evaluate

Everyday

1. To evaluate something is to judge how good, useful or successful it is, after thinking about it carefully. tree →
2. In maths, to evaluate an expression is to work out its value as a number: «Evaluate 3 × (4 + 2)». tree →

In the lessons

In school, pupils evaluate their own work, a design in DT or an experiment in science, saying what went well and what could be better. In maths it is an instruction word: find the number. In reading, you evaluate a source to see whether it is reliable. Phrases: «evaluate your work», «evaluate the evidence», «evaluate the expression».

Examples

• Evaluate your model bridge: did it hold the weight? tree →
• Evaluate 5 + 3 × 2 (the answer is 11). tree →
• The teacher evaluated our stories and gave feedback. tree →
• Scientists evaluate the results of an experiment carefully. tree →
• We need to evaluate which website gives true facts. tree →
• Evaluate the expression 2a when a = 7. tree →
• Doctors evaluate a patient before choosing a treatment. tree →

Note

In maths, «evaluate» means «work out the value», so remember the order of operations (brackets, then × and ÷, then + and −). Noun: evaluation. Not the same as «estimate»: to evaluate you work it out properly.