Maths · Number
Choose and perform one operation in a short context.
This video shows how to choose the operation needed to solve a short word problem and calculate the answer. Watch an 11+ maths question solved step by step.
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10 questions, with feedback after each one. No sign-up needed.
Question 1
How many Morning passengers do Ashford and Eastwick have altogether?
| Service | Morning passengers | Evening passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgend | 506 | 588 |
| Garndale | 364 | 797 |
| Eastwick | 386 | 411 |
| Denholm | 145 | 347 |
| Caldale | 228 | 157 |
| Ashford | 412 | 91 |
Question 2
How many April pots do Fuchsias and Roses have altogether?
| Plant | March pots | April pots |
|---|---|---|
| Roses | 569 | 527 |
| Orchids | 462 | 600 |
| Fuchsias | 63 | 746 |
| Cacti | 288 | 432 |
| Lavender | 610 | 536 |
| Ferns | 444 | 647 |
Question 3
How many Evening passengers do Ashford and Eastwick have altogether?
| Service | Morning passengers | Evening passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Caldale | 753 | 430 |
| Garndale | 182 | 750 |
| Eastwick | 386 | 44 |
| Bridgend | 247 | 357 |
| Denholm | 480 | 683 |
| Ashford | 299 | 356 |
Question 4
How many Track points do Blue and Yellow have altogether?
| Team | Track points | Field points |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 285 | 537 |
| Yellow | 444 | 443 |
| Green | 665 | 126 |
| Purple | 410 | 478 |
| Blue | 342 | 478 |
Question 5
How many July bookings do Paddock and Woodland have altogether?
| Pitch | June bookings | July bookings |
|---|---|---|
| Hilltop | 793 | 608 |
| Orchard | 670 | 691 |
| Copse | 232 | 89 |
| Meadow | 689 | 675 |
| Woodland | 694 | 66 |
| Paddock | 545 | 523 |
Question 6
How many Morning sightings do Otters and Lemurs have altogether?
| Animal | Morning sightings | Afternoon sightings |
|---|---|---|
| Meerkats | 367 | 102 |
| Bison | 774 | 370 |
| Lemurs | 740 | 678 |
| Otters | 715 | 87 |
| Wolves | 287 | 737 |
| Tapirs | 706 | 74 |
Question 7
How many Year 5 entries do Rockets and Crystals have altogether?
| Project | Year 5 entries | Year 6 entries |
|---|---|---|
| Pulleys | 242 | 490 |
| Volcanoes | 641 | 772 |
| Magnets | 285 | 655 |
| Rockets | 212 | 663 |
| Circuits | 691 | 518 |
| Crystals | 473 | 136 |
Question 8
How many North plot trees do Oak and Beech have altogether?
| Tree | North plot trees | South plot trees |
|---|---|---|
| Birch | 381 | 613 |
| Rowan | 195 | 277 |
| Alder | 787 | 265 |
| Beech | 53 | 145 |
| Oak | 52 | 428 |
| Hazel | 748 | 365 |
Question 9
How many Year 6 members do Choir and Judo have altogether?
| Club | Year 5 members | Year 6 members |
|---|---|---|
| Coding | 330 | 606 |
| Chess | 696 | 200 |
| Drama | 513 | 695 |
| Art | 483 | 75 |
| Judo | 427 | 207 |
| Choir | 621 | 212 |
Question 10
How many Evening passengers do Caldale and Garndale have altogether?
| Service | Morning passengers | Evening passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Garndale | 528 | 166 |
| Denholm | 110 | 672 |
| Bridgend | 102 | 329 |
| Caldale | 203 | 181 |
| Ashford | 163 | 670 |
| Eastwick | 355 | 307 |
Drag the number bricks into the bar model, then read off the answer.
Loading the interactive exercise. Nothing you do here is saved or scored.
One question of the kind this skill is tested with, worked all the way through: the reasoning, and what the wrong answers are there to catch.
Choosing the operation from the words
How many July counts do Tadpoles and Beetles have altogether?
Creatures found at the nature reserve pond.
| Creature | April counts | July counts |
|---|---|---|
| Beetles | 53 | 55 |
| Tadpoles | 62 | 50 |
| Snails | 40 | 41 |
| Newts | 19 | 46 |
Data table with columns Creature, April counts, July counts. Rows: Creature Beetles, April counts 53, July counts 55; Creature Tadpoles, April counts 62, July counts 50; Creature Snails, April counts 40, July counts 41; Creature Newts, April counts 19, July counts 46.
Table columns: Creature, April counts, July counts. Rows: Beetles, 53, 55; Tadpoles, 62, 50; Snails, 40, 41; Newts, 19, 46.
Answer: 105
How you get there
"Altogether" asks for the two figures combined, so Tadpoles's 50 and Beetles's 55 are added, which gives 105 - the other rows are not part of the question.
Why the other answers tempt
Only the two rows named are involved, not the whole column.
If they are stuck, say this
Decide what "altogether" is asking you to do with the two figures before you touch the numbers.
Drag the number bricks into the bar model, then read off the answer.
The whole is fixed at 142. The parts you already know fill 97 of it, so the empty piece must be .
What to say if they get stuck
Get ONE mystery bag alone on a pan - keeping the scale level - and you have found x.
This engine’s own main skill is Solving Equations. It practises solve a one-step number problem alongside it, and covers most of it rather than all.
A balanced scale is an equals sign made of metal. 2x + means the two pans genuinely weigh the same. Remove 3 from both pans and it is still level: 2x = 8. Halve both pans and it is still level: x = 4. Every step of algebra is just something you did to both sides at once.
What to say if they get stuck
The football match starts 1h 20m after 08:05. Wind the clock forward to find out when.
This engine’s own main skill is Time & Money. It practises solve a one-step number problem alongside it, and covers most of it rather than all.
Winding forward 1h 20m from 08:05 lands on 09:25 - the hour hand moves too, one twelfth as fast as the minute hand, which is why it sits between the numbers. Then 30p takes at least 3 coins from this tray: there is no 10p in it, so you have to build the amount from what is actually there.
What to say if they get stuck
Build the answer one step at a time. Choose an operation, then choose the two numbers it works on.
This engine’s own main skill is Solving a problem in more than one step. It practises solve a one-step number problem alongside it.
Step 1 works out the pens that arrived: 60. Step 2 works out the pens left once the broken ones go: 56. Step 3 works out the pens one class gets: 7. So the answer is 7 pens. Doing the steps the other way round does not work, because the second step needs the first one's answer before it can start.
What to say if they get stuck
The same exercise practises several skills, and telling them apart is often the difficulty rather than the exercise itself. On this page the skill is: choose and perform one operation in a short context, and it stops where exactly one operation is required.
Evaluate an algebraic expression
Substitute one supplied value and calculate the expression. Excludes solving an equation.
Find elapsed time between two clock or timetable entries. One continuous interval.
Convert one measure between compatible metric or time units. The quantity type and units are stated.
Calculate one addition with aligned place values. Operation is supplied.
Calculate a whole-number operation
Calculate one stated addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Excludes choosing the operation from a multi-step context.
What this skill involves, common mistakes and ways to practise it at home.
Choose and perform one operation in a short context. It is one of 55 named maths skills in the 11+, in the number strand, and this page carries 4 interactive exercises that practise it.
Only the two rows named are involved, not the whole column. The wrong answers on this skill are built out of that, not out of random numbers, so it is worth naming out loud before your child meets it under time pressure.
Point at the next move rather than explaining the whole rule. Decide what "altogether" is asking you to do with the two figures before you touch the numbers.
The skill map draws the line here: Exactly one operation is required. A question past that line is testing a different named maths skill, which is worth knowing before you spend a week practising the wrong one.
The number strand holds 13 skills that are tested together, and the pages next to solve a one-step number problem are subtract whole numbers or decimals, add whole numbers or decimals and calculate a whole-number operation. Each has its own exercise and its own link, and none of them needs an account.
Use Bar Model Builder, Balance Scale, Clock & Coins and Step Builder, embedded on this page. They are the exercises the skill map attaches to solve a one-step number problem, they run in the browser with no account to make, these exercises are not scored and do not save learner records. The separate quiz sends answers for marking and shows a score, without saving an assessment record. Each also has its own link, so you can send one to a child without sending them anywhere else first.
A free diagnostic covers arithmetic, fractions, geometry, measure and data handling, and comes back with the topics to spend the next few weeks on.
