FSCE 11+ Maths: What Is in the Test?

FSCE says its maths comes from the Key Stage 2 curriculum taught up to the end of Year 5, with no calculator and no non-verbal reasoning. Questions can be multiple choice, short written answers or both, and FSCE says the content and style vary each year. This post sets out the topics FSCE lists, how children give their answers, what happens when a question includes unfamiliar information, and what I would practise first.

What maths is in the FSCE test?

FSCE's parent guides ask for fluency in the fundamentals, so that children can tackle harder problems in context, including problems with large numbers. Its FAQ says the test values applying curious thought to new scenarios over memory or rote learning.

For parents, that means your child needs to choose a method as well as follow one. A child who can do long multiplication on a worksheet still needs to spot when a word problem calls for it.

FSCE maths topics: the Year 5 checklist

This is my summary of the maths skills in the FSCE parent guides. Your school's own guide has the full wording, so use that if anything differs.

• Number: reading, ordering, rounding and comparing numbers up to and over 1,000,000, including negative numbers.
• Addition and subtraction: multi-step problems with large numbers, using rounding to check.
• Multiplication and division: long multiplication, short division with remainders, multiples, factors, primes, square and cube numbers, and calculations with decimals.
• Scaling and rates: scaling by simple fractions and problems with simple rates.
• Fractions, decimals and percentages: converting, ordering and rounding them, and adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions.
• Measures: converting units, approximate equivalences, perimeter, area, volume and capacity.
• Shape: cubes and cuboids, acute, obtuse and reflex angles, missing lengths and angles in rectangles, and regular and irregular polygons.
• Data: comparison, sum and difference problems from line graphs, and reading tables and timetables.

What do FSCE maths questions look like?

FSCE publishes sample questions in its familiarisation guides. Gloucestershire's guide asks how much change Max gets from £20 after buying items priced at £6.99, £3.50 and £2.99. Here is one clear way to solve it.

1. Add the prices. £6.99 + £3.50 + £2.99 = £13.48.
2. Take that from £20. £20.00 − £13.48 = £6.52.
3. Check with an estimate. The prices are close to £7, £3.50 and £3, which makes £13.50, so about £6.50 change sounds right.

The maths is ordinary Year 5 work. The marks depend on setting it out carefully without a calculator.

How children give their answers

• Multiple choice: children shade one oval on a separate answer sheet.
• Short written answers: children write one number in each box, so practise neat digits.
• Black pen: answers are written in black biro or ballpoint, and mistakes are crossed out neatly.
• Equipment: Gloucestershire's guide does not allow calculators, pencils, rulers, protractors or scrap paper.

Rules can differ between schools, so check your school's current guide. If rulers and protractors are not allowed, practise estimating lengths and angles by eye.

When FSCE gives information in the question

FSCE says its content stops at the end of Year 5. Its parent guides also say that where content is less likely to have been met by all children, "the necessary information will be given in the test paper". Children then apply that information to a new situation.

The guides include an example that shows why this matters. They work out the surface area of a cuboid 10 cm long, 4 cm wide and 6 cm high using 2 × (length × width + length × height + width × height). Surface area is not usually taught by the end of Year 5.

If a question gave your child a rule like that, the steps would be:

1. Read the rule. Find out what each part means.
2. Put the numbers in. That gives 2 × (10 × 4 + 10 × 6 + 4 × 6).
3. Work one step at a time. 40 + 60 + 24 = 124, then 2 × 124 = 248, so the answer is 248 cm².

The rule is supplied, but your child still needs secure Year 5 maths to use it accurately. That is why Year 5 work comes first.

Once it feels secure, I think some extension work is worthwhile, because your child gets used to trying an idea for the first time. It is optional, and it does not mean Year 6 topics will be tested. That is my view as a teacher, not something FSCE says.

What should Year 4 and Year 5 children practise first?

In Year 4, focus on times tables, place value and column methods. There is no need to rush ahead, because much of the Year 5 list will come up at school.

In Year 5, I would start with these four areas, because they make many calculations and word problems easier.

1. Times tables. Aim for instant recall up to 12 × 12, so your child has more thinking time for harder problems.
2. Written methods. Column addition and subtraction, long multiplication and short division need to be quick and accurate.
3. Fractions. Equivalent fractions, mixed numbers and adding and subtracting fractions come up again in percentages and measures.
4. Word problems. Ask your child what the question wants before they calculate anything, then break it into smaller steps.

These quick checks show where to start. Try them without a calculator.

• Tables: 7 × 8, 9 × 6 and 12 × 7, answered straight away.
• Written calculation: 346 × 27. The answer is 9,342.
• Remainders: how many boxes are needed for 203 books if each box holds 9? The answer is 23, because the leftover books still need a box.
• Comparing: which is bigger, ⅗ or 0.7? The answer is 0.7, because ⅗ is 0.6.

For a month by month plan and a typical week, read how to prepare for the FSCE 11+ test.

FSCE maths questions parents ask

Is FSCE maths multiple choice or written?

It can be either or both. In Gloucestershire, the Adventure paper is multiple choice and the Beacon paper uses short written answers, and both include English and maths. Check your school's guide, because formats vary.

Is Year 6 maths in the FSCE test?

FSCE says all content will have been taught by the end of Year 5, and less familiar information is given in the paper. Put your time into the Year 5 list first.

Is algebra in the FSCE maths test?

Algebra is not named in FSCE's published maths skills, and it is normally taught in Year 6. I would work on the listed skills first.

Does my child need long division?

Long division is normally a Year 6 method. FSCE's guides name long multiplication and short division, so make those secure first.

Are there past papers for FSCE maths?

No. FSCE endorses no commercial books or past papers, and its sample questions are in the familiarisation guides. KS2 SATs papers and other 11+ papers are still useful if you choose questions that match the Year 5 list. Use them as practice rather than as a model of the real test.

What if my child knows the method but struggles with word problems?

Ask them to say what the question wants before they calculate anything. Then ask which numbers they need and what the first step is. Doing a few problems this way often helps more than doing many in a rush.

Resources for FSCE maths

I made two resources for FSCE families. Both are independent and are not produced or endorsed by FSCE or any school.

The FSCE 11+ Maths Bundle gives your child 54 interactive lessons on these topics, with worked examples revealed one line at a time and answers to check on a click. Your download shows which lessons and units are optional extensions, so you can begin with the Year 5 work. It costs £135.

The FSCE 11+ Test Guide covers the whole test, including English and any extra papers at your school, with a month by month plan and printable checklists. It costs £4.99.

Sources checked on 31 October 2026: the FSCE guide for children at Heckmondwike Grammar School, and the admissions pages for Reading School and Pate's Grammar School, which link to their familiarisation guides.