What this covers
Word Problems: Four Operations is taught in Year 3 (age 7 to 8, KS2) as a main teaching focus. It sits in the Number strand.
Worked example
A school buys 4 boxes of pens with 25 pens in each box. If 15 pens are given away, how many pens remain
- Find total pens bought: 4 × 25 = 100
- Subtract pens given away: 100 - 15 = 85
Answer: 85
Difficulty scale
The sheet generator offers five difficulty settings for this topic.
- Single-step word problems with integers up to 100
- Two-step word problems involving combinations of addition and subtraction
- Two-step problems combining multiplication or division with addition or subtraction
- Multi-step problems requiring three operations or interpreting remainders in context
- Complex multi-step problems involving decimals, money, or hidden constraints
Common mistakes
- Selecting operations purely from keywords (e.g. assuming 'more' always means addition)
- Solving only the first step of a multi-step problem and recording an incomplete answer
Curriculum links
Indicative matches to National Curriculum for England. Check wording and codes against the official document.
- Solve multi-step word problems involving all four operations, using mental and written strategies.