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Area and perimeter

Area and perimeter for A Level English Literature Edexcel Higher: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • A Level
  • Edexcel
  • English Literature
  • Higher
  • Spec R12 · R3 · R17
  • 4 min read
  • 8 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
2 min read

What is area and perimeter?

Listen to this box

Transcript

A short spoken summary of area and perimeter and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of area and perimeter before you read the notes.
This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing area and perimeter laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
6 rows

The area and perimeter reference table

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
Worth knowing: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left.
Term
Meaning
Example
Common slip
Marks
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
Row 1 column 4
Row 1 column 5
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
Row 2 column 4
Row 2 column 5
Row 3 column 1
Row 3 column 2
49=7\sqrt{49} = 7
Row 3 column 4
Row 3 column 5

Learning

4 boxes
4 steps

How to work with area and perimeter

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for area and perimeter in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
  4. Check the answer against an estimate before writing it down.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.
Answer: ≈160\approx 160
2 rules

Key facts: Area and perimeter

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
Worth knowing: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.

  • Rule 1

    How area and perimeter behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left

  • Rule 2

    How area and perimeter behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2
3 steps

How to work with area and perimeter

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for area and perimeter in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.
Answer: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
3 rules

Key facts: Area and perimeter

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing area and perimeter laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.

  • Rule 1

    How area and perimeter behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

  • Rule 2

    How area and perimeter behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

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Examples

2 boxes
3 marks · worked

Worked example: area and perimeter

Read the units in the question before you start; a converted unit is the most common slip.
4 marks · worked

Practice question 8: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7

Check the answer against an estimate before you move on, so a place-value slip is caught here.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing area and perimeter laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.

Practice bank

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Common questions

How many marks is area and perimeter usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the A Level English Literature Edexcel Higher paper?
Yes — it sits in the Causes and consequences strand.