Maths in Year 6: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 6 of Swedish school (around age 12), Lärkompis practises 23 skills in maths, linked to 22 of 27 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 4–6. The areas are algebra; geometry; problem solving; relationships and change; probability and statistics; and understanding and using numbers. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 10 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Rätta roboten (Fix the Robot) and Butiken (The Shop).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 4–6), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 6, this means that 5 skills start this year and 18 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 22 of 27 counts the items in the core content from Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) that at least one skill links to; it does not mean the whole item is covered.
What Lärkompis practises in Year 6
The 23 skills in maths in Year 6 are grouped into 6 areas following Skolverket's syllabus. Under each skill you can see the first and the last difficulty level, so you know how far the exercises go.
Algebra
- The equals sign and solving simple equations Level 1: x + 7 = 15. Level 5: 2x − 5 = 11.
- Patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: The next number in an increasing sequence. Level 5: Choose the rule: 3 · n + 2.
- Programming in visual environments, and algorithms (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: Three to four cards on a grid. Level 5: Repeat and if-obstacle cards, the shortest possible program.
- Variables in simple algebraic expressions (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: The value of x + 5 when x = 6. Level 5: Expressions with brackets, situations with several steps.
Geometry
- Area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: Rectangle in cm². Level 5: Triangle with base and height, or a missing side from the area.
- Converting units of length, mass, volume and time (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: m, dm, cm and mm in whole numbers. Level 5: Two decimal places: 2.39 kg = 2390 g.
- Scale in reductions and enlargements Level 1: Drawing at a scale of 1:2, 1:5 or 1:10 to real life. Level 5: Map at a scale of 1:10,000, converting to metres.
- Types of angle and angle sums (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Acute, right or obtuse angle. Level 5: Angles around a point (360°).
Problem solving
- Solving problems with logical reasoning and a table (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: Three people: clues with “not” and “has”. Level 5: All kinds of clue, where the answer depends on several clues together.
- Asking maths questions about everyday situations Level 1: What is the task asking? Three choices. Level 5: Which question can be answered, with multiplication and division.
Relationships and change
- The same proportion as a fraction, a decimal and a percentage Level 1: Fractions to percentages: 1/2, 1/4, 3/4. Level 5: Hundredths and twentieths.
- Coordinate grids and the scales on the axes (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Go to a point from the origin. Level 5: The fourth corner of the rectangle.
- Percentages of an amount, discounts and proportions as percentages Level 1: 50%, 25% and 10% of round numbers. Level 5: What percentage of 20 is 15.
- Proportionality, unit prices and everyday problem solving (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: The price of one when several cost a certain amount. Level 5: A recipe for more buns.
Probability and statistics
- Simple combinations in real-life situations (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Two choices: tops and trousers. Level 5: Putting three or four people in a queue.
- Averages (mean, median and mode) and range (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Mode. Level 5: The median of an even number of values, a missing value from the mean.
- Probability in simple chance experiments, and comparing experiments (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Which colour is most likely. Level 5: Compare two bags with different numbers of marbles.
Understanding and using numbers
- Adding and subtracting fractions (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Same denominator, 1/4 + 2/4. Level 5: Different denominators with no simple link: 2/3 + 1/5.
- Mixed numbers and improper fractions (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: How many wholes are 6 halves. Level 5: Converting both ways and choosing the right number: 21/4.
- Multiplying and dividing decimals by whole numbers (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Tenths times 2–5 and divided by 2–4: 0.4 · 3 and 0.6 ÷ 2. Level 5: Two-digit numbers: 3.6 · 25 and 5.4 ÷ 12.
- Money with öre (hundredths of a krona), change and price per kilo (decimals in everyday life) (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Adding two prices in whole kronor and fifty öre; price times 2–4. Level 5: Several items with change, price per 100 g with half kilos, splitting the bill between several people.
- Order of operations: multiplication before addition, brackets first (already starts in Year 5) Level 1: Multiplication before addition: 2 + 3 · 4. Level 5: Longer expressions with brackets, and choosing where the brackets go.
- Rough estimates and checking whether answers are reasonable (already starts in Year 4) Level 1: Rough estimate with tens: 38 + 52 ≈ 40 + 50; a reasonable answer in addition and subtraction. Level 5: Four- and five-digit numbers, division and everyday problems where the answer should be reasonable.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6 in maths, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 6. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Rational numbers, which means negative numbers, fractions and decimals too, and how they are connected.
- Percentages and how they relate to fractions and decimals.
- Methods for calculating in your head, with rough estimates and on paper, including with simple fractions and decimals. Checking answers: is the answer reasonable?
- Equality, simple equations, variables and how to solve simple equations.
- Perimeter, area, angles, converting between units, and scale.
- Mean, mode and median, tables and charts, and simple combinatorics (counting possible combinations).
- Proportionality, coordinate systems and graphs.
- Programming in visual programming environments, and solving problems using different strategies.
How to help at home with maths in Year 6
In Year 6, the first end-of-term grades (A–F) are given under the current rules, and there are national tests in maths, Swedish and English. The grade is based on the teacher's overall assessment, so talk about what your child can do and what the next step is, not just about the letter. Ask “how did you work it out?” more often than “what did you get?”, and use the same models and written methods as the teacher, so your child does not have two different methods to keep track of.
- Double or halve the recipe. Cook something where you make a double or half batch. Let your child work out the fractions and decimals (3/4 dl, where a decilitre is 100 ml, becomes how much?). Ask whether the answer is reasonable before you pour it in. Works in everyday life: about 15 minutes.
- Ask your child to teach you. Say: “I don’t know this particular method. Can you show me how you do it at school?” Explaining forces understanding, and you avoid teaching a different method from the school’s. Ask questions instead of giving answers. When it is hard going: about 10 minutes.
- Card games with fractions and numbers. Play with an ordinary pack of cards: draw two cards and make a number from them (tens and ones); the biggest number wins. Vary it: draw three cards, or work out the difference. The game practises place value without feeling like homework. As a game: about 10 minutes.
- Sale prices in a shop. Look at a price tag with 25% off. Ask: roughly how much cheaper is it, and what does it cost now? Explain why 25% is a quarter. Let your child estimate before reaching for the calculator. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 6
- Programming in visual environments, and algorithms: Your child uses repeat when the same step comes several times in a row.
- Variables in simple algebraic expressions: Your child tries a number of their own to check whether an expression works.
- Area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes: Your child explains area as the number of squares that fit inside.
- Converting units of length, mass, volume and time: Your child knows that kilo means a thousand and centi means a hundredth.
Common pitfalls in Year 6
- Coordinate grids and the scales on the axes: Swaps x and y.
- Proportionality, unit prices and everyday problem solving: Adds the difference instead of multiplying in the recipe.
- Simple combinations in real-life situations: Counts the same combination twice.
- Averages (mean, median and mode) and range: Takes the middle number without sorting first.
If maths practice in Year 6 often ends in tears or takes far too long, stop for the day and write a few lines to the teacher about what was hard. That is useful information for the school, not a failure.
Games that practise it
In Year 6 maths, Lärkompis uses 10 mini-games. In these games, playing is the practice, so your child learns while they play. There are no points or streaks, and no ads.
Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt)
A quiz show in a TV studio, where Vera leads the questions up a ladder. There are lifelines but no points: the ladder fills up with the questions your child has worked through. In Year 6, the game practises 7 skills: converting units of length, mass, volume and time; scale in reductions and enlargements; types of angle and angle sums; coordinate grids and the scales on the axes; and more.
Rätta roboten (Fix the Robot)
Knut has made a mistake and your child teaches him the right way. Explaining the mistake is the skill. In Year 6, the game practises 7 skills: the equals sign and solving simple equations; variables in simple algebraic expressions; area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes; asking maths questions about everyday situations; and more.
Butiken (The Shop)
Your child pays, gets change and compares prices with real coins. In Year 6, the game practises 4 skills: percentages of an amount, discounts and proportions as percentages; proportionality, unit prices and everyday problem solving; money with öre (hundredths of a krona), change and price per kilo (decimals in everyday life); and rough estimates and checking whether answers are reasonable.
Bråkpizzan (Fraction Pizza)
A pizza is cut into slices and the slices are the fractions: your child cuts, compares and adds them up. In Year 6, the game practises 3 skills: the same proportion as a fraction, a decimal and a percentage; adding and subtracting fractions; and mixed numbers and improper fractions.
Flodhoppet (River Hop)
Pix hops across the river on stepping stones that sit on a number line. In Year 6, the game practises 2 skills: percentages of an amount, discounts and proportions as percentages; and mixed numbers and improper fractions.
Detektiven (The Detective)
A short logic case each round: your child reads the clues, fills in a grid with crosses and ticks, and points out the answer. In Year 6, the game practises 1 skill: solving problems with logical reasoning and a table.
Formpusslet (Shape Puzzle)
A shape puzzle where the pieces are the skill: from pictures made of simple shapes to areas and Pythagoras’ theorem. In Year 6, the game practises 1 skill: area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes.
Kodaren (The Coder)
Knut the robot wants to reach the star, and your child builds the program from big cards. In Year 6, the game practises 1 skill: programming in visual environments, and algorithms.
Mönstermakaren (The Pattern Maker)
Patterns roll along a conveyor belt and your child fills the gaps so the pattern works. In Year 6, the game practises 1 skill: patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns.
Vågen (The Balance)
A balance scale where using the scale is the skill: your child makes both sides weigh the same, works out what a box weighs or solves an equation by doing the same thing to both sides. In Year 6, the game practises 1 skill: the equals sign and solving simple equations.
Questions about maths in Year 6
What does Lärkompis practise in maths in Year 6?
Lärkompis has 23 skills in maths in Year 6, for example “The equals sign and solving simple equations”; “Patterns in number sequences and geometric patterns”; “Programming in visual environments, and algorithms”; “Variables in simple algebraic expressions”; and “Area of rectangles, triangles and compound shapes”. Each skill has five levels. In “The equals sign and solving simple equations”, for example, level 1 is “x + 7 = 15” and level 5 is “2x − 5 = 11”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What is expected in maths in Year 6 by the end of the year?
Skolverket's criteria at the end of Year 6 say, in plain words: your child uses mathematical concepts and relationships with satisfactory confidence, chooses methods that mostly work for routine tasks, and can put forward and follow simple mathematical reasoning. Lärkompis does not replace the teacher's assessment, but it shows you which skills your child is practising in Year 6.
Which mistakes are common in maths in Year 6?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Swaps x and y” in “Coordinate grids and the scales on the axes” and “Adds the difference instead of multiplying in the recipe” in “Proportionality, unit prices and everyday problem solving”. When an answer is wrong, the app shows how to think it through instead of just marking it wrong, and the parent panel shows what your child is practising right now.
Does Lärkompis follow Lgr22 in maths in Year 6?
Yes. Every exercise in maths in Year 6 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 4–6; 22 of 27 items in maths have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise maths in Year 6 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try maths in Year 6 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
