KS2 Arithmetic (SATs) textbook

Chapter 1: Place value and the four operations

  • Strand Number
  • Level Year 6
  • Practice 86 questions with step-by-step solutions

KS2 SATs practice for arithmetic (Year 6). Original questions in the style of the national tests. Content: Read, write, order and compare whole numbers up to 10,000,000 and determine the value of each digit (Year 5-6), Count forwards and backwards in powers of 10 (Year 5), Interpret negative numbers in context, and count forwards and backwards through zero (Year 6), Round any whole number to a required degree of accuracy (Year 5-6), Add and subtract whole numbers with more than four digits using the formal columnar method (Year 5), Add and subtract mentally with large numbers (Year 5-6), Use the order of operations: brackets, then division and multiplication, then addition and subtraction (Year 6), Use estimation and rounding to check answers; solve problems combining these (Year 5-6).

Open Year 6 chapter

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • Find the value of a digit in a number up to 10,000,000
  • Round a number to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 or 100,000
  • Add and subtract large numbers using a column method
  • Count through zero with negative numbers in a context
  • Work out a calculation in the correct order of operations

You should already know

  • Place value to 1,000,000 and rounding (Year 5 maths)
  • Adding and subtracting with the column method (Year 5 maths)

Where this leads

  • Multiplying and dividing whole numbers (Chapter 2 of this book)

Lessons in this chapter

  1. 1.1 Place value to 10,000,000
  2. 1.2 Negative numbers in context
  3. 1.3 Rounding and estimation
  4. 1.4 Adding and subtracting large numbers
  5. 1.5 Order of operations and mixed problems
  6. Summary and key words
  7. Check-up and practice test questions

Read the whole chapter on one page (good for printing).

Practise with real exam questions

The DfE publishes every past KS2 test, with mark schemes, for free.

KS2 Arithmetic (SATs) past papers