Timetable questions are careful-reading tests dressed up as maths. Convert everything to the 24-hour clock, work in whole minutes, and always re-read which stop, train or event the question actually asked about. Get those three habits automatic and this becomes one of the most reliable topics on the paper — a place to bank marks while other children lose them to silly slips.
What 11+ time and timetables questions cover
At 11+ level, "time and timetables" bundles together four connected skills that examiners love to combine in a single question. Knowing which one a question is really testing is half the battle.
- 12/24-hour conversion: turning 3:45 pm into 15:45, and 07:20 into 7:20 am. The classic trap is the afternoon: add 12 to the hours, never to the minutes.
- Elapsed time: "A film starts at 18:50 and lasts 1 hour 35 minutes — when does it end?" You are finding a duration or an end-time, usually across an hour boundary.
- Timetable reading: pulling the right figure out of a grid of columns (services) and rows (stops), then comparing two of them.
- Rate and duration: distance, speed and time links — "the coach covers 30 miles in 45 minutes" — which reach into the harder Greater Depth tier.
Our free worksheet library grades every one of these across four tiers — Foundation, Developing, Secure and Greater Depth — so a child can enter at their level and climb one rung at a time rather than drowning in exam-level questions before the basics are secure.
A fully worked example, step by step
Here is the kind of multi-step timetable question a GL paper builds to. Work through it slowly the first time.
"A train leaves Ashford at 14:38 and arrives at Barwick at 15:12. A second train leaves Ashford at 15:05. If it takes the same time to reach Barwick, at what time does it arrive?"
- Find the journey time. From 14:38 to 15:12. Count up to the next hour first: 14:38 to 15:00 is 22 minutes. Then 15:00 to 15:12 is 12 minutes. Total: 22 + 12 = 34 minutes. Counting up in two hops beats trying to subtract 14:38 from 15:12 in one go.
- Apply the same duration to the second train. It leaves at 15:05. Add 34 minutes: 15:05 + 34 = 15:39.
- Check the hour boundary. 5 + 34 = 39, which is under 60, so the hour stays at 15. No carry needed. Answer: 15:39.
Notice that the maths itself is tiny. The marks are won by reading "same time to reach Barwick" correctly and by not accidentally answering with the journey time (34 minutes) when the question wanted an arrival time.
Common mistakes and exam traps
- Treating time like normal decimals. 1.30 + 0.45 is not 1.75 hours. There are 60 minutes in an hour, not 100 — 1 hour 30 min plus 45 min is 2 hours 15 min.
- Crossing midday or midnight. 11:50 plus 30 minutes is 12:20, not 11:80. Children who forget to roll the hour lose the mark every time.
- Reading the wrong column. On a timetable grid, a child's eye drifts one service left or right. Teach them to lay a finger or ruler down the correct column before reading up or down.
- Answering the wrong thing. Duration vs end-time vs "how much longer" are three different answers. Underline the final word of the question before calculating.
- Ignoring "the next available train". Some questions ask which service you can catch after a set time — the answer is the earliest departure at or after that time, not the closest number.
How this appears in a real GL 11+ paper
In a GL maths paper the questions are multiple choice, answered A–E on a separate OMR sheet, with roughly a minute per question and no calculator. Time questions rarely sit alone — a single timetable stimulus often feeds three or four linked questions, so one misread grid can cost several marks in a row. Because there is usually no negative marking, an educated guess on a stuck question beats a blank; mark it, move on, and return if seconds allow. Building that "don't get stuck" instinct is exactly what full timed mock papers and the free papers hub are for. Do note that GL is now the dominant board across most regions since CEM's separate 11+ tests were phased out — always confirm your specific consortium's format.
Difficulty progression: Year 5 vs Year 6
| Feature | Easier (Year 5 / Developing) | Exam-level (Year 6 / Greater Depth) |
|---|---|---|
| Clock format | 12-hour, single am or pm | Mixed 12/24-hour in one question |
| Steps | One calculation | Two or three linked steps |
| Hour boundary | Stays within the hour | Crosses hours and midday |
| Data source | A single time given in words | A grid with several services and stops |
Start a child on the Developing tier until conversion and simple elapsed time are automatic, then step up. A useful routine: one Secure-tier sheet unaided as a diagnostic — under 70% means drop a tier, over 90% means climb one. Keep sessions short: 15–20 minutes daily beats a weekend marathon, because retention lives in the gaps between sessions. Review errors out loud, with the child explaining what went wrong before you jump in, and once a topic reaches Greater Depth let full mocks keep it warm rather than more isolated drilling. For a wider plan, the revision hub and exam guides slot this topic into the whole maths syllabus.
Frequently asked questions
How do I subtract two times quickly?
Count up in two hops rather than subtracting. From 14:38 to 15:12, go 14:38 to 15:00 (22 minutes), then 15:00 to 15:12 (12 minutes), and add: 34 minutes. It avoids borrowing across the 60-minute boundary.
Does my child need to know the 24-hour clock?
Yes. GL timetables almost always use 24-hour times, so converting confidently in both directions is essential. Practise it on our free worksheets until it needs no thinking time.
How many worksheets should we do a week?
Little and often wins. Two or three short time sheets a week, mixed with other maths topics, keeps the skill sharp without burnout. Fold it into a full timed mock every few weeks to test it under exam pressure.