Addition and Subtraction

In Key Stage 2 you build on your earlier addition and subtraction skills to work with numbers in the thousands and beyond. You will use written column methods, mental strategies, and estimation — and learn how to check your answers.

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Column Addition

Column addition lines up digits by place value and works from right to left, carrying when a column totals 10 or more.

Example: 4,763 + 2,584

Th  H   T   O
 4  7   6   3

• 2 5 8 4

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(carry 1 to next column as needed)

Step by step:

• Ones: 3 + 4 = 7
• Tens: 6 + 8 = 14. Write 4, carry 1.
• Hundreds: 7 + 5 + 1 (carried) = 13. Write 3, carry 1.
• Thousands: 4 + 2 + 1 (carried) = 7.
• Answer: 7,347

Example: 156,428 + 73,695 (6-digit column addition)

 HTh  TTh  Th   H   T   O
  1    5    6   4   2   8
+      7    3   6   9   5
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