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NumberExam Tips

Common Mistakes

Part of Rounding & Estimation — GCSE Mathematics

This exam tips covers Common Mistakes within Rounding & Estimation for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Rounding & Estimation in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 13 exam-style questions and 6 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 5 of 5 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

Topic position

Section 5 of 5

Practice

13 questions

Recall

6 flashcards

Common Mistakes

  • WRONG: Counting leading zeros as significant (0.005 has 1 s.f., not 3)
  • WRONG: Forgetting trailing zeros matter in s.f. (3.50 has 3 s.f., not 2)
  • RIGHT: For estimation, round to 1 s.f. to make calculation easy

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Rounding & Estimation. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Worked Example: Significant FiguresWhy Round Numbers?The Key Rule

Practice Questions for Rounding & Estimation

Round 4.673 to 1 decimal place.

  • A. 4.6
  • B. 4.7
  • C. 4.67
  • D. 5.0
1 markfoundation

A student says '3.50 and 3.5 are exactly the same number so they have the same number of significant figures.' Explain why the student is wrong.

2 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

Estimation
Round each number to 1 s.f., then calculate
Rounding Rule
Look at the next digit: 0-4 round down, 5-9 round up

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Worked Example: Significant Figures

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