diff --git a/src/org/exist/dom/persistent/ElementImpl.java b/src/org/exist/dom/persistent/ElementImpl.java
index 21656ee77d8..aa61443999d 100644
--- a/src/org/exist/dom/persistent/ElementImpl.java
+++ b/src/org/exist/dom/persistent/ElementImpl.java
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ public class ElementImpl extends NamedNode implements Element {
     public static final int LENGTH_NS_ID = 2; //sizeof short
     public static final int LENGTH_PREFIX_LENGTH = 2; //sizeof short
 
-    private short attributes = 0;
-    private int children = 0;
+    private short attributes = 0; // number of attributes
+    private int children = 0; // number of elements AND attributes
 
     private int position = 0;
     private Map<String, String> namespaceMappings = null;
@@ -583,7 +583,7 @@ public void appendChildren(final Txn transaction, NodeList nodes, final int chil
                         final IStoredNode<?> last = (IStoredNode<?>) cl.item(child - 2);
                         insertAfter(transaction, nodes, last);
                     } else {
-                        final IStoredNode<?> last = (IStoredNode<?>) getLastChild();
+                        final IStoredNode<?> last = (IStoredNode<?>) getLastChild(true);
                         appendChildren(transaction, last.getNodeId().nextSibling(), null,
                             new NodeImplRef(getLastNode(last)), path, nodes, listener);
                     }
@@ -1030,16 +1030,41 @@ public Node getFirstChild() {
 
     @Override
     public Node getLastChild() {
-        if(!hasChildNodes()) {
+        return getLastChild(false);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the last child.
+     *
+     * @param attributesAreChildren In the DLN model attributes have child node ids,
+     *     however in the DOM model attributes are not child nodes. Set true for DLN
+     *     or false for DOM.
+     *
+     * @return the last child.
+     */
+    private Node getLastChild(final boolean attributesAreChildren) {
+        if ((!attributesAreChildren) && (!hasChildNodes())) {
+            // DOM model
+            return null;
+        } else if (!(hasChildNodes() || hasAttributes())) {
+            // DLN model
             return null;
         }
+
         Node node = null;
-        if(!isDirty) {
+        if (!isDirty) {
             final NodeId child = nodeId.getChild(children);
             node = ownerDocument.getNode(new NodeProxy(ownerDocument, child));
         }
-        if(node == null) {
-            final NodeList cl = getChildNodes();
+        if (node == null) {
+            final NodeList cl;
+            if (!attributesAreChildren) {
+                // DOM model
+                cl = getChildNodes();
+            } else {
+                // DLN model
+                cl = getAttrsAndChildNodes();
+            }
             return cl.item(cl.getLength() - 1);
         }
         return node;
diff --git a/test/src/xquery/suite.xql b/test/src/xquery/suite.xql
index 4a94cb24725..8337e3afac6 100644
--- a/test/src/xquery/suite.xql
+++ b/test/src/xquery/suite.xql
@@ -15,5 +15,6 @@ test:suite((
     inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("nill.xql")),
     inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("ft-match.xql")),
     inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("types.xql")),
-    inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("unparsed-text.xql"))
+    inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("unparsed-text.xql")),
+    inspect:module-functions(xs:anyURI("xquery-update.xql"))
 ))
diff --git a/test/src/xquery/xquery-update.xql b/test/src/xquery/xquery-update.xql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4ec74c2d0b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/src/xquery/xquery-update.xql
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+xquery version "3.1";
+
+module namespace xqu="http://exist-db.org/xquery/test/xquery-update";
+
+import module namespace test="http://exist-db.org/xquery/xqsuite" at "resource:org/exist/xquery/lib/xqsuite/xqsuite.xql";
+
+
+declare
+    %test:assertEquals('<root><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root() {
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root/>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};
+
+declare
+%test:assertEquals('<root attr="1"><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root_attribute() {
+    let $r := xmldb:remove('/db', 'xupdate.xml')
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root attr="1"/>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};
+
+declare
+%test:assertEquals('<root attr="1"><foo/><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root_attribute_child() {
+    let $r := xmldb:remove('/db', 'xupdate.xml')
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root attr="1"><foo/></root>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};
+
+declare
+%test:assertEquals('<root attr="1"><foo bar="2"/><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root_attribute_child_attribute() {
+    let $r := xmldb:remove('/db', 'xupdate.xml')
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root attr="1"><foo bar="2"/></root>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};
+
+declare
+%test:assertEquals('<root><!-- foobar --><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root_comment() {
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root><!-- foobar --></root>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};
+
+declare
+%test:assertEquals('<root attr="1"><!-- foobar --><child/></root>')
+function xqu:root_comment_attribute() {
+    let $f  := xmldb:store('/db', 'xupdate.xml', <root attr="1"><!-- foobar --></root>)
+    let $u  := update insert <child/> into doc($f)/root
+    return doc($f)
+};