This exam tips covers Exam Tips within Transformations: Enlargements for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Transformations: Enlargements in Geometry & Measures for GCSE Mathematics with 15 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 6 of 7 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Exam Tips
X Forgetting to state the centre
Always give centre coordinates AND scale factor
Both are required for full marks
X Using area SF for length
Length SF, Area SF², Volume SF³
Square for area, cube for volume
Practice questions for Transformations: Enlargements
Which of the following statements correctly describes an enlargement?
Triangle P has vertices at (2, 1), (6, 1) and (2, 5). Triangle Q has vertices at (4, 2), (12, 2) and (4, 10). Describe fully the single transformation that maps triangle P onto triangle Q.
Quick recall flashcards
Scale Factor < 1
Shape gets SMALLER. SF = 0.5 means all lengths halved. Still called "enlargement" even though it shrinks!
Scale Factor > 1
Shape gets BIGGER. SF = 2 means all lengths doubled. Only transformation that changes size!