AbstractThe Becke exchange functional is used for calculation of properties of the jellium model using the slab geometry inside a box with the infinite potential barriers at the boundaries. We simplify semianalytical representation of matrix elements. We calculate the surface energies and work functions with self‐consistent electron densities. For all densities (here, we give results in erg/cm2 for rs = 2.07 bohr, in comparison with the LSD approximation (−602)) and the uncorrected Pw GGA‐II (−730), the Becke‐II exchange only (−1212), and the Becke‐II exchange with Perdew86 correlation (−830) [always close to Pw GGA‐I (−814)] give smaller surface energies. The most important factor determining values of surface energies from different GGAS seems to be a form of a correlation potential. We also calculate the effect of finite slab thickness and the vacuum region thickness on the surface energy at the LSD level and indicate its importance in various jellium model calculations. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.