How to Improve Your Child's 11+ Maths Score

Why Maths Matters in the 11+

Maths is tested in virtually every 11+ exam, whether set by GL Assessment, CEM, or individual schools. It often carries equal or greater weighting than other subjects, so a strong maths score can make a real difference to your child’s overall result.

The encouraging news is that maths is one of the most improvable 11+ subjects. With structured practice and the right approach, most children can make significant gains.

Did you know? Research consistently shows that short, daily maths practice (20—30 minutes) produces better results than longer weekly sessions. Consistency is far more important than marathon revision days.

Key Topics by Difficulty

The table below groups the main 11+ maths topics by difficulty level to help you prioritise your child’s revision.

Arithmetic Fluency

Quick, accurate mental arithmetic underpins everything. Ensure your child is confident with multiplication tables up to 12x12, long division, and operations with negative numbers. Speed matters — many marks are lost simply because children run out of time.

Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

These topics appear in almost every paper. Your child should be able to convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages, find fractions of amounts, and compare fractions with different denominators.

Tip: A common exam trick is to ask “what is 15% of 60?” when children have only practised finding 10% or 50%. Teach your child to break percentages into parts — find 10%, then 5%, then add them together. This method works for any percentage.

Geometry and Measures

Area, perimeter, and volume questions are common. Make sure your child knows the formulae for rectangles, triangles, and circles, and can work with compound shapes. Understanding angles (including those in triangles and around a point) is also essential.

Word Problems

Many 11+ maths questions are presented as word problems, requiring children to extract the relevant information and decide which operation to use. Practice translating words into mathematical expressions.

Data Handling

Questions on reading and interpreting bar charts, pie charts, tables, and line graphs appear frequently. Children should also be comfortable calculating the mean, median, mode, and range.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Not reading the question carefully — encourage your child to underline key information and circle what the question is actually asking for.
2. Unit conversion errors — a question might give measurements in centimetres but ask for the answer in metres. Always check the units.
3. Rushing arithmetic — careless addition or subtraction errors cost easy marks. Teach your child to quickly verify calculations, especially under time pressure.
4. Leaving questions blank — in multiple-choice papers, there is no penalty for guessing. Always attempt every question.

A Structured 12-Week Study Plan

Our 11+ Maths Learn & Test app covers 33 topics with detailed study lessons and diagrams, making it ideal for building understanding from the ground up. The 11+ Maths Practice Papers app provides 12 complete papers with 650 questions for realistic exam practice.

Tip: After each practice paper, ask your child to categorise their mistakes — was it a careless error, a gap in knowledge, or a timing issue? This simple step turns every test into a targeted learning opportunity.

Practical Tips for Parents

• Make maths part of daily life — cooking, shopping, and measuring all involve real-world maths that reinforces classroom learning.
• Use flash cards for quick recall — both of our maths apps include flash card modes for rapid revision.
• Stay positive — anxiety about maths can hamper performance. Praise effort and progress, not just correct answers.

With a clear plan and regular practice, your child can walk into the 11+ Maths paper feeling prepared and confident. Explore our maths apps to get started.