11+ Maths Practice: Best Free and Paid Algebra Resources for Parents

Search "11+ maths practice algebra" and you get thousands of results. Free worksheet sites, YouTube channels, CGP books, question banks, paid lesson platforms. Most parents don't have time to test them all, so here's an honest breakdown of what's actually worth using, and where each one falls short.

Why this decision matters more than it looks

Algebra builds in a strict sequence, expressions, then simplifying, then substitution, then equations, and a child who's practised out of order, or with mixed-difficulty questions that skip steps, can end up with gaps that don't show up until a much harder question exposes them. A resource that doesn't respect that sequence can do more harm than good.

The resource itself matters less than what it actually trains. Before picking anything, it helps to know what a good algebra resource needs to do:

• Build understanding in the right order
• Give feedback in the moment
• Move from concrete examples to abstract reasoning rather than starting abstract

Free resources worth using

• Exam board past papers. AQA, GL Assessment, and CEM (depending on your target school) publish past and sample papers. These are the gold standard for seeing real question wording, but they test, they don't teach. A child who's shaky on algebra won't learn the method from a past paper, only find out they got it wrong.
• Our free 11+ Maths Guide. Our 11+ Maths Guide breaks down exactly what content shows up across the maths paper, algebra included, so you know what "covered" actually means before you start buying resources.
• Free learning tools. Our free learning tools page has practice resources at no cost, useful for topping up alongside a paid structured programme rather than replacing one.
• YouTube explainer videos. Fine for a quick refresher on a rule your child has forgotten. Not built for repeated practice, and no feedback loop, so a child can watch a video, feel like they understand, and still get the next question wrong.

The pattern with free resources: they're good for exposure and topping up, weak on structure, sequencing, and feedback. That's fine if your child only has a small gap. It's not enough if algebra is a genuine weak spot.

Paid resources worth using

• CGP workbooks. Solid, cheap, widely used. The limitation is the same as any paper worksheet, no feedback in the moment, no concrete model built in before the abstract rule, and a parent has to mark it and explain the mistakes themselves, which most parents don't have time to do properly on a school night.
• Generic online question banks. Useful for volume and exam-style wording. Most present algebra questions in isolation without teaching the underlying method first, so they work well once a child already understands algebra and just needs practice, not before.
• Our Algebra Mastery Bundle. This is where we built something different. The Algebra Mastery Bundle builds understanding in the correct sequence, gives instant feedback on every question, and covers all ten algebra skills, from writing expressions and collecting like terms through to solving multi-step and simultaneous equations, across 60 units and 850 questions. It's built to teach the method, not just test whether your child already knows it.
• 1-to-1 tutoring. For a child who's behind across the board, not just on algebra, structured tutoring closes gaps faster than any self-directed resource. You can read about how sessions work on our tutoring packages page, or book a free consultation to talk through what your child specifically needs.

If your child only needs help with one specific algebra skill, the individual lessons are available separately, covering expressions, collecting like terms, function machines, substitution, and solving equations.

How to actually choose

Match the resource to the gap, not the price tag.

• Small, specific weakness: one targeted lesson plus some past paper practice is enough.
• Broad weak spot across the full sequence: a structured bundle beats buying ten separate things piecemeal, both on cost and on making sure nothing gets skipped out of order.
• Gaps beyond algebra into the wider maths paper, or needing pace and accountability a self-directed resource can't provide: that's when tutoring earns its cost.

A rough way to check what your child needs, give them one question from each of the four core skills, writing an expression, simplifying, substituting into a formula, and solving a simple equation. If they get two or more wrong, or can't explain why an answer is right, that's your signal to go structured rather than picking resources at random.

Where to start

If you're not sure where the gap actually is, our full Maths Mastery Lessons collection covers algebra, fractions, and percentages in the same interactive format, so you can target whichever topic is actually causing the trouble.

And if you'd rather have someone map the gaps for you rather than guessing from a list like this one, book a free consultation and we'll tell you exactly where to start.

Aadam, SHLC Tutors