11+ Fractions Practice
(GL Assessment)

In the GL Assessment 11+ maths paper, fractions are tested right the way through, both as quick standalone calculations and woven into longer, multi-step word problems, and they sit inside the most heavily weighted part of the whole paper. Number questions, the family that includes fractions, are the single most common type in a GL maths paper: roughly five times more frequent than any other category. Put simply, a child who is shaky on fractions will feel it across the exam, not just in one or two questions.

The GL maths paper is 50 multiple-choice questions in 50 minutes (about a minute each), with five answer options (A to E) for every question. Fractions rarely appear in isolation; GL loves to combine them with decimals, percentages, money, measurement and pie charts in a single question.

The good news: fractions are learnable and predictable. The skills GL tests are well-defined, and steady, focused practice on the right question types builds real confidence before exam day.

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What the GL 11+ Tests on Fractions

Fractions in the GL 11+ maths paper are always multiple-choice (five options, A–E). Across a paper you can expect these sub-skills, in roughly this order of frequency:

  • Finding a fraction of an amount (the most common, e.g. 3/8 of 416): around a fifth of fraction questions
  • Equivalent fractions and simplifying to lowest terms
  • Adding and subtracting fractions, including different denominators and mixed numbers
  • Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages (FDP), which appears in almost every paper
  • Comparing and ordering fractions, including fractions greater than 1
  • Multiplying and dividing fractions
  • Mixed numbers and improper fractions: converting between the two
  • Multi-step word problems in real-world contexts (money, recipes, sharing)

Difficulty spans easy single-step calculations through to multi-step, working-backwards problems. GL papers are not adaptive: every child sits the same paper, and questions broadly progress from easier to harder as you move through it.

Fractions vs Decimals and Percentages: How to Tell Them Apart

Fractions, decimals and percentages are three ways of writing the same value. A fraction shows parts of a whole (3/4), a decimal uses place value after a point (0.75), and a percentage means parts per hundred (75%). GL expects children to convert fluently between all three and to spot when they are equal.

Comparing Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
Question type What it tests What it looks like The classic mix-up
FractionsThis page Writing and calculating with parts of a whole: simplifying, comparing, adding, and finding a fraction of an amount. A number written as one value over another, or a "find the fraction of" instruction. For example, "What is 2/5 of 45?" Turning 3/8 straight into 0.38 or 38%, instead of dividing to get the true decimal 0.375.
Decimals Place value after the decimal point: ordering, rounding, arithmetic, and converting to fractions or percentages. Numbers with a decimal point, often to be ordered or calculated. For example, "Put in order, smallest first: 0.3, 0.29, 0.305." Reading 0.5 as 5% or as 1/5, muddling the decimal with its percentage or fraction twin.
Percentages Parts per hundred: finding a percentage of an amount, and expressing one quantity as a percentage of another. A number followed by a % sign, usually asking for a portion of a total. For example, "What is 15% of 240?" Turning 40% into the fraction 1/40 instead of 40/100, forgetting that percent means out of a hundred.

If the value sits over a line it is a fraction; if it has a decimal point it is a decimal; if it carries a % sign it is a percentage. The same amount can wear all three costumes.

Sample Fractions Questions

Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s fractions 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.

Question 1 Foundation

Which fraction is equivalent to 3/6?

  1. 1/3
  2. 3/4
  3. 2/3
  4. 1/2✓
  5. 1/6
Show worked explanation

Simplify 3/6 by dividing both numbers by 3: 3÷3 = 1 and 6÷3 = 2, so 3/6 = 1/2. ✓

Question 2 Foundation

Aisha drinks 1/4 of a bottle of water before lunch and another 1/4 after lunch. What fraction of the bottle has she drunk altogether?

  1. 1/8
  2. 2/3
  3. 1/2✓
  4. 2/8
  5. 1/4
Show worked explanation

Aisha drinks 1/4 + 1/4 = 2/4. Simplify: 2/4 = 1/2 of the bottle. ✓

Question 3 Intermediate

There are 20 children in a swimming class. 3/4 of them can swim a full length. How many children can swim a full length?

  1. 5
  2. 20
  3. 27
  4. 15✓
  5. 10
Show worked explanation

Find 1/4 of 20 first: 20 ÷ 4 = 5. Then 3/4 = 3 × 5 = 15 children. ✓

Question 4 Intermediate

Convert 0.6 to a fraction in its simplest form.

  1. 6/10
  2. 1/2
  3. 2/3
  4. 5/8
  5. 3/5✓
Show worked explanation

0.6 = 6/10. Simplify: 6÷2 = 3 and 10÷2 = 5, so 3/5. ✓

Question 5 Challenging

After eating 3/5 of his sweets, Tom has 24 left. How many sweets did he start with?

  1. 36
  2. 40
  3. 60✓
  4. 48
  5. 72
Show worked explanation

If Tom ate 3/5, he has 2/5 left. 2/5 of the total = 24 sweets. So 1/5 = 24 ÷ 2 = 12 sweets. Total = 5 × 12 = 60 sweets. ✓

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common mistake 1 of 4

Taking the second fraction ‘of the remainder’ wrong.

Tip: When a question removes one fraction and then asks for a fraction of what’s left, children apply the second fraction to the original total. After each step, pause and ask “what is the whole now?” The whole often changes mid-problem.

Common mistake 2 of 4

Forgetting to simplify the answer.

Tip: GL nearly always lists the un-simplified version as a tempting wrong option (e.g. 4/6 when the answer is 2/3). Train the habit of checking every answer can’t be reduced: try dividing top and bottom by 2, 3, then 5.

Common mistake 3 of 4

Adding the bottoms as well as the tops.

Tip: 1/3 + 1/4 becomes 2/7 instead of 7/12. You can’t add thirds and quarters until they’re renamed as the same kind of part (twelfths), so always find a common denominator first.

Common mistake 4 of 4

‘Bigger denominator means bigger fraction.’

Tip: Children think 1/8 is larger than 1/4 because 8 is bigger than 4. Picture sharing one pizza between 8 people versus 4: more people means a smaller slice each.

About these questions

Every PrepStep 11+ question is original, written to mirror the style and difficulty of the GL Assessment 11+ and grounded in a library of real past-paper patterns, with a worked explanation for each one. PrepStep is built by Ben Jackson, its founder and a parent who has taken one child through the 11+ with another preparing now. Last reviewed: August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fraction topics are tested in the GL 11+ maths exam?

GL tests finding a fraction of an amount, equivalent fractions and simplifying, adding and subtracting fractions, comparing and ordering, multiplying and dividing, converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, and mixed numbers versus improper fractions. These appear both as standalone questions and inside multi-step word problems, always in multiple-choice format with five options.

How hard are fractions in the GL 11+ exam?

Difficulty ranges from easy one-step calculations (a fifth of 125) to hard multi-step problems that work backwards or take “a fraction of a fraction”. GL papers are designed to stretch the top 25% of the year group, so the trickiest fraction questions combine several steps and a conceptual twist where the obvious answer is wrong.

What year should my child master fractions for the 11+?

Aim for solid fraction fluency by the end of Year 5. Most fraction skills GL tests are Year 5 curriculum content, with adding and subtracting unlike denominators, multiplying pairs of fractions and dividing fractions by whole numbers coming in Year 6. Since GL exams are usually sat in September of Year 6, some Year 6 content may not yet have been taught in school.

How can my child practise fractions for the GL 11+?

Use timed, multiple-choice questions that mirror the real five-option format, and prioritise the highest-frequency skills first: finding a fraction of an amount, and converting between fractions, decimals and percentages. Mix in multi-step word problems, and always check answers are fully simplified, as GL routinely lists the un-simplified version as a trap.

Why are fractions so important in the GL 11+ maths paper?

Number questions (the family that includes fractions) are the most common type in a GL maths paper, around five times more frequent than any other category. Fractions also appear woven into decimals, percentages, money, measurement and pie-chart questions, so strong fraction skills lift a child’s performance right across the paper, not just on obvious fraction questions.

Are there fractions questions in GL practice papers?

Yes, fractions come up reliably in 11+ maths, both as standalone questions and inside word problems: simplifying, comparing, adding, and finding a fraction of an amount. It is one of the highest-value topics to master. Practise real-style fractions questions here free, each with a worked explanation.

What is the difference between fractions, decimals and percentages in the 11+?

They are three notations for the same idea: a part of a whole. A fraction like 1/2 writes it as parts over a total, a decimal like 0.5 uses place value after the point, and a percentage like 50% means parts per hundred. GL tests whether a child can convert between them quickly and recognise that 1/2, 0.5 and 50% are identical.

Explore the other GL Assessment maths topics, each with free sample questions and worked explanations.

All maths topics Percentages Decimals Place Value Long Division Long Multiplication Algebra Ratio & Proportion Negative Numbers Prime Numbers & Factors Area & Perimeter Volume Angles & Shapes Sequences Data Handling Speed, Distance & Time Free 11+ practice papers & tests All GL question types explained

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