Contents
Is your child applying for entry to a grammar school or a selective private school?
Find out everything you need to know about 11 plus maths, including:
The key topics your child needs to know
The types of maths questions used by major exam boards
How your child can revise and prepare effectively
What are the key 11 plus maths topics?
If your child is taking the 11 plus exam for entry to a grammar school, they will sit the tests in September of Year 6. Entrance exams for private schools are normally taken slightly later (usually between November and January).
The questions your child will see in their test will be mapped to Level 5 of the UK Key Stage 2 national curriculum (i.e. content taught up until the end of Year 5). In some cases, questions may assess the content your child is taught in early Year 6.
There are 8 main topics in the programme of study for Key Stage 2 maths. These are:
Number – number and place value
Number – addition and subtraction
Number – multiplication and division
Number – fractions (including decimals and percentages)
Measurement
Geometry – properties of shape
Geometry – position and direction
Statistics
We've broken down these topics into more detail below.
Free 11 plus maths paper
50 questions in 50 minutes
Mirrors the content and format of standard GL grammar school exams
Answer key and parents' guide
Number: number and place value
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
read, write, order, compare and round numbers up to 1,000,000
count backwards and forwards with positive and negative numbers (including through zero)
count backwards and forwards in steps of 10 for any number up to 1,000,000
interpret negative numbers in context
read Roman numerals up to 1,000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals
Number: addition and subtraction
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
add and subtract numbers mentally, using increasingly larger numbers
add and subtract whole numbers of more than 4 digits using formal written methods (columnar addition and subtraction)
use rounding to check their answers and determine levels of accuracy when solving problems
decide whether to use addition or subtraction when solving multi-step problems
Number – multiplication and division
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
identify multiples, all the factor pairs of a number, and the common factors of two numbers
understand and be able to use the vocabulary of prime numbers, prime factors and composite numbers (non-prime numbers)
work out whether a number up to 100 is prime
recall prime numbers up to 19
use long multiplication when multiplying numbers up to 4 digits by a 2-digit number
use short division when dividing numbers up to 4 digits by a 1-digit number
solve multiplication and division problems using knowledge of factors, multiples, squares and cubes
multiply and divide numbers mentally
multiply and divide whole numbers, and numbers involving decimals, by 10, 100 and 1,000
recognise and use square numbers and cube numbers
solve problems involving multiplication and division, including scaling by simple fractions and problems involving simple rates
Number – fractions (including decimals and percentages)
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
compare and order fractions whose denominators are multiples of the same number
multiply proper fractions and mixed numbers by whole numbers
identify, name and write equivalent fractions
add and subtract fractions with the same denominator(s)
read and write decimals as fractions
compare numbers with up to 3 decimal places, and round numbers with 2 decimal places, to the nearest whole number
recognise mixed numbers and improper fractions and convert from one form to the other
recognise the per cent symbol (%) and write percentages as a fraction with the denominator 100, and as a decimal
Free maths worksheets
Support your child's maths revision with free downloadable worksheets, covering challenging topics such as multiplication, division, fractions and decimals.
Measurement
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
convert between different units of metric measure (such as centimetre and metre, or litre and millilitre)
use approximate equivalences between metric and imperial units
measure and calculate the perimeter of rectilinear shapes using metres and centimetres
calculate and compare the areas of rectangles
estimate the area of irregular shapes
estimate volume
use standard units, square centimetres and square metres
Geometry: properties of shape
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
identify 3D shapes from 2D representations
learn how to compare and estimate acute, obtuse and reflex angles
draw angles and measure them in degrees
understand the properties of rectangles to deduce facts and find missing lengths and angles
distinguish between regular and irregular polygons based on reading about equal sides and angles
Geometry: position and direction
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
reflect shapes and lines
identify, represent and describe the position of shapes following a reflection or translation
Statistics
By the end of Year 5, your child should be able to:
complete, read and interpret statistical information in tables (including timetables)
use line graphs to solve comparison, sum and difference problems
What is the structure of the 11 plus maths exam?
The structure of the 11 plus maths exam will vary depending on which school your child is applying for, and which exam board that school uses. Some schools may use their own bespoke papers created by the maths department. Regardless of which exam board your child's target school uses, it's very rare for calculators to be allowed in the test.
The structure of the maths paper by major exam boards
GL Assessment is commonly used by grammar schools for 11+ entry. Most GL exams come with a question booklet and an answer booklet – your child will write their answers in their answer booklet, which is then marked electronically. Questions are in multiple-choice format.
Exam guides
How is the 11 plus maths test marked?
Each maths question will carry a different number of marks. Typically, many exams will have easier, 1-mark questions at the start of the paper, with the questions becoming increasingly more challenging towards the end of the test. As these later questions will involve multi-step problems, there will likely be more marks available.
Some exam boards may reward pupils with marks for showing their workings, so it’s a good idea to ensure your child gets into the habit of writing down their problem-solving in the area underneath the question.
When the test is marked, the examiner will add all of the marks together to create a raw score. Some exam boards may use standardised marking so that pupils who were born towards the end of the school year are not disadvantaged by age. In the standardisation process, younger pupils (determined by their age in years and months) will be given extra marks as compensation.
How can my child prepare for the 11 plus maths exam?
Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!
Atom Nucleus is an online learning platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for the 11 plus exam.
Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions – just like the ones featured in this article. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.
Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.
Unlimited 11 plus practice papers
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