Multi Step Word Problems Mastery

By the end of this lesson your child can read any multi step word problem, work out what it is actually asking for, spot the fact in the story that is not needed, and know which step has to happen first. This is the question type that decides 11+ and GCSE Foundation papers. The arithmetic is rarely the hard part. Choosing the route is.

Topics covered:

• Reading the question, using RUCSAC to find the target sentence and throw out the fact the question never uses
• Multiple choice tactics, where testing an option is faster than solving, for example a remainder of 2 when divided by 5 means the number ends in 2 or 7
• A fixed part plus a rate, like a booking fee plus an hourly charge, working forwards and backwards
• Sharing into parts, with the difference given instead of the total, counters swapped between shares, and two ratios joined through the name they share
• More than, less than and times as many, written in algebra, letting the smallest share be x
• Working backwards, reading the last line first and undoing each change in reverse
• Totals in disguise, turning a mean into a total, and subtracting two shopping lists to find one price
• Journeys, clocks and time zones, including a stage cut by a percentage and a flight across midnight
• Area, perimeter and square units, working back from an area and converting both directions

Your child works through this lesson on a laptop or computer, which is the screen size it is built for. They click to reveal each step of a worked example, try the practice questions on paper, then click to check their own answer.

How it's structured:

• Each unit opens with two worked examples clicked through one line at a time, with the bar model, table or timeline building up as each line lands, then practice questions colour coded easy, medium and hard
• 120 questions in total, every one click to reveal with a reveal all option, plus New Questions and New Examples buttons that deal fresh numbers each time
• A final 12 question mixed challenge pulling from all nine units, alongside two hands on tools built into the lesson

Why this one sits last. Every other lesson gives a child one method and a page of questions to use it on. Here the method is never named in the question. A child has to look at a story about a coach fare, a tin of sweets or a rectangle with a corner cut out and decide for themselves whether it wants a ratio, a reverse percentage or a chain undone backwards. The hard tier of every unit is built on that decision, which is exactly where marks are lost on a real paper.

Use this if:

• Your child is in Year 4 to Year 11 and can do the arithmetic but freezes on a wordy question
• You're preparing for the 11+, where almost every question on the maths paper takes more than one step
• Your child is working towards GCSE Foundation and loses marks on problem solving rather than on method
• 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.

Better value as a bundle. This lesson is one of 6 in the Reasoning & Problem Solving Bundle, all 6 for £23.99 instead of £35.94 bought separately.

Format: Interactive digital lesson, link sent by email straight after purchase.
Suitable for: Year 4 to Year 11, 11+, KS2, KS3, KS4, GCSE Foundation.

Refunds: this is a digital product delivered instantly, so it cannot be returned or refunded once the link has been opened. If you have any trouble getting in, email info@shlc-tutor.co.uk and we will sort it out.

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.