WorksheetsAbout this worksheet
When a sum has more than one operation, the order matters: 4 + 3 × 5 is 19, not 35. BODMAS is the order: Brackets, Orders (powers) or "Of", Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. Division and multiplication rank equally and are done from left to right; so do addition and subtraction.
All sums on these sheets come out as whole numbers, so a fraction in the answer means a step went wrong.
What this skill is
BODMAS is an agreement about the order in which a sum with several operations is worked, so that everyone gets the same answer. Brackets come first, then powers and "of", then division and multiplication, then addition and subtraction. Inside a pair of equal rank, work from left to right.
A worked example
Take 36 ÷ (4 + 2) × 3 − 5. Write a new line after each step.
- Bracket first: 4 + 2 = 6. The sum is now 36 ÷ 6 × 3 − 5.
- Division and multiplication, left to right: 36 ÷ 6 = 6, giving 6 × 3 − 5.
- Then 6 × 3 = 18, giving 18 − 5.
- Last, the subtraction: 18 − 5 = 13.
The answer is 13. Someone who ignores the bracket and starts with 36 ÷ 4 = 9 gets a different answer, and a wrong one.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Rewrite the sum after each step, one line per step. Doing it in the head is where mistakes come from.
- Underline the part you will do next.
- Remember that subtraction and addition are done left to right: 10 − 4 + 3 is 9.
How to use this sheet at home and in class
- At home: 8 questions are plenty, since each one is several sums. Ask the child to keep the working; the answer alone tells you little.
- In class: start "Without brackets" so the only new idea is that multiplication and division come before addition and subtraction. Add brackets a few days later.
- When an answer is wrong, find the line where it first went wrong and redo only from there. That is quicker and teaches more than starting again.
Mistakes to watch for
- Working everything from left to right: 4 + 3 × 5 worked as 7 × 5 = 35 instead of 4 + 15 = 19.
- Thinking that D always comes before M, or A before S, because of the order of the letters. 12 − 4 + 3 is 11, not 5, and 24 ÷ 4 × 2 is 12, not 3.
- Dropping a part of the sum while rewriting it. Copy every unused number and sign onto the new line.
What to try next
- Integers worksheets: the same rule with negative numbers.
- Simple equations worksheets: undoing the order of operations.
- Fractions worksheets: for mixed revision.