Is this really year 8 maths?

[DrRuthGalloway]

My DD is in year 8. She is in a comp, we live in a grammar area but she didn't pass 11+, just for context, maths is a weaker area though she is generally able in my opinion. She was 13 marks off passing 11+.

At the comp (genuine comp, not secondary modern) she is in top set maths. They have a new homework system. She seems to be getting ridiculously difficult tasks - screenshots attached, a couple of a series of this sort of thin from her most recent homework. Is this really expected in year 8? I have no idea how to solve this and even dh, who got A for maths O level back in the day, isn't certain. I thought the new guidelines were to stay within programmes of study for the age group and not zoom upwards, but I am quite shocked if this is ordinary year 8 work.

Maths teacher. Perfectly reasonable year 8 question. Really not that tricky. Can help if you like? Is it Sparx?

My daughter is y8 at a comp which does not set for maths until GCSE.
I think those are pretty typical of stuff she gets asked. I would say the one on the left is maybe a little more stretching y8s, but yes the sort of thing my daughter would do for homework. The one on the right is very easy! She just needs to be able to know what she does to calculate 2 squared, then 2 cubed etc and then she'll know what she needs to do to the 16000.

They are practicing powers of.

My poor at maths DD would have been able to do this when taught in y8.

215 is 2 x 214. So if you know what 214 is you x 2 to get 215.

r^20 means r x r x r .... 20 times

She knows how to simplify fractions, so she can simplify that one.

eg 30/45 divide top and bottom by 5 gives 6/9, divide top and bottom by 3 gives 2/3

So with your one, divide top and bottom by r2 (leaves r18 on the top), then top and bottom by r6 leaves t12 on the top, then deal with the numbers.

If in doubt expand it all out so r x r x r ..... top and bottom and then cancel them off.

MN formatting strikes again.

I am trying to write r ^ 20 or etc . Can't be bothered to rewrite.

2 15 = 2 x 2 14

give up.

I was in top set maths in Year 8 in 2008. Tbf, I only got a C in maths, no idea why they never moved me down. Hated it. Loathed it. I wouldn't know what to do here. I can't simplify fractions either. I'll be no help to DD when the time comes, she's on her own.

Urgh. Surds?

I have an a level in Maths and still can't do these type of questions without a calculator/fingers/google/wine.

But yes, very normal for y8.

The right question is really si.ple.

The left a little more difficult but should be able to simplify a little even if not completely

My son is Y8 second set maths and could do that. Second question is just times the number given by 2, first question involves a bit of multiplying and cancelling out 24r20/30r8 =4r12/5 (sorry can’t format powers)

It will look hard/ complicated to you as an adult if you haven't done maths since school and can't remember.

For your daughter who has been doing maths regularly since reception class, and will have had several lessons covering this topic, it shouldn't be too hard.

I think this looks complex but is understanding the basics of multiplying/dividing by powers so is suitable for year 8.

anything to the power of something when multiplied can be added together
E.g r2 x r6 = r2+6= r8

similarly with division, they can be taken away

as the sum isn’t complicated with brackets or addition/subtraction, just need to simplify the fraction

24r20/30r8 = 4r^12/5

and for the second question, it’s again recognising that to go from 2 to the power of 14 to 15, just need to multiply the given number (16,384) by 2

not sure if you wanted explanation or just to ask whether I agree it’s suitable for year 8 or not but there it is in case it helps!

(Haha the formatting is doing the same to my numbers by removing the ‘power of’ sign) sorry!

Question 2...

Very standard questions. She should be able to do them if she understands the topic on powers.

This is practising rules of indices. The first question is doable once they have been taught the rules, and the second is very simple.

Only basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) are needed to work out the answers.

I’m terrible at maths but it’s all down to methods isn’t it. If they’re being taught the methods then hopefully she can work out the steps. My son used to try and teach me his maths at around that age and I was clueless, maths was my most dreaded subject at school (alongside physics and chemistry)🥴

Question 1...

The second question would be a regular type question on maths papers for private 11+ exams I’ve seen - if you understand the principle of powers then as @PeekAtYou has laid out it is straightforward.

The one on the right is quite easy- just double it. The one on the left is harder but if they’ve been taught that you add powers when multiplying and subtract them when dividing and how to simplify then it should be ok. It’s been a long time since I’ve done maths at school but I’d think that question would be ok for top set year 8 and probably not one a year 11 would cry over

I'm guessing that they did the topic Rules of Indices if you want to check with a text book or online site like Bitesize.

If the second question was "can you multiply 16,384 by 2" you would be complaining that it was too easy for a Y8. They dress the questions up a bit to make sure that you understand terms and concepts.

Summary from BBC bitesize in case she wasn't there for that lesson:

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/ztqmhyc/articles/z93nsk7

Looks like sparx. Have you watched the video? I hate maths, passed gcse but promptly forgot it all as I have no enjoyment in it but I can always help my dc whennI watch the video. My dc gets too angry to watch the videos, he says they are condescending 😂

This is why children reject maths as a useful subject. What the hell use is this to them? - that is what they ask themselves, and then switch off.

I help my GS (Yr 6) with his maths homework and some of it seems monumentally pointless frankly. Why not give them stuff that makes practical sense to them? - how much wallpaper or tiles to buy for a certain size of room, how to calculate interest on a mortgage etc.

There is a place for pure maths for the academically minded, but thought needs to be given as to what purpose is served by putting children off maths when they simply cannot grasp this.

One of my DDs was like this and failed by one grade 3 times at GCSE - I told the college to just let her be and not make her keep taking it. She now has an excellent degree from a Russell Group university and an MA.

I looked up on an education site how children are now taught to do long division (I was finding it hard to explain to my GS as I had learned it a very different way) and they said that once you are dividing by 2 digits or more, they tell the children to use a calculator - quite right too!

By all means let us have maths purists and stretch and encourage their interest, but loading all this on those for whom maths is a trial is absolutely pointless - it puts them off maths and school and education. All for what?

They are both quite easy I'm afraid.

You just need to know the multiplication law of indices. If your DH is old enough to have done O levels then he's probably just forgotten it!

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/ztqmhyc/articles/z93nsk7#:~:text=The%20index%20law%20for%20multiplication,simplified%20by%20adding%20the%20indices.