Column Addition & Subtraction
An interactive lesson on screen. Your child works through worked examples, practises on their own, then tests themselves with questions that get harder as they go.
About this lesson
By the end of this lesson your child can set out any column addition or subtraction, carry and exchange without losing track of where the ten went, and work out a digit that has been rubbed out of the middle of a sum. The column method is the first place an 11+ paper punishes carelessness rather than knowledge, and a single missed carry costs the whole mark.
Topics covered:
- Setting numbers out in columns, lining up place value and working right to left
- Column addition, carrying a ten into the next column, including a carry of 2 from three numbers
- Column subtraction, exchanging from the column on the left, including exchanging across zeros
- Missing digit puzzles, finding a digit that has been rubbed out of a written calculation
- Missing digits in an addition, using the carry to decide what the hidden digit has to be
- Missing digits in a subtraction, deciding whether a column exchanged before reading it
- Estimating and checking, rounding first, checking with the inverse, and reading the last digit
Your child works through this lesson on any screen. They play with the tool at the start of a unit, click to reveal each line of a worked example, set the questions out on paper, then click to check their own answer.
How it's structured:
- Each unit opens with a worked example your child clicks through one line at a time, then 10 practice questions colour-coded across five levels
- 78 questions in total, each with a click-to-reveal answer and a reveal-all option, plus a New Questions button that generates a fresh set whenever you want more
- A final 12-question mixed challenge pulling from all 7 units, including number pyramids, spot-the-mistake and two-step word problems
Two tools a printed worksheet cannot give you. A column builder where your child clicks one column at a time and watches the carry or the exchange appear exactly where a pencil would put it, switchable between adding and taking away and across five levels. And a missing digit detective that talks the puzzle through stage by stage, highlighting the column it is discussing and saying what to ask yourself before it gives the answer.
Use this if:
- Your child is in Year 3 to Year 7 and loses marks by dropping a carry or forgetting to exchange
- You are preparing for the 11+, where missing digit questions turn up in every arithmetic section
- Your child can do the method on a good day but cannot yet check whether an answer is sensible
- You want a resource your child can check their own work with, not one more thing on your to-do list
Built by an experienced maths teacher with over 3,000 hours of one-to-one tutoring experience and a Master's in Education.
Format: Interactive digital lesson, link sent by email straight after purchase.
Suitable for: Year 3 to Year 7, KS2, KS3, 11+, SATs.
Who this is for
Built for students who want to practise independently, at their own pace, with clear examples and instant feedback rather than a static worksheet.
What's included
Worked examples
See the method explained step by step before trying it yourself.
Guided practice
Work through questions with answers hidden until you're ready to check.
Exam-style questions
Split easy to hard, so your child is always working at the right level.
How it works
Buy the lesson
Complete checkout securely through Shopify.
Get your link by email
Your lesson link lands in your inbox straight after payment.
Work through it on screen
Open the link on any device and start straight away.
FAQs
How do I access the lesson?
You'll get an email with your lesson link as soon as payment goes through. Click it to open the lesson in any browser, no login and no app to install.
How does the marking work?
There's no typing answers into a box. Your child works it out on paper, then clicks to reveal the correct answer and checks their own work. Full working is shown too, not just the final answer, so mistakes are easy to spot.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
It works best on a tablet or laptop, where there's more room to read the examples and questions. It'll open on a phone too, but the text and diagrams can feel quite small on a smaller screen.
Can I use the lesson more than once?
Yes. There's no limit on how many times you open the link, so it's there for revision right up to the exam.
What if I lose the link or don't get the email?
Email info@shlc-tutor.co.uk and we'll resend it straight away.
Ready to start?
Link sent to your email, ready in seconds
