Short and Long Multiplication Worksheets

Year 6 SATs maths worksheets on short and long multiplication: 36 questions in three levels (All, Most, Some), with working space and answers. Free PDF.

7-page A4 PDF from the Tiger Shark Education question bank. All: Multiply a 2- or 3-digit number by a 1-digit number (short multiplication). Most: Multiply numbers up to 4 digits by a 1- or 2-digit number. Some: Multiply a 4-digit number by a 2-digit number (long multiplication). Each level is two pages of six questions, each with a squared working area, and the last page has every answer, with short working for multi-step questions. Each level is also available as its own 3-page PDF. Example questions from the Some level: 5261 × 41 = / 8223 × 15 =.

What is short and long multiplication? Short multiplication multiplies a number by a single digit in columns, carrying as needed. Long multiplication multiplies by a 2-digit number by working out two partial products (one for the ones digit, one for the tens) and adding them. Year 6 pupils are expected to use long multiplication for up to 4-digit by 2-digit numbers.

Common mistakes and tips: The classic error in long multiplication is forgetting the placeholder zero in the second row, which makes the answer ten times too small. Children also mix up carried digits from the two rows. Estimating first (round both numbers) gives a quick check, and keeping the working neat in squared paper reduces slips.

Questions on this topic appear year after year in the KS2 maths SATs. Because each sheet starts with the core skill and builds to test-style problems, it works both for teaching the topic and for spotting gaps during revision.

Teaching ideas: use the All level to check prerequisite knowledge at the start of a lesson, then move children onto Most or Some when they are ready. Squared working space encourages neat written methods. The answer page includes short working for multi-step questions, so pupils can self-mark and see where they went wrong.

Spotting misconceptions: the mistakes children make on this topic are usually consistent, so look for patterns across their answers rather than marking each question in isolation. A short follow-up on the specific misconception, using concrete resources or diagrams, is often more effective than setting more of the same questions.

Use All for children working towards the expected standard, Most for secure Year 5 skills and Some for SATs-standard practice: three entry points to the same lesson. Suits whole-class differentiation, intervention groups, homework and SATs revision, and upper KS2 generally.

Part of a set of 42 Year 6 maths topics.