A teacher shares 144 coloured pencils equally among 12 tables. How many pencils does each table get?
Show worked explanation
Divide: 12 goes into 144 exactly 12 times. Check: 12 × 12 = 144. ✓
11+ Long Division Practice
(GL Assessment)
Long division almost never appears as a bare sum in the GL 11+ maths paper. GL wraps it inside a real-world word problem, and our research shows division fluency affects roughly 20 to 25 percent of a child's maths score, because it underpins averages, unit costs, sharing in ratio, and finding fractions of an amount.
The GL maths paper gives 50 questions in 50 minutes, so a child has about a minute per question. That matters here: a pupil who laboriously works through every step of formal long division will run out of time. The skill GL really rewards is choosing the fastest route, whether that is short division, estimation, or simply multiplying the answer options to see which one fits.
If your child finds long division daunting, that is completely normal. It is a Year 6 skill, and many children sit the 11+ before their school has taught it. Steady practice on a 2-digit divisor closes that gap quickly.
What the GL 11+ Tests on Long Division
Our research estimates 2 to 4 pure division questions per paper, plus 7 to 10 more where division is a hidden step inside a larger problem. Every question is multiple choice with five options (A to E), and difficulty spans the full D1 to D3 range. In rough order of frequency, GL tests:
- Equal sharing and grouping (the most common format)
- Interpreting remainders in context (round up, round down, or state what is left over)
- Division as the inverse of multiplication ("what number times 23 gives 621?")
- Division as one step inside a multi-step problem
- Dividing by 10, 100, 1000, and dividing money or decimals
- Estimation to choose between close answer options
Pure division by a 2-digit number is the headline Year 6 skill, but GL leans just as hard on whether a child can spot that a worded problem needs dividing at all.
Sample Long Division Questions
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s long division bank, spanning Foundation to Challenging. Tap “Show worked explanation” to see the full method after you’ve had a go. The correct answer is highlighted on each question so you can check immediately.
A baker makes 375 biscuits and packs them into boxes of 15. How many boxes does he fill?
Show worked explanation
15 goes into 37 twice (15 × 2 = 30), remainder 7. Bring down 5 to make 75. 15 goes into 75 five times (15 × 5 = 75). Answer: 25. ✓
A school has 456 exercise books to share equally among 24 classes. How many books does each class receive?
Show worked explanation
24 goes into 45 once (24 × 1 = 24), remainder 21. Bring down 6 to make 216. 24 goes into 216 nine times (24 × 9 = 216). Answer: 19. ✓
A coach can carry 48 passengers. How many coaches are needed to carry 336 passengers?
Show worked explanation
Divide: 336 ÷ 48 = 7. Check: 48 × 7 = 336. So 7 coaches are needed. ✓
Ben packs 3384 marbles into bags of 94. How many bags can he fill?
Show worked explanation
Divide: 3384 ÷ 94 = 36. Check: 94 × 36 = 3384. Ben can fill 36 bags. ✓
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common mistake 1 of 4
"How many needed?" versus "how many complete?"
Tip: These two phrasings round in opposite directions. Underline the question's wording before choosing between rounding up and rounding down.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Mishandling the remainder.
Tip: Children often include it, drop it, or turn "remainder 6" into ".6". Always ask: does this question want the whole groups, the leftovers, or a decimal answer?
Common mistake 3 of 4
Missing a zero in the answer.
Tip: When the divisor will not go into a partial dividend, a zero belongs in the quotient. Skipping it makes the answer about ten times too small, so encourage a quick estimate as a sanity check.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Not using the answer options.
Tip: It is multiple choice. Multiplying an option by the divisor is often faster than dividing, and it catches careless slips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the GL 11+ test long division?
Yes. Division by a 2-digit number is a Year 6 skill GL tests directly, usually inside a word problem rather than as a bare sum. Expect 2 to 4 pure division questions per paper, plus several more where division is a hidden step in a larger problem.
How hard is long division in the 11+?
It ranges from easy to hard. Easier questions use friendly divisors and known times tables. Harder ones use awkward 2-digit divisors, remainders that must be interpreted, decimals, or working backwards. The challenge is usually doing it accurately in under a minute, not the method itself.
What is the hardest part of long division for 11+ children?
Two things: interpreting the remainder correctly (round up, round down, or state the leftover) and handling a zero in the answer. Both produce wrong answers that GL deliberately includes as tempting options.
Do children need to know formal long division for the GL exam?
They should, as it is the Year 6 expectation, but it is not always the fastest route. Because questions are multiple choice, estimation and multiplying the answer options often solve a question more quickly than the full written method.
How can my child get faster at long division?
Secure times tables to 12 times 12 first, as every hesitation slows the whole calculation. Then practise writing out the first nine multiples of a 2-digit divisor before starting, and always estimate first to rule out two or three answer options.
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