Order of Operations BEDMAS Worksheets - Real Life Problems
- Grades
- Grades 5–7
- Pages
- 3
- File type
- Answer key
- Included
- Subject
- Math, Order Of Operations
- Topic
- Order of Operations, Word Problems
- Resource types
- Worksheets & Printables, Word Problems, Worksheets
- Answer key
- Included
About this resource
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In the classroom
Teaching tips & learning objectives
Learning objectives
Apply the BEDMAS order of operations (Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) to solve multi-step real-life equations.
Compare incorrect (left-to-right) and correct (order-of-operations) solutions to see how the sequence of operations changes the result.
Insert brackets to isolate a sub-calculation within a larger real-life word problem.
Write an original real-life scenario that requires applying the order of operations to solve.
Teaching tips
Have students solve each problem the 'wrong' way first (ignoring order of operations) before the correct way, since the worksheet's side-by-side format is built around that contrast.
Use the shopping example ($219 vs. $19) as an anchor discussion for why order of operations produces such different, practically meaningful results.
Let students trade the final open-ended scenario (problem 6) with a partner to solve each other's original problems, as the prompt instructs.
Skills covered
Order-of-operations application — students solve equations like 100 minus 27 times 3 both without and with BEDMAS to see the differing results ($219 vs. $19).
Bracket insertion — students add brackets to isolate a sub-total, such as grouping pizza cost before dividing it three ways.
Real-world equation writing — students author an original word problem that requires order of operations to solve.
Good to know
Questions teachers ask about this resource
The 'without order of operations' answer to the retail sales problem comes out to $1,240,200 — is that dramatic gap intentional?
Yes, it's intentional: solving left-to-right instead of applying order of operations compounds the error across three multiplications, producing a wildly inflated total ($1,240,200) versus the correct $840, which makes the stakes of BEDMAS vivid for students.
None of the six scenarios include an exponent, even though BEDMAS is named in the header — is exponent skill required to complete the worksheet?
No — all six real-life scenarios use only brackets, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction; exponents are named in the BEDMAS header but not tested in any problem.
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Curriculum
Standards, concepts & topics
Standards
Standards
- 5.OA.A.1 — Use parentheses, brackets, or braces in numerical expressions, and evaluate expressions with these symbols.
- 5.OA.A.2 — Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them. For example, express the calculation “add 8 and 7, then multiply by 2” as 2 × (8 + 7). Recognize that 3 × (18932 + 921) is three times as large as 18932 + 921, without having to calculate the indicated sum or product.
Core concepts
Core concepts
order of operations
BEDMAS
brackets in equations
Topics
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