Basic skills questions 

We have three sets of basic skills questions, put together by further education specialist Julia Smith, to help you identify where there are gaps in students' knowledge.  Although originally designed with post-16 teaching in mind, these tests can still be useful in preparing any students for GCSE Maths.

At post-16, although a student has achieved a grade 1, 2 or 3 at GCSE already, they may still have difficulty with some basic maths skills. This can hinder progress in more advanced areas.

These questions measure students’ ability with nine basic maths skills:

• addition
• subtraction
• multiplication
• division
• fractions
• decimals
• percentages
• scale
• ratio. 

By identifying the skills that students struggle with, you address them

early in the course. Once the basics are in place, progress can be made.

You can download the basic skills question sets below. We've also produced a teacher guidance and rationale document to explain how to use them and how to address gaps in students' skills by offering alternative methods.