Students should understand how to approach a maths problem, including word problems. One strategy is to read through the problem and use the GUESS Method. 

1. Go through the question and write down all the info you've been Given in the question. 

2. Figure out what is the Unknown that you will find.

3. Figure out which Equation contains your Given values and your Unknown. If you need more info to find your Unknown, are there any other Equations you can use to get you that info? 

4. Substitute your Given values into the Equation.

5. Solve for the Unknown value. 

In some questions you'll be told what to calculate. 

For these, the approach is just to solve.

Remember that maths isn't hard, it's a language so you may need to slowly work through the problem to avoid mistakes. 

Students should be able to explain whether you agree, disagree, or can't tell for sure. 

Sometimes more than one option could be correct so it all comes down to your explanation. 

When answering these questions, where possible USE NUMBERS to support your answer. 

When answering questions about calculations, USE WORDS in your explanations. 

You must base your answer on the information given to you, NOT on your own experience. 

This video may help.

The best way to get better is to practice. Watch this video of a maths teacher, infinityplusone, going through one of the past Numeracy papers and explaining his answers.

The full playlist of these videos is available here.