This exam tips covers Exam Tips within Standard Form for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Standard Form in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 14 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 14 of 15 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Exam Tips
- Always check: Is 'a' between 1 and 10?
- Remember: Large → positive power, Small → negative power
- Calculator: Know your EXP button
- Addition: Convert to same power first
- Show working: State each step clearly
Practice questions for Standard Form
Which of these numbers is written in standard form?
Explain why standard form is useful for writing very large or very small numbers.
Quick recall flashcards
Converting TO Standard Form
1. Move decimal to make 1 ≤ a < 10
2. Count places moved
3. Large (left) → positive power
4. Small (right) → negative power
780,000 → 7.8 × 10⁵
What is Standard Form?
A number written as a × 10ⁿ
Where:
• 1 ≤ a < 10 (at least 1, less than 10)
• n is an integer (whole number)
Example: 3.5 × 10⁴