Averages in the 11+ — Questions, Worked Answers and Practice Papers

What examiners actually ask

Averages appears in 52 of our 338 ready papers (86 tagged questions). It averages 1.7 questions a paper worth about 1.79 marks each. The typical question allows around 49 sec. It appears in 1 CSSE paper we hold.

Average questions in the 11+ are usually about the mean: total divided by how many values. Papers present lists, tables or chart totals and ask for the mean, or for a missing value when the mean is known. Children who add correctly but divide by the wrong count — or who forget a zero value — lose marks after solid working. Teach “total ÷ number of items” as a spoken check every time. Link this hub to graphs and charts, because many mean questions start with reading a table or bar chart before calculating. Under timed conditions, write the count of values explicitly before dividing so the method stays visible if something feels off. When the mean is given and a value is missing, rearrange to total = mean × count, then solve for the unknown carefully.

Common mistakes

• Dividing by the wrong number of values (forgetting an item or counting a category twice).
• Finding the total correctly then stopping before dividing.
• Confusing mean with median or mode when the paper only wants the mean.
• Using chart heights without checking the scale first.

Papers with the most Averages questions

Ranked from our tagged catalogue — open a paper to practise the questions that actually test this topic.

Related topics

• Graphs and Charts
• Division
• Word Problems
• Addition and Subtraction
• Probability
• Fractions