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Common Core Math7th GradeExpressions & Equations

7.EE.2: Rewrite Expressions to Reveal Meaning

Also written as 7.EE.A.2 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.EE.A.2 · Cluster: Use properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions.

Make 7.EE.2 Word ProblemsAll 24 7th Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Understand that rewriting an expression in different forms in a problem context can shed light on the problem and how the quantities in it are related. For example, a + 0.05a = 1.05a means that "increase by 5%" is the same as "multiply by 1.05."

Common Core State Standards, Grade 7, Expressions & Equations · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 7.EE.2 Means in Plain English

Seventh graders rewrite an expression to see something new in a problem. An item priced at p dollars, marked 20% off, costs p - 0.2p, and rewriting that as 0.8p shows the sale price is 80% of the original, one multiplication instead of two steps.

Combining terms can expose a hidden rate: tickets at $12 plus a $3 fee each cost 12n + 3n, which is 15n, so each ticket really costs $15. In 8th grade, y = 15x + 10 reads the same way: a rate and a starting amount (8.F.4).

7.EE.2 I Can Statements

  • I can rewrite an expression to show a different fact about a problem.
  • I can explain why adding 5% is the same as multiplying by 1.05.
  • I can say what each form of an expression tells me.

7.EE.2 Worked Example

A markup and a markdown of the same percent look as if they cancel. One rewritten expression shows they do not, for every price at once.

Problem

A store raises every price by 30%, then puts everything on sale at 30% off. Write the final price of an item that started at p dollars in simplest form. Are prices back where they started?

Does a 30% markup and then 30% off cancel out?
  1. A 30% markup adds 0.3p to the price. Collecting the terms turns two steps into one multiplication.p + 0.3p = 1.3p
  2. The sale takes 30% off the new price, 1.3p, which leaves 70% of it.1.3p - 0.3(1.3p) = 0.7(1.3p)
  3. Multiply the two factors to get a single expression.0.7 × 1.3p = 0.91p
  4. Read the new form: 0.91p is 91% of the original, so every price ends 9% lower, whatever p is.0.91p = p - 0.09p
  5. Now any item takes one line. A $50 pair of headphones ends at:0.91 × 50 = 45.50
AnswerNo. The final price is 0.91p, a 9% drop, so $50 headphones end at $45.50

Check it: Work the $50 headphones the long way: 30% of 50 is 15, so $65, and 30% of 65 is 19.50, so 65 - 19.50 = $45.50. Same answer.

Common Mistakes with 7.EE.2

Adding the percents instead of multiplying

Up 30% then down 30%: +30 - 30 = 0, so the price is back to p

Try this: Write each change as a multiplier and multiply them: 1.3 × 0.7 = 0.91, so the price ends at 91% of p.

Writing the increase as the new amount

Salary s after a 5% raise: 0.05s

Try this: Separate the raise from the new salary: the raise is 0.05s, but the new salary is s + 0.05s = 1.05s.

Rewriting without saying what the new form means

n sandwiches at $6.50 and n drinks at $1.50: 6.50n + 1.50n = 8n, and the work stops there

Try this: Finish with a sentence about the situation: 8n says each sandwich-and-drink meal costs $8, which the first form split apart.

Where 7.EE.2 Fits

Comes Before6.EE.3Use properties to write equivalent expressions, like 3(2 + x) = 6 + 3x.6.RP.3Find a percent of a quantity, the 0.05a inside a + 0.05a.
Alongside7.EE.1Expand, factor and combine the expressions this standard then interprets.7.RP.3Solve markup, discount and tax problems, where one multiplier saves a step.
Comes Next8.F.4Read the rate and the starting value in a linear function like y = 15x + 10.
HSA-SSE.3Choose the form of an expression that reveals what a problem asks.

Practice 7.EE.2

Word Problem GeneratorFree ToolDiscount, tax, raise and price-per-item stories where one combined expression, like 0.8p or 1.05s, is the shortest route.PercentsExpressionsGrade 7
Make Word Problems
Math Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolExpressions to rewrite as one term, like p - 0.2p and 12n + 3n, with an answer key, ready for a sentence about what each new form means.Equivalent expressionsPercentsAnswer key
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Rewrite x - 0.15x as one term. What does the new form say about a 15% discount?
  2. A gym charges $25 a month plus a $5 monthly locker fee. Write the cost of m months two ways.
  3. Is a 10% increase followed by another 10% increase the same as a 20% increase? Use expressions.

7.EE.2: Other Names

7.EE.27.EE.A.2CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.EE.A.2

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.