✏️ Order of Operations

About Order of Operations

Arithmetic stops being unambiguous the moment an expression has two operations in it, and this is where a child learns the convention that resolves it. Brackets are done first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction — and the reason a worksheet is needed rather than a rule on the board is that the wrong order usually produces a perfectly reasonable-looking number, so mistakes go unnoticed. The levels introduce one structure at a time. The first uses brackets alone, where the order is signposted. The second adds expressions where multiplication must be done before addition even though it comes second on the page, which is the step almost every child gets wrong first. Later levels bring in division, then two-step expressions, then combinations. Indices are deliberately absent — they belong with BIDMAS two years later, and including them here would push the worksheet past its grade. Every expression is built from its parts and evaluated by the same code that assembles it, so the printed expression and the answer can never disagree. Twelve questions per page. Each level prints cleanly in black and white and downloads with its own separate answer key.

Common questions

Are indices included?

No. Indices belong with BIDMAS two years later; including them here would push the worksheet past its grade.

What is the step children get wrong most?

Doing multiplication after addition because it appears second on the page. The second level targets exactly that.

How do the levels progress?

Brackets alone, then multiplication before addition, then division, then two-step expressions, then combinations.

Is an answer key included?

Yes. Every level downloads with its own separate answer key PDF.