How to Answer 11+ Letter Sums Questions

A letter sums question looks like algebra, but it's friendlier than it sounds. The question tells you what each letter is worth — "If A = 4, B = 9, C = 13 …" — and then gives you a sum written in letters, like A + B. You swap the letters for their numbers, do the maths, and then comes the twist: you give your answer as a letter too. A + B = 4 + 9 = 13, and C is worth 13, so the answer is C.

That final swap-back is the whole game. Children who lose marks on letter sums almost never get the maths wrong — they get the answer format wrong, writing 13 in a box that wanted C. Build the habit of finishing every letter sum with the question "…and which letter is worth that?"

A related skill is worth having in your pocket: some letter-and-number questions use alphabet positions instead of printed values (A=1, B=2 … Z=26). For those, memorise six anchors — A=1, E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Z=26 — and count on from the nearest one. In letter sums the values are printed for you, so here the anchors stay in your pocket.

The method

Write the sum out in numbers. Look up each letter in the list and copy its value: A × B ÷ E + C becomes 8 × 6 ÷ 4 + 7.
Work through it steadily. In these questions the × and ÷ come at the front of the sum, so working left to right is safe. Every in-between answer is a whole number — if you hit a fraction, check your last step.
Find your total in the value list. Exactly one letter is worth that number.
Answer with the letter, not the number. Say it to yourself: "19 — and D is 19 — so the answer is D."

Worked examples

Example 1: a simple addition

If A = 15, B = 6, C = 9, D = 11, E = 12, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? B + C = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

Swap the letters for numbers: B + C is 6 + 9.
6 + 9 = 15.
Which letter is worth 15? A.

Answer: A

Example 2: three letters, two steps

If A = 6, B = 9, C = 25, D = 40, E = 21, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? D − C + A = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

Swap in the numbers: 40 − 25 + 6.
Work left to right: 40 − 25 = 15, then 15 + 6 = 21.
Scan the list for 21: E = 21.

Answer: E

Example 3: multiply, divide, then add

If A = 8, B = 6, C = 7, D = 19, E = 4, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? A × B ÷ E + C = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

Swap in the numbers: 8 × 6 ÷ 4 + 7.
Take it in order: 8 × 6 = 48, then 48 ÷ 4 = 12, then 12 + 7 = 19.
Find 19 in the list: D = 19.

Answer: D

The traps

Answering with the number. The most common slip by far. You did the maths perfectly, got 21 … and 21 is not one of the options. The answer sheet wants the letter that's worth 21.
Misreading a letter's value. With five values in a row it's easy to grab D's number when you wanted B's. Point at the list as you copy each value out — copying is where the marks leak.
Muddling values with alphabet positions. In letter sums, A is worth whatever the question says (here A = 8), not 1. The printed values always win.
Rushing the middle step. In a chain like 40 − 25 + 6, finish 40 − 25 before touching the + 6. Jotting the running total takes two seconds and saves the mark.

Try these yourself

If A = 14, B = 6, C = 20, D = 9, E = 31, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? C − B = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

If A = 7, B = 24, C = 37, D = 19, E = 8, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? A × E − D = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

If A = 7, B = 5, C = 18, D = 48, E = 42, what is the answer to this sum, written as a letter? E ÷ A × B + C = [?]

A. A B. B C. C D. D E. E

Answers

1: A — 20 − 6 = 14, and A is worth 14.
2: C — 7 × 8 = 56, then 56 − 19 = 37, and C is worth 37.
3: D — 42 ÷ 7 = 6, then 6 × 5 = 30, then 30 + 18 = 48, and D is worth 48.

The complete 11+ question-type guide
VR: Balancing Sums — the sister type: make two sides of a sum equal
VR: Codes — where the alphabet-position anchors really earn their keep

All example questions come from the Brainblox question bank — practise this question type inside 15 arcade games, timed mock exams and focused practice. Brainblox is an independent app: not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any exam board, school or assessment publisher, and it contains no past papers.