

I don't believe this is true for maths GCSE which was the category of this thread.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 18

Original post by Notnek

I don't believe this is true for maths GCSE which was the category of this thread. It's definitely true for A Level.

Did you not read the mark schemes in the link I gave? Take a look at the mark scheme for higher paper 3, which is the one I randomly chose to look at,

Reply 19

Notnek