11+ Cubes and Nets: How to Work Out Which Faces Are Opposite
By Simply Eleven Plus · Updated 25 October 2026 · 4 min read
Cube net questions show a flat pattern of six squares and ask which cube it folds into, or which cube it can’t make. Two simple rules answer most of them without having to imagine the folding.
Rule 1: in a straight line of three squares, the outer two are opposite
If three squares sit in a row in the net, the first and third end up on opposite faces of the cube. Opposite faces can never be seen together on a drawing of a cube.
Rule 2: squares that share an edge in the net are next to each other
Two squares joined along an edge in the net will be neighbours on the cube, so they can never be opposite.
Example
A net is a cross: a column of four squares A, B, C and D from top to bottom, with E on the left of B and F on the right of B.
In the column, A and C are two apart, so they are opposite. B and D are two apart, so they are opposite. In the row E, B, F, the outer squares E and F are opposite.
Opposite pairs: A–C, B–D, E–F. Any drawing of a cube that shows A and C together, for example, is impossible.
A fast way to check answer options
- First, list the three opposite pairs from the net.
- Cross out any option that shows an opposite pair side by side.
- If more than one option is left, check the direction of any arrows or patterns on the faces.
Practise it
The method only sticks with practice. Try cube and net questions on Simply Eleven Plus, free to start, with instant marking and an explanation for every answer, or sit a free live mock exam to practise under real exam conditions.
Free 11+ live mock exams
Let your child sit a real-time, timed mock paper online, then go through the trickiest questions together. It’s free.