3D-shape questions at Level 2 are about packaging: which net folds into which box, how many faces a shape has, what a box looks like unfolded. This free worksheet covers the vocabulary (faces, edges, vertices), the common solids and their nets, and the link between a net and the surface area of the box it makes.
Free to download, print and share for personal or classroom use. Answers included.
What’s in this worksheet
- Section A – Properties (8 marks)
- Section B – Nets (16 marks)
- Revise box with the rules and methods for the topic
- Worked answers for every question
Common mistakes on this topic
From our tutors’ marking and the most recent examiner reports – check your work against these:
- Counting a cuboid’s faces from a picture (seeing 3) instead of knowing there are 6.
- Drawing a net with the right faces in a layout that cannot fold – opposite faces must not touch.
- Forgetting that the rectangle in a cylinder’s net is as wide as the circumference, not the diameter.
How to use it
- Print the worksheet (or work on screen) and attempt every question without looking at the answers. Give yourself a rough time limit – Level 2 exams are tight.
- Mark your work against the answer page. For maths, check the method as well as the final number; method marks are where most of the marks are.
- Read the ‘common mistakes’ notes below and check whether any of them happened to you. Then redo the questions you got wrong a day later.
Related free resources
- Circles Worksheet – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- Volume Worksheet – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- Level 2 Maths Mini Practice Paper 1 – Functional Skills Maths Level 2
- All free Functional Skills Maths Level 2 resources
Frequently asked questions
What is a net in maths?
A net is a flat shape that can be folded to make a 3D solid. A cube’s net is six squares joined edge to edge; a cylinder’s net is a rectangle with a circle at each end.
How many faces, edges and vertices does a cuboid have?
6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices (corners). A cube is a cuboid whose faces are all squares, so the numbers are the same.
How do I know if a net will fold into a cube?
It must have six squares, no more than four in a straight line, and no square may be attached to the same edge as two others in a way that makes two faces overlap. Practically: try folding it in your head, face by face.
Want a tutor to mark your work? Not sure where you stand? Take the free 15-minute mini mock test. Ready to get qualified? Our live 10-week Functional Skills Level 2 Maths course runs in small groups with a mock exam included, and the 5-day revision course is there if your exam is close.