BECE Mathematics 2017 Paper

Let $x=$ number of malesFemales were 7 more than males means that if we add 7 to the number of males, we should get how many females attended the meetingNumber of females who attended the meeting $=x+7$But the question stated how many people were in attendance, hence when we add the number of females and males, we should get the number of people in attendanceNo. of males + No. of females $=23$$\;x+(x+7)=23$$\;x+x+7=23$$\;2x+7=23$$\;2x=23-7$$\;2x=16$Divide both sides by 2$\;\frac{2x}{2}=\frac{16}{2}$$\;x=8$