CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS STAGE 6 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES

Stage 6 diagnostic check: Teacher notes

Resources needed
 learner question paper
 learner self-assessment sheet
 teacher guide for feedback (in this document).
Time
 45 minutes for learners to work through the questions. Learners who are
still working at the end of the allotted time could be allowed to continue.
 Approximately 45 minutes for feedback and time for learners to complete
their self-assessment sheet.
Notes
 Give learners a copy of the question paper. Ask them to answer all the
questions showing any working on the paper. Most learners will complete
the questions and have time to check their work in the allotted time, but
extra time can be given if that is practical.
 Go through the questions with individuals or groups or the whole class
using the notes below to support you. As you work through each question
ask learners to classify it using the symbols on the learner
self-assessment sheet. There is space for learners to add their own
notes if they wish. Finally, ask learners to complete the sheet by saying
what they want to get better at.

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 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS STAGE 6 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES

Guide for feedback

This diagnostic check mark scheme has been written by the authors. This may not fully
reflect the approach of Cambridge Assessment International Education.
Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps
1 69, 108 and 147 Learners may not Revise inverse operations:
subtract 13 to find the addition and subtraction;
first number in the multiplication and
sequence. division; doubling and
halving. During lesson
starters give learners a
fact such as 108 + 13 =
121 and ask them for a
corresponding subtraction
fact
(121 − 13 = 108).
2 5 tenths, 6 Learners may consider Ensure that place value
hundredths, 7 ones hundredths to be charts are used as visual
greater than tenths. prompts.

3 Learners may fail to Encourage learners to

reflect in two mirror mark the mirror lines on
lines. their diagrams.

4 a 18 cm2 Learners measure Demonstrate the correct

b 25 cm2 length of the sides use of a ruler for
incorrectly by measuring length or
measuring from the drawing a line of a
start of the ruler, rather specific length. Watch
than the start of the learners as they use the
measurement scale. ruler to draw lines of
specific lengths, prompt
Learners confuse as necessary.
‘area’ with ‘perimeter’.

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 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS STAGE 6 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES

Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps

See comments on
question 20.
5 a 586 × 10 = 5860 Learners may Make sure learners
b 32000 = 1000 × misunderstand the understand that when a
32 concept that digit is moved to the left
c 5600 ÷ 10 = 560 multiplying or dividing its value increases (ones
by 10/100/1000 moves become tens and so on)
d 45000 ÷ 1000 =
the digits of a number and when it is moved to
45
1/2/3 places to the left the right its value
or the right. decreases.
6 50 and 90 Learners fail to make Use lesson starters to
the connection: practise deriving facts
5 × 9 = 45 from known facts, for
50 × 90 = 4500. example: ‘If I know that
4 × 8 = 32, what other
facts can you give me?’
7 B and D Learner does not Ensure learners see and
C and E classify an isosceles/ measure triangles
A and F equilateral triangle as presented in different
isosceles/equilateral orientations. Remind
when it is not them of the definition of
presented with a isosceles and equilateral
horizontal base. triangles and ensure they
check the triangle
according to its properties
rather than simply looking
at it to see if it looks like
isosceles and equilateral
triangles they have
previously seen.

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 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS STAGE 6 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES

Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps

8 a 30 minutes Learner makes Remind learners of what
b 12 hours mistakes such as they have learnt about the
c 90 seconds thinking that 1.5 hours
is equivalent to 1 hour equivalence of 0.5 and .
and 5 minutes instead Ask, ‘How many minutes
of 1 hour and 30 is half an hour?’ ‘How
minutes. many minutes is
0.5 of an hour?’

9 −17, −8, 1 Learners give the Encourage the use of a

answer −26 + 9 = −35 number line:
and so on.

10 The learner is able to Learners can draw

distinguish between pictures to help them
the different sizes of remember which word
angles, but they goes with which type of
classify angles angle, for example:
incorrectly.

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 CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY MATHEMATICS STAGE 6 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES

Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps

11 Zina is right because Learners do not Provide a visual model of
a remainder of 1 can understand that a simple case, for
be shown as a remainders can be example, 9 ÷ 4:
fraction with written as fractions.
numerator 1
and denominator
the number you are
dividing by
(the divisor)
12 a 11 years Learners confuse the Use memory activities to
b 10 years vocabulary for support learners in
different methods of correctly identifying the
finding the average. vocabulary. For example:
• ‘Median’ sounds like
‘medium’. Medium is
in the middle, so the
median is the middle
value.
• ‘Mode’ sounds like
‘most’ and so make the
connection between the
mode and the most
common. Learners may
have also come across
the phrase ‘à la mode’
which means
fashionable or popular
and you can link this
with the mode being
the most popular.

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Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps

13 a Divisible by 4: Learners may not
67432, 444, 7696, remember the rules of
1748, 624 divisibility and understand
b Divisible by 8: that if a number is
67432, 7696, 624 divisible by 8, then it is
also divisible by 4
because 4 is a factor of 8.
14 Learners may confuse
the direction of
movement.
Use a calculator to show,
for example, that if 624 is
divisible by 8 it is also
divisible by 4 and 2 since
4 and 2 are factors of 8.
Revise rules of divisibility
for 4 and 8.
Learners draw pictures to
help them remember
directions:

L is before R in the
alphabet.
15 a certain Learners may believe Invite learners to place
b impossible that no event is certain event cards on a scale of
or impossible. likelihood and explain
their decision.
16 16 Learners may be able Ask learners, ‘What is
15, 12 three-quarters of 24?’
to find of a number Discuss how they got their
but not see a link with answer (18); this could be,
division that is relevant multiply by three and divide
to other fractions. by 4 or divide by 4 and
multiply by 3. Now ask
them to find two-thirds of
24.
17 a 60 ° Learners may not Visualise the amount of
b 52 ° remember that the turn when turning from
angles on a straight facing the front of the
line total 180 °. classroom to facing the
back of the classroom.

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Question Answer Possible difficulties Next steps

18 a 0.4 Learners may not Learners might believe that
b 1 realise that it is only
possible to make 0.4 = . Demonstrate on a
c 0.8
comparisons of number line and also
fractions with
fractions, decimals change to an equivalent
with decimals and decimal.
so on.
Refer to the number lines
given in the question and
remind learners that if they
are not given a number
line in a question, learners
could draw their own.
19 a 5 Learners may not Use lesson starters to
b 7 understand that if practise deriving facts
c 0.7 7 × 5 = 35 then from known facts, for
0.7 × 5 = 3.5. example: ‘If I know that
4 × 8 = 32, what is 0.4 ×
8?’
20 Area = 34 cm2 Learners may confuse Emphasise that area
Perimeter = 30 cm the words and concepts represents the space
‘perimeter’ and ‘area’. occupied by an object,
and perimeter represents
the boundary of the shape.

21 47.9 Learners may not Provide similar ‘see-saw’

understand the concept problems.
of balancing and how
they must first work out
96.4 − 15.6.

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Question Answer
22 a true
b false
c true
d false
23 a 2:3
b or 60%
24 a 7 °C
b 11 o’clock
c The temperature
rose by 2 degrees
25 a No
5 + 4 × 7 = 33 because
multiplication is done
first. Martha had
added 5 and 4 and
then multiplied by 7
b An explanation
showing that the order of
multiplication can be
changed to give the
products of 6 × 9 and
5 × 2, for example: 6 ×
9 is 54 and the other
numbers are 5 × 2
which is 10
Cambridge Primary Mathematics 6 – Wood, Low, Byrd & Byrd © Cambridge University Press 2021
DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: TEACHER NOTES
Possible difficulties Next steps
Learners may Ensure that learners
confuse the terms understand that each
‘even chance’ and number on a 6-sided dice
‘equally likely’. is equally likely to be
rolled, but each number is
unlikely (not even
chance) to be rolled as
there is a one in six
chance of each.
Learners may Provide a range of practical
confuse ratio and activities, for example,
proportion. threading beads on a string
in which learners talk about
ratio (one quantity
compared to another) and
proportion (one part
compared to the whole).
Learners may not Link to work on number
read the scale on the lines.
axes correctly.
Learners work from Stress the importance of
left to right in a following the rules so
calculation instead everyone gets the same
of using the answer. Display the rules
convention for order in the classroom and
of operations. ensure that learners write
them in their books.
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