Arithmetic procepts such as 4+3, 3´4, have a built-in algorithm to compute the result, which children come to expect. Such procepts are genuinely operational, in the sense that one can operate on them to get an answer. But in algebra, procepts such as 4+3x certainly have a process of evaluation (add four to three times x) but cannot be evaluated until x is known. Such symbols are termed template procepts, in that they are templates for operations which can be evaluated only when the variables are given appropriate values. However, the symbols can still be manipulated as objects, in simplifying, factorising, solving equations, and so on. The shift in focus from the symbolism of arithmetic where the aim is to obtain numerical answers to the manipulation of template procepts in algebra is one which causes severe difficulties for many learners.