Year 3 · Addition and Subtraction
Year 3 Column Subtraction Worksheet: 3-Digit Numbers
Use this sheet for written subtraction practice and reasoning about exchanges. Pupils set out calculations in an exercise book, check a claim and solve missing-number and context questions.
1 A4 worksheet page · 1 separate answer page
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Model it before pupils practise
Represent 432 with Place Value Blocks and subtract 157. Exchange a ten for ten ones, then a hundred for ten tens, keeping the total unchanged at each exchange. Connect the model to the written answer, 275.
What to listen for
Do not subtract the smaller digit from the larger digit in each column. Ask pupils to explain what an exchange changes in the representation and what stays the same in the total.
Take it further
Use addition to check the difference: 275 + 157 = 432. Ask pupils to explain why this checks the subtraction.