11+ Maths
Accurate adding and subtracting — including column methods, regrouping and multi-step number problems.
Addition and Subtraction appears in 135 of our 338 ready papers (638 tagged questions). It averages 4.7 questions a paper worth about 1.5 marks each. The typical question allows around 46 sec. It appears in 3 CSSE papers we hold.
Addition and subtraction look basic and still decide papers when place value slips. 11+ questions mix column methods, mental strategies, and worded “how many more / left” stems. Independent papers often hide several operations in one story; grammar-style papers punish careless regrouping. Children who invert subtraction (smaller minus larger) or forget a carry lose marks they expected to bank. Practise both directions: compute cleanly, then estimate whether the answer is sensible. Pair this hub with word problems and money so the arithmetic survives messy wording. A thirty-second check — “is this roughly the right size?” — catches many expensive slips before they cost the mark.
A real tagged question from our catalogue — method included, not paywalled.
Ranked from our tagged catalogue — open a paper to practise the questions that actually test this topic.
Not sure whether addition and subtraction is the problem? Mark any past paper on 11plusSolved and the report tells you which topics are costing marks — and how many.
