11+ Maths: Reading and Calculating Time (CEM & GL)

19 October 2026

Reading time on clocks

Understanding how to read both analogue and digital clocks is a foundation for 11+ time questions. Encourage your child to practise telling the time in both 12-hour and 24-hour formats. Make sure they can convert between am and pm, and spot the difference between 14:30 and 2:30 pm.

Key insight: Children often lose marks by confusing am/pm or misreading the hour hand, especially when it's close to the next hour.

Calculating time intervals

Rather than subtracting times directly, teach your child to count up in chunks. For example, to find the gap between 14:35 and 16:10, count from 14:35 to 15:00 (25 min), 15:00 to 16:00 (1 hour), and 16:00 to 16:10 (10 min). Add the intervals for a total duration.

Key insight: Time runs in 60s, not 100s. Subtracting as if time is a decimal often leads to mistakes like '1:75'.

Reading timetables accurately

Timetable questions require careful reading as well as calculation. Guide your child to find the correct row and column before working out the answer. Always check if the timetable uses 24-hour or 12-hour notation, and double-check the journey's start and end points.

Key insight: Most errors in timetable questions are reading mistakes, not calculation errors. Encourage your child to slow down and check what the question is asking.

Solving worded time problems

Many 11+ questions describe real-life situations: journeys, durations, or events. Remind your child to underline key times and what is being asked. Start time, end time, or duration. Practise bridging across the hour and converting between hours and minutes when needed.

Key insight: Worded problems test both maths and reading skills. Encourage your child to explain their reasoning aloud to spot misunderstandings early.