How to see it
Sort every lost mark into one of three buckets. A slip: you knew it but made a mistake. A gap: you did not know the method. A clock problem: you ran out of time. Each bucket has a different fix. Slips need checking habits. Gaps need teaching. Clock problems need pace.
A worked example
Go through the paper question by question. Mark each wrong answer with S, G or T. Count them. If most are slips, practise checking. If most are gaps, pick the one topic with the most gaps and learn it first. Mixed papers from more than one style help, because school papers differ.
The common mistake: only looking at the score
The trap is only looking at the score, then doing another paper straight away. Another paper without a diagnosis repeats the same mistakes.
Try one
A child loses 6 marks. Four were arithmetic slips they spotted later. What should they practise?
- AA new topic
- BChecking habits
- CSpeed
- DNothing
Show the answerHide the answer
Right: B, Checking habits