BIDMAS is tested at Level 2 mostly through calculator use: type a formula in the wrong order and the answer is wrong even though every button press was ‘right’. This free worksheet covers the rule, the common calculator traps, and applying the order of operations inside wage, cost and formula calculations.
Free to download, print and share for personal or classroom use. Answers included.
What’s in this worksheet
- Section A – Apply the rule (11 marks)
- Section B – In context (10 marks)
- Section C – Formulas and calculators (10 marks)
- Revise box with the rules and methods for the topic
- Worked answers for every question
Common mistakes on this topic
From our tutors’ marking and the most recent examiner reports – check your work against these:
- Reading left to right on a calculator: 100 − 20 × 3 becomes 240. Use a scientific calculator, or work out the multiplication first.
- Forgetting brackets around the top and bottom of a fraction, or around a total before dividing for a mean.
- Multiplying a fixed charge by the number of hours: a £40 call-out fee is paid once, so it is 40 + 28 × 3.5, not (40 + 28) × 3.5.
How to use it
- Print the worksheet (or work on screen) and attempt every question without looking at the answers. Give yourself a rough time limit – Level 2 exams are tight.
- Mark your work against the answer page. For maths, check the method as well as the final number; method marks are where most of the marks are.
- Read the ‘common mistakes’ notes below and check whether any of them happened to you. Then redo the questions you got wrong a day later.
Related free resources
- Multiplication and Division Worksheet – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- Fractions Worksheet – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- Level 2 Maths Mini Practice Paper 1 – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- All free Functional Skills Maths Level 2 resources
Frequently asked questions
What does BIDMAS stand for?
Brackets, Indices, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction – the order in which a calculation is worked out. Division and multiplication rank equally and are done left to right; so are addition and subtraction.
Does my calculator follow BIDMAS?
A scientific calculator does. Many basic calculators and some phone apps work strictly left to right, so 100 − 20 × 3 gives 240 instead of 40. In the exam, use brackets to force the order you want.
Why does BIDMAS matter in Functional Skills?
Because most Level 2 calculations have a fixed part and a variable part – a call-out fee plus an hourly rate, a deposit plus monthly payments, a formula with a division. Doing the steps in the wrong order gives a confident wrong answer.
Want a tutor to mark your work? Not sure where you stand? Take the free 15-minute mini mock test. Ready to get qualified? Our live 10-week Functional Skills Level 2 Maths course runs in small groups with a mock exam included, and the 5-day revision course is there if your exam is close.