This tool is a private notebook for mistakes. For each wrong answer you record where it came from, what idea went wrong and what to do next, then write a fresh problem and choose the date to try it again.
Everything stays in your own browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
How do I use it?
- Task ID or source: for example Worksheet 4 Q7. Different tasks with the same error are kept as separate entries.
- Skill tag (optional): the skill involved, such as directed numbers.
- Misconception: a short name for what went wrong, for example sign error when subtracting negatives. Entries with the same name are grouped.
- Type of mistake: choose arithmetic (a calculation slip), interpretation (misread or misunderstood the question) or incomplete reasoning (a step or justification missing). Each choice shows a hint for the next action.
- What happened, next action and a fresh problem: write a new, similar problem with different numbers.
- Retest date: it starts three days ahead. Press Add to log.
Later, press Retested on a queue item when you have tried the fresh problem. Use Download text to back up your log.
Example walk-through
Suppose a student records two entries.
Entry 1. Task Worksheet 4 Q7, skill directed numbers, misconception sign error when subtracting negatives, type arithmetic. What happened: wrote −7 − (−2) = −9. Next action: rewrite the subtraction as an addition. Fresh problem: −2 − (−9). The correct answer to the fresh problem is 7, because −2 + 9 = 7.
Entry 2. Task Class test Q2, same misconception, same type. What happened: wrote 4 − (−6) = −2. The correct value is 10, since 4 + 6 = 10. Fresh problem: 5 − (−8), which equals 13.
In the log grouped by misconception, both entries sit under one heading showing 2 entries, and each keeps its own task and notes. In the retest queue they appear ordered by retest date, marked Overdue, Due today or Upcoming, each with its own fresh problem. Seeing two entries under one heading tells the student the issue is sign reasoning, not two separate slips.
How do I read the log?
- Retest queue: everything not yet retested, earliest date first, with a status label and your fresh problem. If you left the problem blank, the tool reminds you to write a new, similar one with different numbers.
- Log grouped by misconception: a count for each misconception and the entries beneath it. A group with several entries is where to spend time first.
- Type of mistake: arithmetic slips need slower, checked working. Interpretation mistakes need the question restated in your own words. Incomplete reasoning needs every step written with its reason.
A mistake is only fixed when the fresh problem comes out right. If it does not, the misconception is still there, and you can log it again.
What are the limits?
Your notes stay private and local. The tool does not send anything to WhatsApp or to analytics. The cost is that clearing browser data, using another browser or changing device will lose the log unless you downloaded a copy.
The tool does not mark your answers or judge whether your misconception name is right. It is a record and a reminder, and it works only if you write honest notes and do the retest.
Which lessons explain the output?
The practice sets across the maths modules are good sources for entries, such as number sense and exact arithmetic practice. The lesson on ordering signed numbers on a number line covers the sign error used in the example. For a paper template and the thinking behind it, read use a mistake log that leads to another attempt, and to plan revision from real gaps see revise Mathematics using actual gaps and current scope. The worked example to independent practice resource shows how to write the fresh problem.
If entries keep repeating, our teachers can work on that pattern with you in online one-to-one Mathematics tuition. The tools page lists the other study aids.