Writing Equations Worksheet

Recommended for You

Not sure where to start? These are the lessons and games we recommend most to students, parents and teachers on Basic-mathematics.com. Each lesson explains the topic in plain language, walks you through worked examples step by step, and ends with practice so you can check your understanding. Pick one below, or use the menu to find lessons on fractions, algebra, geometry, statistics and more.

Writing Equations Worksheet Generator

Choose a topic and options, then print the worksheet. Each worksheet comes with its own answer key.

Solving
Answer key
Enter the same code and options to get the same worksheet again.

Types of writing equations worksheets you can make

  • One-step equations from sentences: “Six less than a number is 3” becomes x − 6 = 3
  • Two-step equations from sentences: “Ten less than five times a number is 10” becomes 5x − 10 = 10
  • Equations with parentheses: “Five times the sum of a number and 7 is 60” becomes 5(x + 7) = 60
  • Word problems: “A taxi charges $14 to start a ride plus $6 for each mile. A ride costs $50.” becomes 6m + 14 = 50. Other problems are about marbles, stickers, cookies, ages, savings, movie tickets, sharing a meal, and the perimeter of a rectangle.
  • Bar models: a top bar of 23 above four x boxes and a 7 becomes 4x + 7 = 23
  • Balance scales: x boxes and number weights on a balanced scale, up to variables on both sides, like 3x + 8 = 2x + 13
  • Equations to words: write a sentence for an equation, like 3x − 4 = 11 becoming “Four less than three times a number is 11.”

Make each worksheet your own:

  • four difficulty levels, from adding and subtracting with numbers up to 10 to harder wordings like “subtracted from” and “the quotient of”
  • use x, n, or different letters for the unknown number
  • add a line for students to also solve each equation, with every solution a whole number
  • choose how many problems to include
  • every worksheet comes with an answer key

A couple of examples showing how to answer the questions on this writing equations worksheet.

Writing equations worksheet

Example #1:

20 subtracted from the product of a number and negative six is 10.

The product of a number and negative six can be written as x × -6 = -6x.

Then we need to subtract 20 from -6x. This can be written as -6x - 20.

Finally, we need to set -6x - 20 equal to 10.

The equation is -6x - 20 = 10

Example #2:

The sum of one-fourth a number and five is twelve.

One-fourth of a number can be written as (1/4)x or x/4.

Then, we need to add x/4 to five and this can be written as x/4 + 5

Finally, we need to set x/4 + 5 equal to 12.

The equation is x/4 + 5 = 12.

Writing an algebraic expression