S3 Mathematics Report Comments (Scotland)

Maths covers number, money and measure (including fractions, decimal fractions and percentages), expressions and equations, shape, position and movement, and information handling, with reasoning, problem solving, clear working and checking answers running through all of them.

Below are 13 sample sentences for S3: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Secure / Consolidating / Developing / Beginning), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 288 mathematics sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.

Jump to: Secure · Consolidating · Developing · Beginning · Writing tips

Student name Pronouns

Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Secure S

Strengths

[Name] uses probability to predict how often an event should happen over many trials and compares the prediction thoughtfully with experimental results.
[Name] decides independently when a calculator helps and when a mental or written method is quicker, and spots at once when an answer looks unreasonable.

Next steps:

Using scientific notation to compare very large and very small quantities, such as distances in space or the size of cells, would extend [Name]'s work with powers.

Consolidating C

Strengths

[Name] can use a probability to work out how many times an event is expected to happen, for example how many heads to expect in 50 coin tosses.
[Name] writes a formula for a simple situation, such as a taxi fare made of a fixed charge plus a cost per mile, and uses it correctly.

Next steps:

Calculating the gradient of a line from two points, and explaining what a steeper line means, will build on [Name]'s work with graphs.

Developing D

Strengths

Labelling the sides of a right-angled triangle for trigonometry is a skill [Name] is practising, and with a worked example [he/she/they] can find a missing side.
A calculator helps [Name] with longer calculations, and when prompted [he/she/they] can check whether the answer is sensible by estimating first.

Next steps:

Practising percentage increases on a calculator, by finding the increase first and then adding it on, will help [Name] solve money problems.

Beginning B

Strengths

Writing simple probabilities as fractions, such as one in six for rolling a 3 on a die, is something [Name] is starting to do, with a labelled probability scale to refer to.
Tally charts are helping [Name] take first steps in collecting data, and with support [he/she/they] can total the results for each group.

Next steps:

Working with a partner to plot coordinates on a grid, reading across first and then up, will help [Name] prepare for drawing straight-line graphs.

Support at home

Looking together at graphs and charts in a newspaper, and asking whether any could be misleading, builds your child's skill with data.

How to write mathematics comments for S3

S3 work often moves into topics such as the gradient of a straight line, significant figures or right-angled trigonometry. Name the one the pupil handles well and the one to secure, rather than summing up maths in general.
Distinguish calculator and non-calculator work. A pupil may use Pythagoras' theorem well with a calculator yet lose accuracy with fractions or negative numbers by hand, so say where the strength and the gap each sit.
For multi-step problems in real-life contexts, describe what the pupil does when the route is not obvious: drawing a diagram, labelling what is known, trying a first step. A target such as annotating the question first is concrete.

Watch out: Avoid summing up maths as being quick with numbers. Speed is not the same as understanding, so describe one area the pupil handles securely and one habit, such as checking an answer with an estimate, to work on.

The four levels describe how secure, accurate and independent the learning is in what has been taught, never a CfE level. Secure suits detailed, accurate work applied to unfamiliar tasks; Consolidating suits a sound grasp with occasional guidance; Developing suits sometimes, or with a model or worked example; Beginning names what is starting to show and the support that helps. Show the level through the work rather than writing the level word.

What Mathematics covers

In these comments, mathematics covers these behaviours:

number, money and measure: estimation and rounding, number processes, fractions, decimal fractions and percentages, powers and roots, money, time and measurement
expressions and equations, patterns and relationships
shape, position and movement: properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects, angles, symmetry, transformations and Pythagoras' theorem
information handling: collecting, displaying and interpreting data, and chance
reasoning, problem solving, clear working and checking answers, with and without a calculator

More Scottish secondary subjects comments

How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.