DFM Key skill:

• #503: Complete the square for quadratics of the form \(\,ax^2+bx+c\).

Task Commentary

Although completing the square is covered at GCSE, many students start the A level course with only a basic grasp of the method. Students often initially struggle in cases where \(a\ne 1\). However, the basics of the topic are very procedural in nature and can easily be grasped by the majority of students independently.

Understanding can be checked using Dr Frost Maths (DFM) key skills. Following this task, a brief practice activity in lesson time is recommended, although generally most students will be competent and should be able to very quickly progress to exploring other aspects of this topic.

Setting this task for independent study means that you get to spend more time on challenging content in lesson instead of practising procedures.