About this worksheet

This free Year 5 problem solving with number worksheet is written for the Western Australian curriculum and mapped to SCSA content description WA5MNAMN1. 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 show a real problem with a diagram and an equation, solve it, and explain what the answer means.”

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

• Showing a problem with a bar model and an equation
• Solving multi-step problems with all four operations
• Explaining what the answer means in the problem

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 56, and the score box on the last page shows which section needs more practice.

The diagrams follow the styles used in NAPLAN numeracy, so this sheet doubles as NAPLAN practice.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Adding because the problem says “more”, e.g. Sam has 45 + 12 instead of 45 − 12
• Doing only one step of a two-step problem
• Forgetting the return trip in a there-and-back journey
• Not estimating, so an answer like 1,121 people is not noticed

Where this fits in the WA Year 5 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 5 content description into sub-skills. Use the previous and next links to work through the sequence in order.

Common errors we see in tutoring

• Adding because the problem says “more”, e.g. Sam has 45 + 12 instead of 45 − 12
• Doing only one step of a two-step problem
• Forgetting the return trip in a there-and-back journey
• Not estimating, so an answer like 1,121 people is not noticed