PlusyWhat Plusy does after a wrong answer
After a wrong answer, Plusy shows the right answer in a calm orange band, says in one sentence what went wrong when it can tell, gives a trick to remember, and brings the question back later in the same round.
What does my child see after a wrong answer?
After a wrong answer Plusy shows a soft orange band with The answer is and the number. Nothing turns red and there is no buzzer. Under the answer there can be two short lines: what went wrong, and a trick to remember.
- The slip, only when Plusy recognizes the pattern, worded gently. For example: Looks like you added. 7 × 8 is 56. or Close. The digits are swapped.
- The trick, always, and always the same trick for the same fact. For example, for 7 × 8: Double three times: 14, 28, 56.
How does Plusy know what went wrong?
Plusy compares your child's answer with the mistakes children commonly make on that question. On a question worked in columns, it reads the working in the boxes and names the step that went wrong, in one sentence.
These are the kinds of slip Plusy can name:
| Kind of slip | What Plusy might say |
|---|---|
| The wrong operation | Looks like you added. 7 × 8 is 56. |
| Swapped digits | Close. The digits are swapped. |
| A forgotten carry | You forgot to add the carried 1: |
| A forgotten borrow | You forgot to borrow. Borrow 1 from the tens: |
| A long multiplication row not shifted | Remember the 0: that row is 3460, not 346. |
| Right rows, wrong total | Your rows are right! Now add them: |
Plusy can only name a column slip when your child used the boxes. An answer worked out on paper or in the head gets the answer and the trick, without the diagnosis. All of this is worked out by the app's own code. No AI is involved.
Does the question come back?
Yes. A missed question comes back once later in the same round, as multiple choice, tagged Try again. The screen at the end of the round says how many came back and were answered right. The score itself counts the questions that were right first time.
After a column question, your child can also tap Walk me through it to see it solved step by step from their own digits, followed by one new question of the same kind. See Stuck? Hint, Show me and Next step.
A test is different. Nothing is taught during a test and missed questions do not return. The result screen lists each missed fact with its trick instead.
What is the practice card that appeared on Home?
The practice card appears on Home when your child makes the same kind of mistake three times within a week. It is titled Practice: with the kind of mistake, and it holds six typed questions, each built to set the same trap as one of the mistakes your child made.
Find the card on Home
It names the trap, for example Practice: borrowing in subtraction.
Tap Play
The six questions are tagged Practice. The set uses one heart and pays like any round. It does not move the road.
Finish the set
The card stays until your child has mastered the skill behind it: done right with no hint on two different days.
The practice sets cover carrying in addition, carrying in multiplication, borrowing in subtraction, long multiplication rows, and the four kinds of basic facts: adding, taking away, times tables and division. The Fractions road has practice sets of its own, such as Practice: equal fractions.
Where can I see what my child is working on?
Open the You tab and look at the Grown-ups card. When your child has slipped on a skill, a line there reads Still practising: followed by the skills, for example carrying or borrowing. A skill moves to the Mastered: line once your child gets it right with no hint on two different days. Those two lines are the whole parent view today: there is no report, chart or history.
How long does Plusy keep a record of mistakes?
Plusy keeps mistake records for 90 days and uses only the last 30. A record holds the kind of mistake, the question and when it happened. Nothing is recorded from a test or from a list played through a shared link, and every record is erased when the account is deleted. See privacy and your child's data.
Questions
Does a wrong answer cost a heart?
No. A round uses one heart when it opens, and wrong answers inside it cost nothing extra. A child who misses half the questions pays the same as a child who gets them all right.
My child gets upset by mistakes. How does Plusy handle them?
Calmly. A wrong answer has no red, no cross and no buzzer, only an orange band with the right answer and a short tip. The question returns later so your child gets to answer it right.
Why did Plusy not explain the mistake this time?
Plusy names a slip only when the answer matches a known pattern, or when a column question was worked in the boxes. Otherwise it shows the answer and the trick. In a test, nothing is explained until the result screen.
Will I get a report of my child's mistakes?
No. Plusy sends no progress emails and has no report page. The Grown-ups card shows two lines by skill, Still practising: and Mastered:. Those lines and the practice card on Home are how it shows what your child is working on.