Calculating the difference between two temperatures, including rises and falls across zero (e.g., from -3°C to 5°C).
Where your child meets this in real life: Calculating how much the temperature changed overnight, or how much warmer it will get by afternoon
Each SEAG paper has 28 maths questions. Questions 29 to 50 are multiple choice with five possible answers, and questions 51 to 56 need a short written answer. With 56 questions in 60 minutes across English and maths, that is about a minute per question.
SEAGReady breaks calculate temperature changes into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Calculate temperature rise or fall when both temperatures are positive
Calculate temperature rise or fall when both temperatures are negative
Calculate temperature changes that cross the zero boundary (e.g., from -3°C to 5°C)
Try three free questions from our calculate temperature changes course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.
At 7am the temperature was 9°C. By lunchtime it had risen to 16°C. How many degrees did the temperature rise?
The fish-shop freezer’s readings before and after it was turned off are plotted on the number line. What was the temperature rise?
Lewis’s three winter-day readings are plotted by time. What was the total temperature change from 6am to 6pm?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
At 7am the temperature was 8°C. By noon it had risen to 15°C.
How many degrees did the temperature rise?
15 − 8
Start temperature: 8°C
Step 1 of 4
At 7am the temperature was 8°C. By noon it had risen to 15°C.
How many degrees did the temperature rise?
The temperature rose by 7 degrees.
The key insight: For a rise, subtract start from end: end minus start equals the change!
Common mix-up: Adding 15 + 8 = 23 degrees. We need the difference between temperatures, not their sum. Subtract to find how much it changed.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in calculate temperature changes, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with calculate temperature changes? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
Free to start · no card needed