Order of Operations
The rule that decides which part of a calculation you do first.
What this lesson covers
Order of Operations is a 9-part Class 5 Mathematics lesson. Each part makes one point and then hands over to the next, so it can be read in a sitting or picked up again at the part you stopped on. It defines the idea in plain words before using it, works through an example step by step, breaks the topic into its parts and compares them, shows where it is used outside the textbook, names the mistakes that cost marks in an exam, ends with a recap of what to remember.
How it begins
What is 2 + 3 × 4? Work left to right and you get 20. Multiply first and you get 14. Only one is right, so mathematicians agreed one fixed order of operations.
The 9 parts
- Order matters
- The order
- Working through one
- Brackets change everything
- Same level, left to right
- Why the rule exists
- Where marks go
- What to remember
- Watch one worked through
Practise Order of Operations
Everything on QuizByt for Class 5 Mathematics that goes with this lesson: read it first, then test yourself while it is fresh.
🧠 5 quizzes on Order of Operations (2 easy, 2 medium, 1 hard)
Work up from easy to hard: the hard quiz asks the Class 5 exam-style questions on Order of Operations.
🖨️ Printable worksheet
Order of Operations on paper for Class 5, with room to write the working out. Preview the first page free.
🎮 Games for Class 5 Mathematics
Number and logic games at the right level for Class 5. Passing a quiz on Order of Operations earns the credits that open them.
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