Equations of the form ax + b = c, always with a whole-number solution, with negative coefficients and constants when you want them.
Grade 6–Grade 9 · every refresh draws a new set · answer key included
Two step equations worksheets
Solve each equation. Show your working.
Two step equations worksheets — answer key
Solve each equation. Show your working.
16 problems · US Letter · answer key — 2 sheets, page breaks marked in the preview
Two step equations are where algebra stops being arithmetic in disguise. The pupil has to undo two operations, in the right order, and the right order is the reverse of the order of operations — subtract the constant first, divide by the coefficient second. Getting that backwards is the single most common error at this level and the reason this page deserves working space rather than a narrow answer line.
Grade 6 to Grade 9, ages eleven to fifteen. It follows one step equations directly and precedes equations with the letter on both sides. Negative coefficients belong at the later end of that range.
Start with positive coefficients and constants and a small solution limit, so the arithmetic never obscures the method. Add negatives once the class is fluent: an equation like 3x − 7 = −13 exercises integer arithmetic and the solving method at once, which is realistic but a poor first exposure. Set working space to medium or large — this is a page where the working is the point, and marking only the final answer teaches pupils that it is not.
Dividing before subtracting is the classic reversal, and it usually still produces a number, which is why it goes unnoticed. Sign errors when moving a negative constant are the second. The third is dividing only one term on the right-hand side — worth watching for whenever an answer is out by exactly the constant.