The long division steps
- Divide. How many times does the divisor go into this part?
- Multiply. Write the product under it.
- Subtract. Find what is left.
- Bring down. Bring down the next digit and start again.
More practice
Division facts come first: the times tables worksheets include division facts. For multiplying big numbers, see long multiplication.In the MOE curriculum
- Primary 1Children meet the idea of division through sharing and grouping, dividing within 20.
- Primary 2The ÷ sign, and division within the tables of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10, linked to multiplication.
- Primary 3Division with remainder, and the written method for up to 3 digits by 1 digit.
- Primary 4The written method extends to 4-digit numbers divided by 1 digit.
In Singapore, long division arrives in Primary 3 and is complete at 4 digits by 1 digit in Primary 4, so this maker’s 2-, 3- and 4-digit options match those two years. Dividing by a 2-digit number is not part of the primary syllabus.
Before the written method, many classes model a division story as a bar cut into equal units, the same drawing used for word problems: 84 stickers shared among 4 children is one bar split into 4 equal parts.
Summarised in our own words from the MOE Primary Mathematics Syllabus (Primary One to Six, 2021, updated October 2025).
