diff --git a/qa/mixed-cluster/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/backwards/IndexingIT.java b/qa/mixed-cluster/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/backwards/IndexingIT.java
index c6200417e39..f744b3029b1 100644
--- a/qa/mixed-cluster/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/backwards/IndexingIT.java
+++ b/qa/mixed-cluster/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/backwards/IndexingIT.java
@@ -192,8 +192,8 @@ public class IndexingIT extends ESRestTestCase {
             int numDocs = 0;
             final int numberOfInitialDocs = 1 + randomInt(5);
             logger.info("indexing [{}] docs initially", numberOfInitialDocs);
-            numDocs += indexDocs(index, numDocs, numberOfInitialDocs);
-            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, numDocs, newNodeClient);
+            numDocs += indexDocs(index, 0, numberOfInitialDocs);
+            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, nodes.getBWCVersion().major >= 6 ? numDocs : 0, newNodeClient);
             logger.info("allowing shards on all nodes");
             updateIndexSetting(index, Settings.builder().putNull("index.routing.allocation.include._name"));
             ensureGreen();
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ public class IndexingIT extends ESRestTestCase {
             final int numberOfDocsAfterAllowingShardsOnAllNodes = 1 + randomInt(5);
             logger.info("indexing [{}] docs after allowing shards on all nodes", numberOfDocsAfterAllowingShardsOnAllNodes);
             numDocs += indexDocs(index, numDocs, numberOfDocsAfterAllowingShardsOnAllNodes);
-            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, numDocs, newNodeClient);
+            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, nodes.getBWCVersion().major >= 6 ? numDocs : 0, newNodeClient);
             Shard primary = buildShards(index, nodes, newNodeClient).stream().filter(Shard::isPrimary).findFirst().get();
             logger.info("moving primary to new node by excluding {}", primary.getNode().getNodeName());
             updateIndexSetting(index, Settings.builder().put("index.routing.allocation.exclude._name", primary.getNode().getNodeName()));
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ public class IndexingIT extends ESRestTestCase {
             logger.info("indexing [{}] docs after moving primary", numberOfDocsAfterMovingPrimary);
             numDocsOnNewPrimary += indexDocs(index, numDocs, numberOfDocsAfterMovingPrimary);
             numDocs += numberOfDocsAfterMovingPrimary;
-            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, numDocs, newNodeClient);
+            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, nodes.getBWCVersion().major >= 6 ? numDocs : numDocsOnNewPrimary, newNodeClient);
             /*
              * Dropping the number of replicas to zero, and then increasing it to one triggers a recovery thus exercising any BWC-logic in
              * the recovery code.
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ public class IndexingIT extends ESRestTestCase {
             for (Shard shard : buildShards(index, nodes, newNodeClient)) {
                 assertCount(index, "_only_nodes:" + shard.node.nodeName, numDocs);
             }
-            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, numDocs, newNodeClient);
+            assertSeqNoOnShards(index, nodes, nodes.getBWCVersion().major >= 6 ? numDocs : numDocsOnNewPrimary, newNodeClient);
         }
     }