11+ Maths: The Complete Topic Checklist
10 min read
Every topic the 11+ maths paper actually draws on, mapped to the KS2 curriculum, with worked example questions and the technique that matters more than raw ability: speed under pressure.
Of the four 11+ papers, maths is the one parents worry about least — and the one where a child most often loses marks for a reason that has nothing to do with not knowing the maths. Here’s what the paper actually covers, and where the real difficulty hides.
How the paper is built
11+ maths papers are drawn from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum — the same content your child is taught in school, occasionally reaching a little into early Year 6 topics. They are non-calculator, and overwhelmingly multiple-choice. Format specifics vary by area and board: a GL-style paper commonly runs to around 50 questions in about 50 minutes; the ISEB Common Pre-Test’s maths section is computer-adaptive (the difficulty of each question responds to the previous answer) rather than a fixed question count. Always confirm the exact format with your target school or local authority— it genuinely differs area to area, and this guide can’t track every region’s current syllabus.
The topic checklist
Every 11+ maths paper draws from the same underlying set of KS2 topics, just recombined into multi-step problems rather than asked in isolation the way a school exercise might. This is the full checklist:
| Topic | What it actually tests | Example skill |
|---|---|---|
| Number & place value | Reading, ordering and rounding numbers, including large ones | Round 48,562 to the nearest thousand |
| Four operations & mental maths | Fast, accurate arithmetic without a calculator | Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers in your head or on paper |
| Fractions, decimals & percentages | Converting between the three and calculating with them | Find 15% of 220; convert 3/8 to a decimal |
| Ratio & proportion | Sharing amounts in a given ratio; scaling up or down | Split £60 in the ratio 2:3 |
| Algebra basics | Simple equations, sequences and finding an unknown | Find the next term in a sequence; solve a one-step equation |
| Measurement | Units, conversions, time, money, perimeter and area | Convert between mm/cm/m; work out a journey's duration |
| Geometry — shape & angles | Properties of 2D/3D shapes, angle facts | Find a missing angle on a straight line or in a triangle |
| Statistics & data handling | Reading and interpreting graphs, tables and charts | Read a value off a bar chart or pictogram |
| Multi-step word problems | Combining two or more of the above in one question | A problem that needs a ratio step, then a percentage step |
That last row is the one that actually determines the score. 11+ papers rarely test a topic in isolation — they wrap two or three skills into a single word problem, and the hardest part is often working out which skills are needed, not applying any one of them.
4 sample questions
Written in the style of a real paper — try them before revealing the answer.
Sample question 1
A stationery shop receives 8 boxes of pencils. Each box holds 24 pencils. Before the pencils go on sale, 15 are found to be damaged and thrown away. How many pencils are put on sale?
- A162
- B177
- C192
- D207
- E216
Reveal answer & explanation
Answer: B. 8 × 24 = 192 pencils in total. 192 − 15 = 177. The two-step structure (multiply, then subtract) is the classic 11+ shape — the arithmetic itself is simple, but skipping the multiplication step is the usual mistake.
Sample question 2
3/8 of a number is 216. What is the number?
- A81
- B288
- C512
- D576
- E648
Reveal answer & explanation
Answer: D. If 3/8 of the number is 216, then 1/8 of it is 216 ÷ 3 = 72, and the whole number (8/8) is 72 × 8 = 576. Working through the unit fraction (1/8) rather than guessing is the reliable method here.
Sample question 3
In a class of 30 children, the ratio of boys to girls is 2:3. How many girls are in the class?
- A10
- B12
- C15
- D18
- E20
Reveal answer & explanation
Answer: D. The ratio 2:3 has 5 parts in total. 30 ÷ 5 = 6 children per part. Girls are 3 parts, so 3 × 6 = 18.
Sample question 4
A triangle has one angle of 90° and another of 35°. What is the size of the third angle?
- A35°
- B45°
- C55°
- D65°
- E125°
Reveal answer & explanation
Answer: C. Angles in a triangle always add up to 180°. 180 − 90 − 35 = 55°.
The skill that isn’t a topic
Ask most tutors what separates a strong 11+ maths score from an average one at the same knowledge level, and it’s rarely a missing topic — it’s speed and reliability under time pressure. A child who can do every calculation on the checklist above, but does each one slowly or has to double-check their times tables, runs out of time long before a paper’s harder questions.
Two things build that speed without feeling like extra work: daily, short (5–10 minute) mental arithmetic practice — times tables, quick fraction/decimal/percentage conversions, doubling and halving — and regular exposure to the multi-step word-problem shape, so a child recognises “this needs a ratio step then a percentage step” instantly rather than working it out from scratch each time. Both are exactly what steady, adaptive daily practice is for — see our guide on when to start for how to build the habit without it turning into another homework battle.
Common questions
Is 11+ maths harder than the school curriculum?
Not usually in content — most papers stay inside the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum, sometimes drawing on early Year 6 material. What makes it feel harder is the PACE: the same skills, under a much tighter time limit than a classroom exercise, with no teacher prompting the method.
Does my child need a calculator?
No — 11+ maths papers are non-calculator. Mental arithmetic and quick written methods are the whole point of the timing pressure.
How many questions are on a typical paper?
It varies by area and board — GL-style maths papers commonly run to around 50 questions in 50 minutes, and the ISEB Common Pre-Test's maths section is untimed-per-question but adaptive. Always check your target school or local authority's own materials for the exact format.
My child knows the topics but runs out of time — what helps?
Almost always this is a fluency problem, not a knowledge problem — see "the skill that isn't a topic" below. Timed, low-stakes daily practice on quick recall (times tables, common fraction/decimal/percentage conversions) closes this gap faster than more topic revision does.