About this worksheet

This free Year 6 problem solving with number worksheet is written for the Western Australian curriculum and mapped to SCSA content description WA6MNAMN1. It focuses on one skill and is full of hands-on activities where children shade, draw, label and complete diagrams. By the end, students can say “I can pick out the information I need, show a problem with a model or number sentence, and justify my answer.”

What’s inside

• Key idea box – a short explanation with a worked, visual example to read before starting.
• A · Warm up (16 questions) – quick draw, shade and write practice to build confidence.
• B · Practise (9 questions) – worded problems in everyday Australian contexts, most with a diagram to work on.
• C · Think it through (5 questions) – explain your thinking: spot the mistake, true or false, always–sometimes–never, odd one out.
• D · Challenge (3 questions) – harder multi-step and problem-solving questions for students ready to stretch.
• Separate marking key – every answer with working, the correct shading and drawings shown in colour, and marking criteria for reasoning questions.

Skills covered

• Picking out the information needed in a word problem
• Showing a problem with a bar model or number sentence
• Checking and justifying an answer

How to use this worksheet

Print the worksheet in black and white – all shading shows clearly in grey. Read the Key idea box together, then complete Section A. Most students should attempt Sections B and C; Section D suits students aiming high or preparing for extension and selective-entry maths. The worksheet is marked out of 57, and the score box on the last page shows which section needs more practice.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Using every number in the problem, even ones not needed
• Forgetting to round up when a remainder needs another table
• Adding denominators, e.g. 3/5 + 4/5 = 7/10
• Doing only the first step of a two-step problem

Where this fits in the WA Year 6 sequence

Problem Solving with Number sits in the Modelling with number sub-strand of Number and algebra. It is one of a set of short, single-skill EduLift worksheets that split each Year 6 content description into sub-skills. Use the previous and next links to work through the sequence in order.

Common errors we see in tutoring

• Using every number in the problem, even ones not needed
• Forgetting to round up when a remainder needs another table
• Adding denominators, e.g. 3/5 + 4/5 = 7/10
• Doing only the first step of a two-step problem