11 Plus Maths Topics and Question Types

Many 11+ maths tests draw on primary mathematics, but their content and format vary by area and school. The national curriculum is a useful reference, not a universal 11+ specification. Check your local test guidance before deciding what your child needs to practise.

Two questions help turn the list into a practice plan. Which of these topics has my child not actually been taught yet? And which of them are quietly losing marks on questions we assumed were fine? A topic list treats fractions, probability and timetables as three equal boxes to tick. In a real exam room they are nothing of the sort.

This guide groups upper Key Stage 2 topics into a practical checklist and offers several ways to choose what to revisit. Use your child's schoolwork and the target test's own information to decide where to start.

11 plus maths in one minute

The national curriculum's upper Key Stage 2 programme covers Years 5 and 6. It sets out areas including number and place value; the four operations; fractions, decimals and percentages; measurement; geometry; and statistics. Year 6 also has sections on ratio and proportion and algebra. Schools must teach the key stage programme by the end of Year 6, but they can introduce topics earlier or later within the key stage (Department for Education).

Local authorities, consortia and schools use different tests. GL Assessment notes that the timings, topics and number of questions in a local test can differ from its own familiarisation materials (GL Assessment). Check the current guidance from the authority or school your child is applying to.

For September 2027 entry, CSSE published a separate 60-minute mathematics paper, while Kent describes a combined English and mathematics paper with a 25-minute section for each subject plus practice time (CSSE, Kent County Council). These examples have different formats and timing; they do not establish a common 11+ syllabus. Our guide to what the 11 plus is and how it works covers the wider picture.

Maths topics to consider for 11+ practice

The following seventeen groups make a broad practice checklist. They are not a promise that every local test includes every item or excludes other content.

1. Place value and rounding - reading, ordering and rounding numbers, including negatives.
2. The four operations - written methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, including remainders.
3. Factors, multiples and primes - factor pairs, common factors, prime numbers, square and cube numbers.
4. Order of operations - deciding which part of a calculation to do first.
5. Fractions - equivalence, comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.
6. Decimals - place value to three decimal places, calculation and rounding.
7. Percentages - percentages of amounts, increase and decrease, and simple reverse problems.
8. Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages - fluent movement between all three forms.
9. Ratio and proportion - sharing in a ratio, scaling recipes, unequal sharing and best value.
10. Sequences and number patterns - finding the rule and continuing or reversing it.
11. Algebra - simple formulae, missing number equations, and expressing relationships with letters.
12. Measurement and units - metric conversions, and converting between metric and imperial approximately.
13. Money - costs, change, multi-item totals and value comparisons.
14. Time and timetables - the 24-hour clock, durations, and reading bus or train timetables.
15. Perimeter, area and volume - rectilinear shapes, triangles, parallelograms, cubes and cuboids.
16. Shape, angles, symmetry and coordinates - 2D and 3D properties, missing angles, reflection, translation and the full coordinate grid.
17. Statistics, averages and probability - bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, the mean, and simple likelihood.

Multi-step word problems can combine several of these topics, so they are useful to practise alongside individual skills.

Which route should you take?

Here is the decision most parents are actually facing. Read the four descriptions and pick the one that sounds like your child right now. You can change route later, and most families do.

• Route 1, recent work first. Choose this if your child has schoolwork or a practice paper you can review.
• Route 2, curriculum gaps first. Choose this if you have not yet checked what school has covered, or if your child is sitting an early autumn paper.
• Route 3, traps first. Choose this if practice scores are decent but inconsistent, and mistakes feel careless rather than conceptual.
• Route 4, pace first. Choose this if your child gets things right at home but runs out of time under test conditions.

If you are unsure where to start, review what your child has studied and compare it with the local test information. This can help surface an unfamiliar topic that may need attention.

Route 1: start with your child's recent work

Question frequency varies by test. Review your child's recent schoolwork or an official familiarisation paper and note which skills need attention. A short sample can suggest what to practise, but it cannot establish the weighting of a future paper.

Route 2: start with what school has not taught yet

The year-by-year curriculum can help you identify topics your child may not have studied yet. It does not say when every school must teach each topic during the key stage, and it is not an 11+ specification.

These curriculum topics are listed in Year 6:

• Ratio and proportion, including sharing and comparison problems.
• Algebra, including simple formulae and expressing missing-number problems.
• The mean as an average: pupils are taught to calculate and interpret it.
• Coordinates in all four quadrants: Year 5's programme specifies first-quadrant coordinates; Year 6 extends to all four quadrants.

The Year 6 programme also names order of operations. Schools have flexibility about when to introduce content, so these year labels do not prove that a child has not been taught a topic.

For one dated example, CSSE's 2027-entry test took place on 19 September 2026, near the start of Year 6 (CSSE 2027 guide). That test date has passed. It illustrates why families should check both the target test's published content and their school's teaching sequence; it does not show which topics every pupil had or had not covered.

If a topic appears in the test guidance but is new to your child, ask their teacher how best to introduce and practise it. The curriculum also extends work in areas such as prime numbers, cuboid volume, and missing angles across the key stage; check the relevant year-group programme and your child's actual work before deciding what needs attention.

A quick review is to ask your child what they have covered, then look at a representative example together. If a topic is unfamiliar and relevant to the local test, the year-by-year preparation plan offers ideas for fitting practice around school.

Route 3: start with the traps

When reviewing a question, look at the working as well as the final answer. These examples show some possible errors and follow-up questions.

• Subtraction across the decimal point. In 8 minus 3.45, writing 8.00 and aligning the decimal points can help keep place value clear.
• Treating a ratio as a fraction of the total. To share 60 in the ratio 2:3, there are five equal parts, each worth 12, so the shares are 24 and 36. Check that the child divides by the total number of parts.
• Misreading minor gridlines. On a scale where five small squares span 10 units, each square is 2, not 1. Counting squares without checking the interval can give the wrong value. Always ask "what is one small square worth?" before reading any value.
• Volume and capacity units. Forgetting that 1 litre equals 1,000 cm³ turns a correct calculation into a wrong answer. A tank 20 cm by 10 cm by 25 cm holds 5,000 cm³, which is 5 litres, not 5,000.
• Percentage decrease then increase. A price cut by 20% then raised by 20% does not return to the original. Work each step from the new amount.
• Timetable durations. Crossing the hour by subtracting digits gives 14:50 to 15:20 as 70 minutes. Count up to the hour, then on.
• Mean with a missing value. Use total equals mean times count before subtracting the known values.
• Negative coordinates. Reflecting a point in the y-axis changes the sign of its x-coordinate, not its y-coordinate. Four-quadrant coordinates are listed in the Year 6 programme; check whether the topic is part of the local test and what your child has studied.

Use the list as a prompt when reviewing a paper. Follow up the specific method shown in your child's working rather than assuming every wrong answer has the same cause.

To check a mean, or to see the median, mode and range of a list, type the numbers below. In the quiz-scores example, a mean of 15 from five scores means a total of 75: total equals mean times count, the fix for the missing-value trap above.

Route 4: start with pace

Timing and section structure vary. For September 2027 entry, CSSE published a 60-minute maths paper; Kent describes a 25-minute maths section following a five-minute practice exercise (CSSE, Kent County Council). Use the timing for your child's test. A simple average pace is useful only when the test instructions allow pupils to manage time across the section.

One mechanical detail deserves its own sentence. Kent Test papers are "multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet" and "are marked by an automated marking machine". Answers that stay in the booklet score nothing. If your child's board uses separate answer sheets, rehearse the transfer, including what happens when a question is skipped and the numbering slips.

Timed practice can help your child become familiar with a test's pace. Compare accuracy as well as time, and follow the target test's own instructions. Our mock practice provides short timed practice with topic results; it does not reproduce every local test.

To turn a maths paper's timing into a pace your child can follow, enter its minutes and questions below.

Board variation, briefly

Formats differ by region and school: a test may use multiple choice or written answers, combine subjects or separate them, and set its own equipment rules and timings. Confirm the arrangements for your child's entry year with the relevant authority or school. GL's familiarisation guidance explains that local timings and question counts may differ from its own materials.

Make a coverage checklist

If a checklist helps, put three columns beside selected topics: Not yet taught, Taught but needs practice, and Ready for now. Compare it with your child's schoolwork and target test information.

Rules for using it well:

• Do not assume a Year 6 topic is untaught; check with your child or teacher.
• Try more than one example before deciding whether a method needs more teaching or practice.
• Update the list when your child's work or the local test information gives you a reason to do so.
• Choose a manageable number of topics at a time.

Smart Cub Learning's progress view shows topic-level results from activities completed in the product; it does not import marks from paper practice. You can also use official sample papers or our roundup of free 11 plus practice papers to review the format used in your area.

The short maths practice test below gives results to help you choose a next topic to review.

Frequently asked questions

What maths topics are in the 11 plus?

The list above is a broad practice checklist based on upper Key Stage 2 mathematics. Local tests may cover a different selection or format; check the relevant authority's current guidance.

Does 11 plus maths go beyond the national curriculum?

GL says its English and maths selection tests are based mainly on curriculum content reached during the early part of Year 6, but tests vary by area and provider. Questions may combine topics or use unfamiliar wording. Check the test information for your area rather than assuming one national specification.

How much of the 11 plus maths syllabus should be covered before the exam?

There is no single 11+ maths syllabus to apply everywhere. Use the target school's or authority's guidance to select topics, then review what your child has studied and where their working shows a need for practice.

Is 70% enough to qualify?

There is no percentage threshold that applies across all 11+ tests. For example, Buckinghamshire uses a standardised qualifying score of 121, while other areas set their own rules (Buckinghamshire Council). Check the current admissions arrangements for your target schools.

Use the topic guidance as a starting point, then check your child's recent work and local test requirements.