A worked example teaches you a method. It does not yet prove you own it. This worksheet gives you a three-stage ladder that removes support one step at a time, so the first time you work alone is not the first time you are tested.
Use it with any skill where you can copy the example but cannot start from a blank line. You need one worked example, one sheet of paper and about 25 minutes.
How the ladder works
Each stage hides a little more of the solution. You only climb when you can say why each step happens.
| Stage | What is on the page | What you do | Move up when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Study | A full worked solution | Cover it line by line and predict the next line | You can explain every line in your own words |
| 2. Complete | The same type of question, with some lines blank | Fill the blanks, then write the reason for each | Every blank is right without looking back |
| 3. Independent | A fresh question, nothing shown | Solve it alone, then check | Correct method and correct answer, unaided |
If stage three goes wrong, do not repeat it straight away. Go back to stage two with a different example, then try a new stage three question.
Filled example: solving a linear equation
Stage 1, study. Solve 2x + 7 = 19.
- Subtract 7 from both sides: 2x = 12.
- Divide both sides by 2: x = 6.
- Check: 2 × 6 + 7 = 19. Correct.
Cover the lines and predict each one. The reason for the first line is that 7 is added to the term with x, so subtracting 7 undoes it.
Stage 2, complete. Solve 4x − 3 = 21.
- Add ___ to both sides: 4x = ___.
- Divide both sides by ___: x = ___.
- Check: 4 × ___ − 3 = ___.
Answers: add 3, 4x = 24, divide by 4, x = 6, and 4 × 6 − 3 = 21.
Stage 3, independent. Solve 5(x − 2) = 35, writing every line yourself.
Answer: divide both sides by 5 to get x − 2 = 7, then add 2 to get x = 9. Check: 5 × (9 − 2) = 5 × 7 = 35. Correct.
An alternative is to expand first: 5x − 10 = 35, then 5x = 45, then x = 9. Both routes are valid, and noticing that is part of independent reasoning.
Your own ladder
Copy this table and fill it for one skill you choose.
| Field | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Skill | |
| Stage 1 example source (class notes, textbook page) | |
| Stage 2 question I wrote or was given | |
| Stage 3 fresh question | |
| Result (right method? right answer? unaided?) | |
| If wrong: which line broke, and why | |
| Date to try a new stage three question |
Rate your own support
After each stage three attempt, choose one rating and write it down: “I needed nothing”, “I needed one hint”, or “I needed the full example”. Over a few weeks the ratings show which skills are secure and which still lean on the page.
For fresh questions that mix skills without labelling the method, the original mixed-practice builder gives you a printable set. To keep track of what went wrong, pair this sheet with the mistake log template, and browse more tools on the tools page.
Some students climb this ladder easily on algebra and stall on word problems. That is where a teacher watching your working in real time helps, and it is part of what our online one-to-one tuition is built around.