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How to show your work in math

"Show your work" means someone else could follow every step from the problem to your answer without guessing.

What full credit looks like

• One step per line. Each line follows from the one above.
• Say what you did when it isn't obvious: "subtract 7 from both sides".
• Box the answer.
• Check it by putting it back in.

Example: solve 2x + 7 = 19

2x + 7 = 19
2x = 12  (subtract 7)
x = 6  (divide by 2)
Check: 2(6) + 7 = 19 ✓

Why it helps you

• Partial credit. One slip costs a point, not the whole problem.
• You find your own mistakes, because you can see which line went wrong.
• On the test, you know the steps because you've written them before.

What doesn't count

Just the answer, "I did it in my head", or an answer copied from an app. If an app did the steps, there's no work to show, and the test will show it.