A Science question that mixes a diagram, a paragraph and a table asks you to collect pieces before calculating. A marking method makes each piece visible, so you use all of them.
This page supports SPM Science. If the graph part is your weak point, read preparing for Science with weak graph-reading foundations.
What does this look like in your words?
You might say: “I read the paragraph, did a calculation, and found the diagram changed the answer.” Or: “I ignored the table because the question did not mention it.” Or: “I can do the maths, but I pick the wrong numbers.”
These are collecting mistakes, not calculation mistakes. The fix is in how you read the page.
What causes it?
The question spreads its information out on purpose. Each part gives one piece, and the answer needs all of them.
- The diagram gives a measured distance or a labelled area.
- The text gives a time, a condition or a rule.
- The table gives a second set of values for comparison.
If you read only the part that feels familiar, you miss a piece.
A four-colour marking method
Use four colours, or four symbols if you only have one pen.
- Ask (box): box the last sentence that says what to find.
- Diagram (circle): circle every label and value on the diagram.
- Text (underline): underline numbers and conditions in the paragraph.
- Table (tick): tick the row or column the ask relates to.
Then write a short list of given values, with units, before any calculation.
Worked example: two trolleys
An original question. The diagram shows trolley A passing two posts, with a label 12 m between them. The text says trolley A took 4 s. A table gives the same for trolley B.
| Trolley | Distance (m) | Time (s) |
|---|---|---|
| B | 15 | 6 |
The ask: “Which trolley moved faster, and by how much?”
Given values: trolley A, 12 m from the diagram and 4 s from the text. Trolley B, 15 m and 6 s from the table.
Speed of A = 12 ÷ 4 = 3 m/s. Speed of B = 15 ÷ 6 = 2.5 m/s. Trolley A is faster by 3 − 2.5 = 0.5 m/s.
Notice that the distance for A is on the diagram and the time is in the text. A student who skipped the diagram would have no distance for A.
Practical things to try this week
- Do three mixed questions using the four-colour method, and write the given-values list each time.
- After each one, check whether every circled or underlined item was used. An unused item is either a distraction or a missed step.
- Convert units first when the diagram and the table differ, and write the conversion in your working.
- Record any missing piece in a mistake log and paper-error review.
For speed questions in more depth, see calculating speed, velocity and acceleration.
When might one-to-one tuition be worth considering?
Self-study works well if you can see your own missed pieces. It is harder when the page looks complete to you but the answer is still wrong, because you cannot see a piece you skipped.
A teacher can watch you read a question and point out the moment you leave a part out. If that would help, see online one-to-one Science tuition and mention your form and the topics where mixed questions cause trouble.