The temperature in Edinburgh is -3°C. In London it is 5°C warmer. What is the temperature in London?
Show worked explanation
Start at -3°C and add 5°C: -3 + 5 = 2°C. Think of a number line: from -3, count 5 places to the right. ✓
11+ Negative Numbers Practice
(GL Assessment)
In the GL Assessment 11+ maths paper, negative numbers appear in roughly one to three of the 50 questions, almost always wrapped inside a real-world context such as temperature, money or depth rather than presented as a bare sum. GL favours scenarios a child can picture (a thermometer falling below zero, a diver descending, a bank balance going overdrawn) because these test whether your child genuinely understands what a negative number means.
Negative numbers also matter far beyond their own handful of questions. They turn up quietly inside sequences that cross zero, coordinate work and temperature data, so confidence here pays off right across the paper.
If your child can already count backwards through zero and read a thermometer, they have the foundation. The 11+ simply asks them to do it quickly, accurately and under a little time pressure. With steady practice on ordering, crossing zero and finding differences, this becomes one of the more predictable topics to score on.
What the GL 11+ Tests on Negative Numbers
GL tests negative numbers through five-option multiple choice (A to E), the same format as the rest of the maths paper. Based on our analysis of GL practice papers and tutor materials, the sub-skills appear in roughly this order of frequency (these weightings are our research estimates, not figures GL publishes):
- Ordering and comparing (around 25%): putting numbers including negatives in ascending or descending order, and using the < > = symbols.
- Adding and subtracting across zero (around 25%): calculations that cross the zero boundary, sometimes chained over several steps.
- Temperature and real-world context (around 20%): rises and falls, sea level, debt.
- Finding a difference or interval (around 15%): the distance between two values, at least one negative.
- Multiplication and division sign rules (around 10%): mostly at the harder end.
- Reading a number line (around 5%).
Difficulty ranges from simple ordering (D1) up to multi-step chains and sign rules (D3). Worth flagging: the National Curriculum does not require Year 6 children to multiply or divide negatives, but GL does test this at D3, so it sits slightly beyond school expectations.
Sample Negative Numbers Questions
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s negative numbers 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 submarine is at 45 metres below sea level. It rises 20 metres. What is its new depth?
Show worked explanation
Starting position: -45m (below sea level). Rising 20m means adding: -45 + 20 = -25m, so 25 metres below sea level. ✓
What is the difference between -4°C and 3°C?
Show worked explanation
The difference means how far apart they are: from -4 to 3 is 7 degrees. Count: -4 to 0 is 4, then 0 to 3 is 3, so 4 + 3 = 7°C. ✓
Lily owes her brother £37. She earns £15 from a car boot sale and gives it all to him. The next day she borrows another £12. How much does she owe now?
Show worked explanation
Start with -£37. She pays back £15: -37 + 15 = -22. Then she borrows £12 more: -22 - 12 = -34. She now owes £34. ✓
The lowest temperature recorded in Antarctica was -89°C. The lowest in the Arctic was -68°C. What is the difference?
Show worked explanation
Find the difference between -89°C and -68°C: -68 - (-89) = -68 + 89 = 21°C difference. Or count: from -89 to -68 is 21 degrees. ✓
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common mistake 1 of 4
The "bigger digit" trap.
Tip: Children read -12 as larger than -1 because 12 is bigger than 1. On a number line, the number further to the left is always the smaller one, so -12 is smaller.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Miscounting through zero.
Tip: Going from -3 up to 2, children often skip zero and land one short. Count zero as a real step out loud: -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2.
Common mistake 3 of 4
"Two negatives make a positive" everywhere.
Tip: The rule is for multiplication and division (or two adjacent signs), not for -5 - 6, which is -11. Only apply it when two sign symbols sit right next to each other, like 7 - (-3).
Common mistake 4 of 4
Difference given as a negative.
Tip: Asked for the difference between -4 and 6, children answer -10 instead of 10. A difference is a distance, so it is always positive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do children need negative numbers for the GL 11+ maths exam?
Yes. Negative numbers appear in roughly one to three questions per 50-question GL maths paper, and they also surface inside sequences, temperature data and other topics. Most are set in real contexts like temperature or depth rather than bare calculations.
What negative number skills does the 11+ test?
Mainly ordering and comparing numbers, adding and subtracting across zero, temperature problems, and finding the difference between two values. Harder papers also test multiplying and dividing negatives, which goes slightly beyond the primary curriculum.
Why does my child keep saying -8 is bigger than -3?
This is the most common negative-number error. The digit 8 is bigger than 3, but -8 sits further left on the number line, so it is actually smaller. A quick number-line sketch fixes this faster than any rule.
Are negative numbers on the Year 6 maths curriculum?
Adding, subtracting, ordering and using negatives in context are all Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum content. Multiplying and dividing negatives is technically Year 7, but GL does test it in its hardest questions, so it is worth practising.
How can I help my child with negative numbers at home?
Start with a number line and a thermometer. Practise counting through zero out loud, then move to two-step temperature problems ("it was -3 degrees, it rose 7, then fell 5"). The debt model also helps: owing money is negative, paying it off is adding.
Ready to build real negative numbers confidence?
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