Pass Functional Skills logo

Area and perimeter

Area and perimeter for GCSE Law OCR Foundation: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • GCSE
  • OCR
  • Law
  • Foundation
  • Spec N11
  • 5 min read
  • 9 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.
Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
5 rows

The area and perimeter reference table

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
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: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2.
Term
Meaning
Example
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
×10\times 10 moves every digit one column left
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
49=7\sqrt{49} = 7
Row 3 column 1
Row 3 column 2
34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}

Learning

5 boxes
3 steps

How to work with area and perimeter

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 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: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2
2 rules

Key facts: Area and perimeter

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
Worth knowing: ≈160\approx 160.

  • 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.
    34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}
3 steps

How to work with area and perimeter

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

Key facts: Area and perimeter

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
Worth knowing: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2.

  • Rule 1

    How area and perimeter behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

  • Rule 2

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

How to work with area and perimeter

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.
  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: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}.
Answer: a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

20 minutes

Get your predicted grade

Twenty questions gives you a predicted grade, your target, and the gap between them — plus the topics that close it fastest.
Get my predicted grade

Examples

2 boxes
3 marks · worked

Worked example: area and perimeter

Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
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.
4 marks · worked

Practice question 9: ≈160\approx 160

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.

Practice bank

Thousands of revision questions

Every topic is backed by graded practice with instant marking and full solutions.
Try it now
Practice questions
12,000+
Topics
10
Marking and solutions
Instant

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 GCSE Law OCR Foundation paper?
Yes — it sits in the Causes and consequences strand.