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WorksheetYear 6Level 2 · Standard

Free Year 6 Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Worksheet

Students learn that forces are pushes and pulls measured in newtons, name common forces such as gravity, friction, air resistance and upthrust, and use force arrows to decide whether forces are balanced or unbalanced. They calculate the overall (net) force in tug-of-war and pushing problems and explain how forces change the motion of a skydiver.

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Year
Year 6
Subject
Science
Topic
Forces & Motion
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
35 minutes
Curriculum
Australian Curriculum
Questions
15
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • naming common forces and describing what they do
  • identifying balanced and unbalanced forces
  • calculating the net force from forces acting in a straight line
  • predicting how unbalanced forces change motion
  • explaining motion using force diagrams

Curriculum: Australian Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

  1. 1Magnets and Magnetic Forces
  2. 2Simple Machines: Levers, Pulleys and Ramps
  3. 3Electric Circuits
  4. 4Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 6 students (typically ages 11–12) working on forces & motion. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 35 minutes for 15 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Magnets and Magnetic Forces.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 6 · Science · Forces & Motion

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Name

Date

Score /

Draw force arrows to help you: bigger force, longer arrow.

Part A: What are forces?

Read the passage, then answer the questions.

A force is a push or a pull. Forces can make things start moving, stop, speed up, slow down, change direction or change shape. Forces are measured in newtons (N).

We draw forces as arrows. The arrow points in the direction of the force, and a longer arrow shows a bigger force.

When the forces on an object are equal in size and opposite in direction, they are balanced: a still object stays still and a moving object keeps moving at the same speed in the same direction. When they are unbalanced, the object's motion changes.

1.What unit are forces measured in?
  1. Akilograms
  2. Bmetres
  3. Cnewtons
  4. Dseconds
2.A book rests on a table without moving. Which statement is correct?
  1. AThere are no forces on the book.
  2. BGravity pulls it down and the table pushes it up with an equal force, so the forces are balanced.
  3. COnly gravity acts on the book.
  4. DThe table's push is bigger than gravity.
3.What can unbalanced forces do to a moving object?
  1. Anothing at all
  2. Bonly make it stop
  3. Cmake it speed up, slow down or change direction
  4. Dmake it disappear
4.A box slides across the floor and slowly stops. Which force slowed it down?
  1. Afriction
  2. Bmagnetism
  3. Cupthrust
  4. Delectricity
5.A spring balance used to measure forces is also called a (answer space) meter.

Part B: Calculating the net force

Show your working.

The net force is the overall force on an object. If forces act in the same direction, add them. If they act in opposite directions, subtract the smaller from the bigger. The object's motion changes in the direction of the bigger force.

6.Match each force to what it does.
  • gravity
  • friction
  • air resistance
  • upthrust
  • pushes up on objects in water
  • pulls objects towards the centre of the Earth
  • slows down objects moving through air
  • acts between two surfaces that rub or slide against each other
7.In a tug of war, Team A pulls left with 200 N and Team B pulls right with 150 N. What is the net (overall) force, and which way will the rope move? (answer space)
8.Two friends push a heavy box to the right with forces of 30 N and 40 N. Friction acts on the box with a force of 50 N to the left. What is the net force on the box? (answer space)
9.A boat has a weight of 500 N pulling down. The water pushes up on it with an upthrust of 500 N. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced? What happens to the boat? (answer space)

Part C: True or false?

Write True or False.

10.A bike rolling along at a steady speed can have balanced forces acting on it. ☐ True   ☐ False
11.Gravity can only act on an object when it is touching the ground. ☐ True   ☐ False
12.Opening a parachute increases air resistance. ☐ True   ☐ False
Free worksheets at worksheets.successtutoring.com · © Success Tutoring · Free for personal and classroom use

Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring Science Team
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.