A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

What Is the Syllabus for the 11+ Maths Exam?

Explore the mathematical skills your child may need, from number and calculations to shape, measurement and problem-solving.

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Check the requirements for your child's assessment

There is no single maths syllabus that applies to every 11+ examination. The topics, question formats and level of difficulty depend on the school and assessment provider.

Use the areas below to organise preparation, then compare them with the current specification and official familiarisation materials for your child's test.

Not every assessment includes every topic. Check the required depth of work on areas such as algebra, ratio, surface area, averages and probability before choosing additional practice.

Maths topics to explore

1. Number and Place Value

Understand how numbers are represented, compared and organised.

  • Reading, writing and ordering whole numbers.
  • Place value, including decimal places.
  • Rounding and estimating.
  • Prime numbers, factors and multiples.
  • Square numbers and cube numbers where required.

2. Arithmetic Operations

Build accuracy and confidence with the four operations.

  • Mental and written addition and subtraction.
  • Multiplication and division methods.
  • Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000.
  • Choosing the correct operation for a problem.
  • Using estimates and inverse operations to check answers.

3. Fractions, Decimals and Percentages

Recognise different ways of expressing parts of a whole.

  • Equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions.
  • Comparing fractions and decimals.
  • Calculating with fractions at the required level.
  • Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages.
  • Finding fractions and percentages of amounts.

4. Ratio and Proportion

Where included, explore relationships between quantities.

  • Understanding and interpreting ratio notation.
  • Comparing quantities.
  • Sharing an amount in a given ratio.
  • Scaling quantities in practical problems.