Order of Operations (BODMAS) for Year 6

What Does BODMAS Stand For?

• B — Brackets (do these first)
• O — Orders (squares, cubes, square roots)
• D — Division
• M — Multiplication
• A — Addition
• S — Subtraction

Division and multiplication have equal priority — work left to right. Same for addition and subtraction. It’s not strictly D before M; they’re on the same level.

Why Order Matters

Look at this expression and see what happens with and without BODMAS:

The correct answer is 11. Multiplication comes before addition, so we do 4 × 2 first. This is the single most important thing to understand about BODMAS.

Brackets First

Brackets override everything else. Whatever’s inside the brackets gets calculated first, no matter what.

Notice how the brackets changed the answer from 11 to 14. That’s why they exist — to tell you “do this bit first”.

Worked Example with Multiple Steps

Each line shows one step, following BODMAS in order. Encourage your child to write it out step by step like this — it prevents mistakes and earns method marks.

SATs-Style Example Question

This type of question tests whether your child can work backwards. They need to figure out where the brackets should go to produce the target answer.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

• Working left to right without checking — the most common error. Always scan for multiplication/division before adding/subtracting.
• Thinking D always comes before M — division and multiplication are equal; work left to right when both appear.
• Forgetting Orders — 3² means 3 × 3 = 9, not 3 × 2 = 6. This trips children up when they haven’t practised squares.
• Missing hidden brackets — in SATs, the numerator of a fraction bar acts like brackets. Everything on top is grouped together.