11+ Maths
Multi-step and non-routine Maths problems — choosing a strategy when the method is not obvious.
Problem Solving appears in 20 of our 338 ready papers (163 tagged questions). It averages 8.2 questions a paper worth about 2.62 marks each. The typical question allows around 32 sec. It appears in 2 CSSE papers we hold.
Problem-solving tags gather questions that need a plan before a calculation: draw a diagram, work backwards, try a simpler case, or organise information in a table. These overlap word problems but emphasise strategy choice. Children who jump straight into arithmetic without a plan waste time and marks. Teach a short toolkit and name the strategy out loud before computing. Independent papers lean hardest on these. Practise recognising when a problem is “not a single operation” so children slow down deliberately. After solving, check the answer against the original question in one sentence. If you are stuck after a minute, switch strategy deliberately — a new diagram beats staring at the same dead-end calculation.
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 problem solving is the problem? Mark any past paper on 11plusSolved and the report tells you which topics are costing marks — and how many.
