Line up the units, work right to left, carry and borrow with care.
12 questions · 3 sections · worked steppers · no time pressure
What's really happening
Column methods only work when the place values line up. Always line up the units (ones) column first — then the tens sit above tens, hundreds above hundreds, and so on. You then work from right to left, one column at a time.
The key idea: a column can only hold a single digit (0–9). In addition, anything that spills over ten is carried into the next column. In subtraction, if the top digit is too small, you borrow ten from the next column along.
Try it yourself. Tap Next column to work through each example one column at a time, right to left.
Column addition · with carrying256 + 148 + 67
Numbers are lined up on the units. Tap Next column to start at the units (the right‑hand column).
Column subtraction · with borrowing472 − 158
Lined up on the units. Tap Next column — when the top digit is too small, watch the borrow.
The trickiest case — borrowing across a zero
When the column you want to borrow from is a 0, you have to borrow from further along, and the zeros in between become 9s. Here is 600 − 247, step by step.
Units: 0 − 7 won't go. The tens are 0, so borrow from the hundreds: the 6 becomes 5, the middle 0 becomes 9, and the units 0 becomes 10. Now 10 − 7 = 3.
Tens: 9 − 4 = 5.
Hundreds: 5 − 2 = 3.
So 600 − 247 = 353. Check: 353 + 247 = 600 ✓ — adding back returns the start.
Common slipDon't right‑align by the left digit. In 342 + 76, the 6 sits under the 2 (both are units) — not under the 4. If the units don't line up, every column is wrong.
Learning Objective 1 · Year 3–4
Section A · Column addition
Add whole numbers using the column method, carrying where a column passes ten.
Success criteria — I can:
line up the units column first
add each column from right to left
carry correctly when a column reaches ten or more
Learning Objective 2 · Year 4–5
Section B · Column subtraction
Subtract whole numbers using the column method, borrowing where the top digit is too small — including across a zero.
Success criteria — I can:
subtract each column from right to left
borrow ten from the next column when needed
borrow across a zero, turning the zeros into nines
Learning Objective 3 · Year 5–6
Section C · Real‑life problems
Decide whether to add or subtract, then solve using a column method.
Success criteria — I can:
spot whether a problem needs adding or subtracting
set the numbers out in columns
answer with the correct units
/ 12
Improve Tuition · George Street, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 5AR · improvetuition.org
Teacher‑led tuition since 2007. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child in our care.