Math
How to Grade Singapore Math (Primary Mathematics) at Home
Singapore Math asks kids to show their thinking — bar models, number bonds, mental math. That makes it great for understanding and a little harder to grade, because the answer is only half the story. Here's a routine that checks both.
How Singapore Math is set up
- Lessons move from hands-on objects to pictures to numbers, so drawings and models are part of the work.
- Word problems lean heavily on bar models to show how quantities relate.
- Each level has textbooks and workbooks; the home instructor's materials include answers.
- Several editions exist, so page numbers and answer keys don't always match between books.
A simple grading routine
- Check the answer first, then the model. A right answer with a wrong model is luck worth catching early.
- On word problems, look at the bar model before the arithmetic — most mistakes start there.
- Mark mental math slips separately from concept mistakes; they need different fixes.
- Have your child redo missed word problems by drawing the model again, not just changing the number.
- Grade workbook pages daily and treat the end-of-unit reviews as your official scores.
Where Marqer saves time
- Marqer reads the whole page, including written steps, so feedback can point to where the thinking went wrong.
- Set the curriculum note to "Singapore Math" so it expects bar models and number bonds.
- Scores roll into a report card and transcript automatically.
What to still check yourself
- Hand-drawn bar models vary a lot; if you care about how the model is drawn, look at those yourself.
- Check anything marked wrong if the photo is blurry or the drawing is faint.
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Try Marqer freeCommon questions
Should I take points off for a missing bar model?
That's your call. Many families give full credit for the answer but ask the child to add the model, since the model is the skill Singapore Math is building.
Which Singapore Math edition does this work with?
Any. The routine is the same across editions, and Marqer grades from the photo of your child's work rather than a specific answer key.
Can Marqer read drawings like bar models?
It reads the problem and the written work on the page and explains mistakes. For detailed judgments about how a model is drawn, check it yourself.