11+ Maths practice
The 11+ maths paper checks that your child is secure across the primary curriculum and can use it to solve problems quickly without a calculator. Below you'll find what the test covers, real questions with worked answers, and tips for each topic.
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What the test covers
11+ tests are usually sat at the start of Year 6, so the maths mainly covers the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5, with some harder problem-solving. Our questions are grouped into six topics:
- Number: Place value, rounding, sequences, primes.
- Calculation: The four operations and missing numbers.
- Fractions, decimals & %: Including ratio and proportion.
- Measures: Money, time, length, mass, capacity.
- Geometry: Shapes, angles, area, coordinates.
- Data: Charts, tables, averages.
How our maths papers work
There are 20 maths papers, each with 50 multiple-choice questions (A to E) to answer in 50 minutes, without a calculator. Questions get harder through the paper and cover every topic, from reading a clock to ratio and coordinates. Many include a chart, shape or diagram. Standard papers are pitched at a typical 11+ level; Challenging papers have more multi-step problems.
Sample questions
These questions come from Maths Paper 1. Work each one out on paper, then open the answer to check the method.
236 ____ 254 263 272
Show the answer
Give your answer in its simplest form.
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Ines took out 910 of them.
How many did Ines take out?
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It arrived at 18.05.
How long did the journey take?
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What are the coordinates of the castle?
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They multiply it by 6, then add 18.
The answer is 102.
What number did Oscar think of?
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How many litres of yellow paint are needed to make 24 litres?
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Tips for each skill
These are the same tips your child sees on the results page, next to the skills that lost them marks.
Number
Say big numbers aloud to check place value. For sequences, find the gap between each pair of numbers first. Learn the primes to 50 and the square numbers to 144.
Calculation
Write working down neatly in columns. Check answers with the inverse operation (for example, check a division by multiplying back), and estimate first so silly answers stand out.
Fractions, decimals & %
Know the key equivalents by heart: ½ = 0.5 = 50%, ¼ = 0.25 = 25%, ⅕ = 0.2 = 20%, ⅒ = 0.1 = 10%. For "fraction of an amount", divide by the bottom number, then multiply by the top.
Measures
Convert everything to the same unit before calculating (pence, grams, millilitres or minutes). For time, count on in steps to the next hour. Never subtract times like ordinary numbers.
Geometry
Learn the angle facts: 90° in a right angle, 180° on a straight line and in a triangle, 360° around a point. For area, multiply; for perimeter, add all the sides.
Data
Read the axis labels and the scale before anything else. Work out what one gridline (or one symbol) is worth, then read carefully across to the axis.
Questions parents ask
What maths is on the 11+?
Mostly the Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the end of Year 5: place value, the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages, measures, time, shape, angles, coordinates and reading charts. Some questions combine several steps, which is what makes them harder than school tests.
Can my child use a calculator?
No. 11+ maths tests don't allow calculators, and neither do our papers. Quick, accurate written methods and knowing times tables by heart make a big difference.
Are the questions multiple choice?
Ours are, with five options (A to E). Some areas use a different format where children write the answer, so check with your chosen schools. Either way the maths is the same, and practising the method is what counts.
How do we find which topics to work on?
After each paper you see which topics lost the most marks, shown as a chart, with a tip for each one. Many children find time, measures and multi-step word problems the trickiest.
Is Paper 1 really free?
Yes. Create a free account and your child can sit Paper 1 in every subject, as often as they like. The full pack is a single payment, and we give free places to families who can't afford it.
Try a full paper free
Create a free account and your child can sit the whole of Paper 1 in every subject, timed like the real test. It's marked straight away, with an explanation for every answer.