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Year 6 · Maths

Year 6 BODMAS Questions and Worked Answers

Free Year 6 practice · no account

Practise 10 mixed BODMAS questions with immediate worked feedback, then use the complete 14-question printable set and answers.

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Year 6 BODMAS printable practice

Show each priority decision and keep equal-priority operations in their original left-to-right order.

One worked example

36 ÷ 6 × 4 − 5

Division and multiplication share priority, so work left to right: 36 ÷ 6 = 6, then 6 × 4 = 24, then 24 − 5 = 19.

Start the 10-question self-check

Check each of the first 10 answers for immediate worked feedback. All 14 questions and answers remain available for printing.

  1. 8 + 3 × 4

    foundation · 1 mark

  2. 24 ÷ 6 + 5

    foundation · 1 mark

  3. 18 − 12 ÷ 3

    foundation · 1 mark

  4. (8 + 3) × 4

    foundation · 1 mark

  5. 36 ÷ (3 × 2)

    foundation · 1 mark

  6. 20 − (6 + 4)

    foundation · 1 mark

  7. 24 ÷ 6 × 2

    standard · 2 marks

  8. 18 − 6 + 2

    standard · 2 marks

  9. 3² + 4 × 5

    stretch · 2 marks

  10. (5 + 1)² ÷ 9

    stretch · 2 marks

  11. Correct the claim: 12 − 4 × 2 = 16.

    reasoning · 2 marks

  12. Add brackets to make 6 + 2 × 5 equal 40.

    reasoning · 2 marks

  13. Find the missing number: 7 + □ × 3 = 22.

    reasoning · 2 marks

  14. Use 4, 5 and 2 once each to produce both 14 and 18.

    reasoning · 3 marks

Answers and working

  1. 20

    Multiply first: 3 × 4 = 12, then add 8 to get 20.

  2. 9

    Divide first: 24 ÷ 6 = 4, then add 5 to get 9.

  3. 14

    Divide first: 12 ÷ 3 = 4, then subtract 4 from 18 to get 14.

  4. 44

    Calculate the brackets first: 8 + 3 = 11, then 11 × 4 = 44.

  5. 6

    Calculate the brackets first: 3 × 2 = 6, then 36 ÷ 6 = 6.

  6. 10

    Calculate the brackets first: 6 + 4 = 10, then 20 − 10 = 10.

  7. 8

    Division and multiplication share priority, so work left to right: 24 ÷ 6 = 4, then 4 × 2 = 8.

  8. 14

    Subtraction and addition share priority, so work left to right: 18 − 6 = 12, then 12 + 2 = 14.

  9. 29

    Calculate the order and multiplication first: 3² = 9 and 4 × 5 = 20, then 9 + 20 = 29.

  10. 4

    Brackets first give 6, then the order gives 6² = 36, then 36 ÷ 9 = 4.

  11. 4

    Multiply first: 4 × 2 = 8, then 12 − 8 = 4. The claim is incorrect.

  12. (6 + 2) × 5 = 40

    The brackets make 6 + 2 the first calculation: 8 × 5 = 40.

  13. 5

    22 − 7 = 15, and 15 ÷ 3 = 5, so 7 + 5 × 3 = 22.

  14. 4 + 5 × 2 = 14; (4 + 5) × 2 = 18

    Changing only the brackets changes which operation happens first.

Understand the key idea

Year 6 BODMAS questions use a reliable order for multi-step calculations: brackets, orders, division and multiplication, then addition and subtraction. Division and multiplication share a priority, as do addition and subtraction, so work from left to right within each pair.

How to answer BODMAS practice questions

Start with a question such as 7 + 8 × 3. Multiplication has priority, so calculate 8 × 3 = 24 and then add 7 to get 31. If the question becomes (7 + 8) × 3, the bracket changes the first step and the answer becomes 45. The important exam skill is not only obtaining the answer but showing the priority decision clearly.

For a question such as 36 ÷ 6 × 4 - 5, division and multiplication share a level. Work from left to right: 36 ÷ 6 = 6, then 6 × 4 = 24, then 24 - 5 = 19. Writing one equivalent expression per line helps prevent the common mistake of moving symbols or changing the original order.

Build accuracy under exam conditions

Mix questions with and without brackets so the pupil must decide rather than repeat one routine. Include missing-number equations, questions that ask where brackets should be inserted, and pairs of expressions that look similar but have different answers. These formats test whether the rule is understood.

After every short set, classify errors. A priority error means the wrong operation was selected first. An arithmetic error means the method was correct but a fact or written calculation was inaccurate. A recording error means a number or sign changed between lines. The correction should match the error type.

A short Year 6 BODMAS practice routine

Use the checked lesson first if the hierarchy is uncertain, the printable Corbettmaths questions for written fluency, and the Transum exercise for immediate feedback. Finish by asking the pupil to write one expression of their own whose answer is 24 and explain how the order of operations controls it.

Return to the main Year 6 BODMAS and BIDMAS guide when a mistake shows that the underlying rule, brackets or equal-priority left-to-right step needs reteaching. Keeping the curriculum explanation separate from this practice page gives each search intent a clear destination.

Common mix-up

Multiplication does not always come before division. When both appear at the same level, calculate from left to right.

Try this first

  1. Complete anything inside brackets.
  2. Calculate powers or other orders.
  3. Work through division and multiplication from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

Ask: Which operation has the highest priority in this expression, and why?

Curriculum check: National curriculum in England: mathematics programmes of study

Year 6 learners practise bodmas practice questions.

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