Activity time: 20 minutes
Types of media: Handout/s, Webpage, Helpsheet
Author
H Cooke (Unknown Institution)
Description
This resource identifies the key terms used in Mathematics assignments, defining them in a way in which assists student understanding of assignment titles and questions.
License
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0
(This resource can be freely repurposed and reused)
Categories
Tags
Date Modified
Date Added
This information/resource was last updated in June 2021.
This post was originally added to LearnHigher on: January 9, 2012
About this resource
Adapted from Cooke, H (2003) ‘Success with Mathematics’ Routledge
Adapt | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Apply | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Assume | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Attach | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
Calculate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Compile (a table…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Confirm | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Consider | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Construct | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Decide (if, whether…) | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Deduce | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Define (in terms of…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Demonstrate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Derive | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Design | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Determine | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques; may also mean that you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Devise | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Differentiate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Draw | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Evaluate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Expand | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Explain | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Explore | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Express/Express briefly | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
Factorise | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Find | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques: may also indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Give | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
Identify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Illustrate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Include | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
Indicate | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Integrate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Investigate | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Justify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
List | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
Make (a table, a list…) | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Obtain | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Plot | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
PRedict | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Produce | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Prove | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Provide | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
Show | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Simplify | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Sketch | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Solve | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Specify | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
State | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |
Submit (a printout, a list…) | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
Supply | you need to provide evidence of having used something, for example a particular software package |
Suppose | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Test | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Transform | work out and show your working, using standard results and techniques |
Translate | indicate doing a mathematical activity and then reporting on the process and result |
Use | you must answer the question in a particular way indicated by whatever words immediately follow each of these cueing terms |
Verify | you must justify each step and provide a convincing argument |
Write down | write down without justification ie no working need be shown |