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Four operations

Four operations for GCSE Law Edexcel Foundation: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • GCSE
  • Edexcel
  • Law
  • Foundation
  • Spec P12 · P20
  • 8 min read
  • 7 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
2 min read

What is four operations?

Listen to this box

Transcript

A short spoken summary of four operations and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of four operations before you read the notes.
Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing four operations laid out step by step

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

The four operations reference table

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
Worth knowing: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
Term
Meaning
Example
Common slip
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
Row 1 column 4
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2
Row 2 column 4

Learning

3 boxes
3 steps

How to work with four operations

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for four operations 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: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}.
Answer: ≈160\approx 160
2 rules

Key facts: Four operations

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
Worth knowing: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left.

  • Rule 1

    How four operations behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    49=7\sqrt{49} = 7

  • Rule 2

    How four operations behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

  • Rule 3

    How four operations behaves in the 3rd of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160
5 steps

How to work with four operations

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing four operations laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for four operations 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: 49=7\sqrt{49} = 7.
Answer: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0

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Examples

2 boxes
4 marks · worked

Worked example: four operations

Check the answer against an estimate before you move on, so a place-value slip is caught here.
2 marks · worked

Practice question 7: ×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left

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 four operations laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2.

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Common questions

How many marks is four operations usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the GCSE Law Edexcel Foundation paper?
Yes — it sits in the Algebra strand.