Identifying and naming common 3D shapes: cube, cuboid, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid, triangular prism.
Where your child meets this in real life: Identifying shapes in packaging, buildings, balls, cans, and ice cream cones
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 name 3d shapes into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Identify and name the 7 common 3D shapes when shown in standard orientations
Correctly differentiate between commonly confused shape pairs (cube/cuboid, cone/pyramid)
Identify 3D shapes when presented at unusual angles or from different viewpoints
Try three free questions from our name 3d shapes 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.
Isla picks up a tin of beans from her kitchen cupboard. It has two flat circular ends and a curved surface joining them. What 3D shape is the tin of beans?
Isla sees a traffic cone that has fallen over. Her friend says it's a pyramid. Why is her friend wrong?
Mei takes photos of a triangular prism from different angles. Photo 1 looks straight at a triangular face. Photo 2 looks straight at a rectangular face. Photo 3 is an oblique view showing parts of several faces. Which photo shows the prism directly from an end?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
A box has two identical triangular ends joined by three rectangular faces.
What 3D shape is the box?
It has two identical triangular ends joined by three rectangular faces
Step 1 of 2
A box has two identical triangular ends joined by three rectangular faces.
What 3D shape is the box?
The box is a triangular prism.
The key insight: A prism has two identical end faces joined by other faces.
Common mix-up: Calling it a pyramid. A pyramid's triangular faces meet at one apex; a triangular prism has two matching triangular ends.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in name 3d shapes, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
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