Functional Skills

Maths
Level 1
Understand and use equivalencies between common
fractions, decimals and percentages
v1.0
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Functional Skills Maths:

Level 1

Skill Standard:
3

Coverage and Range:

Understand and use equivalencies between common fractions, decimals and percentages.

 Read, write, order and compare common fractions, including mixed numbers,
decimals with up to three decimal places and percentages.1

1 QCA Functional Skills guidance: amplification of the standards June 2008 QCA/08/3700

www.bksb.co.uk 2
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Read Write Order Common Fractions

Fractions are parts of a whole. The bottom number is called the denominator and shows
how many parts the whole has been divided into. The top number is called the numerator
and shows how many parts there are. The larger the denominator, the smaller each
individual part.
numerator 1
4 denominator

1 1 1
2 4 6

To compare unit fractions the numerator is always 1.

Practise the Skill

1 1
1) is bigger than 2
3

Circle your answer. True / False

2) Put the following fractions in order, starting with the smallest fraction.

1 1 1 1 1 1
8 2 4 6 5 10

1 1
3) Circle the smaller fraction. 10 or 2

1 1
4) Circle the larger fraction. 6 or 4

www.bksb.co.uk 3
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

1 1
5) In a car park 8 of the cars are black and 6 are red. Are there more black cars than
red cars in the car park?

Circle your answer.

Yes / No

6) Your dad says he will pay a fraction of your mobile phone bill. Would you rather he
1 1
paid 2 of the bill or 3 ?

__________

7) Your team has won a prize and you will receive a share.
Which is the largest share?

Circle your answer.

1 1 1
10 4 5

www.bksb.co.uk 4
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Equivalent Fractions

Equivalent fractions are different fractions that represent the same amount of something.
They may look different but have the same value.

1 2
2 4

The same amount of each shape is shaded. These two fractions are the same:

1 2
2 =
4

You can make equivalent fractions by multiplying or dividing the numerator and the
denominator (the top and bottom numbers) by the same number.

x2 x3

= =

x2 x3

x4 x5

= =

x4 x5

www.bksb.co.uk 5
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Work out the missing number on each question.

1 2
2 = 6 10 = 5

2 10 3 12
3 = 4 =

3 9
5 = 20 30 = 10

2) A bank reported that more first time buyers took a mortgage out last month.
If a quarter more mortgages were taken out, what number is missing?

___________

3) The amount first time buyers are expected to put down as a deposit is .

This is equivalent to

___________

www.bksb.co.uk 6
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

4) Jenny, Gail and Jill are all going on holiday and they want to hire a family car. They
notice offers on the internet on two different days.

Book a family car today and you will save 3/10 off all prices.

Special discount rate – save 1/5 on all car hire for a limited period
only.

Jenny says the special discount rate of save 1/5 is cheaper.

Do you agree?

Please circle your answer.

Yes / No

www.bksb.co.uk 7
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Simplifying Fractions

To simplify (or cancel) a fraction means to make the fraction as simple as possible. To do
this you have to cancel the fraction down until it can’t be cancelled down any more.

÷ 2 = ÷ 2 =

Write this fraction in its simplest form :

÷ 2 = ÷ 2 = ÷ 2=

or

÷ 8 =

www.bksb.co.uk 8
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Write the following fractions in their simplest form.

= =

= =

= =

= =

2) All newly purchased glass food jars contain at least recycled glass. What is this
fraction in its simplest form?

__________

3) On average, of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging. What
is this fraction when you cancel it down?

__________

30
4) 45 of paper is recycled which makes it one of the main recycled materials in the UK.
What is this fraction in its simplest form?

__________

www.bksb.co.uk 9
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Compare Fractions

If the denominators (bottom numbers) are all the same, then compare the numerators (top
numbers). The bigger the numerator, the bigger the fraction.

If the denominators are not the same, then you will need to change them to be the same
before you can compare.

You have to find a common denominator - that is the lowest number that all the
denominators will divide into.

Example

1 3 2
2 4 3

To compare the following fractions you need to find the lowest common denominator:

The number 12 is the lowest common denominator for these fractions.

Firstly, convert all the fractions using 12 as the denominator.

x6 x3 x4

1 = = =
2
x6 x3 x4

Secondly, compare the numerators.

www.bksb.co.uk 10
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Compare the following fractions.

Circle your answer.
Which fraction is smaller? Which fraction is the largest?

3 3 3 5
or or
8 4 4 8

5 5 5 2
or or
6 8 6 3

2) Put the following fractions in order, beginning with the smallest.

3 1 3 7
5 4 8 10

______ , ______ , ______ , ______

3) Put the following fractions in order, beginning with the smallest.

5 4 1 2
6 5 2 3

______ , ______ , ______ , ______

4) Ronnie likes rollercoaster rides and she is trying to decide which theme park
1
has the most. At Dalton Towers of the rides are rollercoasters and at Helter
3
3
Skelter are rollercoasters.
8
Which park should Ronnie go to?

__________________

www.bksb.co.uk 11
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

1 2
5) You spend of your income on bills and of your income on entertainment.
4 5
Do you spend more on bills or entertainment?

_______________
1 3
6) Jason works in a call centre. of the calls he takes are queries and of the
4 10
calls are complaints. Does Jason get more complaints than queries?
Circle your answer.

Yes / No
3 5
7) of the drinks sold at a café are tea and of the drinks are coffee.
5 8
Which is the more popular drink?

____________

1 1
8) On a flight of the passengers used the online check-in at home, used the
3 4
3
self-check-in facilities at the airport and used the airline check-in desk.
8
Which method was used by the smallest number of passengers?

____________

2 2
9) of the students use the college diner and bring their own food. The college
3 5
newsletter states that more students bring their own food. Is this true or false?

Circle your answer.

____________

www.bksb.co.uk 12
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers

An improper fraction is a fraction where the numerator (top number) is greater than
the denominator (bottom number). An improper fraction is sometimes called ‘top
heavy’.

9 8 25
Improper fractions
2 3 4

11
To convert to a mixed number divide the denominator into the numerator.
4
11
will be 2 whole numbers and three parts left over
4

11 3
= 2
4 4

A mixed number is a whole number with a fraction.

4 2 1
Mixed number fractions 9 7 2
5 3 4

1 3 2 5
1 is the same as 1 is the same as
2 2 3 3

2 1 3 3 2 5
+ = + =
2 2 2 3 3 3

1
To convert 3 to an improper fraction multiply the whole number by the denominator
4
and add the numerator.
12 1 13
3 whole × 4 = now add the other =
4 4 4

www.bksb.co.uk 13
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

When you are comparing improper fractions and mixed numbers, you must convert
them to the same type of fraction.

3 13 3
To compare 1 2
4 4 4
7 13 11
Make them all improper fractions then compare the numerators.
4 4 4

2 1 13
To compare 2 2
3 4 6
8 9 13
Make them all improper fractions
3 4 6

If the denominators are different, convert to the same denominator.

The lowest common denominator for these fractions is 12.

32 27 26
12 12 12

Now you can compare the numerators.

www.bksb.co.uk 14
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Convert these mixed numbers into improper fractions.

1 1
1 = 2 =
3 6

2 5
5 = 3 =
5 8

2) Convert these improper fractions to mixed numbers.

7 8
= =
2 3

17 17
= =
5 6

3) Put the following in order starting with the smallest.

2 11 1
1 1
3 8 4

______ , ______ , ______

4) Put the following in order starting with the smallest.

8 2 1
2 2
3 5 6

______ , ______ , ______

www.bksb.co.uk 15
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Decimals

When we read a number, we read from the left.

Numbers to the left of the decimal point are whole numbers.
Numbers to the right of the decimal point are decimal fractions.
When ordering or comparing decimals it is sometimes easier to put decimals in a table to
help keep the decimal points and figures in their correct columns.
Place Value Table
Hundred Tens Units Decimal Tenths Hundredths Thousandths
s 10s 1s Point 10ths 100ths 1000ths
100s
5 6 . 2 9
0 . 8 5 1
9 . 6 5
1 4 0 . 0 0 2

The zeros in the numbers above are known as place holders.

To put these numbers in order arrange all the decimals in a column with the decimal points
underneath each other.

0.34 3.40 0.420 0.125 4.2

Start with the whole numbers.

4 . 2
3 . 40
0 . 420
0 . 34
0 . 125
Make them all the same length by adding zeros to help with comparison.
4 . 200
e.g.
3 . 400
0.42 becomes 0.420 0 . 420
0.34 “ 0.340 0 . 340
0 . 125

It is now easier to put them in order.

www.bksb.co.uk 16
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Circle the smallest decimal.

2.473 3.85 2.72 3.7 3.15

2) Circle the smallest decimal.

3.943 9.43 4.931 3.941 3.094

3) Circle the largest decimal.

16.1 1.06 16.01 1.16 16.61

4) Circle the largest decimal.

8.508 8.05 8.005 8.50 8.85

5) Put the following decimals in order starting with the smallest.

5.76 55.706 50.67 50.765 5.07

Smallest ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

6) Put the following decimals in order starting with the smallest.

38.03 38.83 38.083 3.08 3.808

Smallest ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

7) Put the following decimals in order, starting with the largest.

168.608 186.86 166.68 186.086 186.806

Largest _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

www.bksb.co.uk 17
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

8) Jack has bought new skirting board to fit in his house. The pieces of board measure

6.07 m, 6.6 m, 7.06 m, 6.06 m and 7.07 m. What is the length of the shortest piece?

_________ m

9) These are the times of the tracks on your new CD.

Track 1 4.51

Track 2 4.15

Track 3 3.41

Track 4 4.54

Track 5 3.45

Which track plays for longest time?

Circle your answer.

10) An online website made the following sales in 30 minutes. Put these amounts in

order starting with the largest amount.

£16.80, £18.06, £10.80, £18.60, £16.86, £10.08

Largest _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

11) A park has 3 ponds. The areas of the ponds are:

50.727 m², 50.272 m² and 50.227 m²
What is the size of the pond with the smallest area?
Circle your answer.

www.bksb.co.uk 18
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Percentage

‘Per cent’ means out of 100. A short way of writing ‘per cent’ is to use %.

100% = the whole amount.

Percentages can also be written as fractions:

50 The percentage amount is the numerator

50% can be written as
100
100 is the denominator

50 1
50% = = =
100 2

1 10 25 75
1% = 10% = 25% = 75% =
100 100 100 100

Practise the Skill

1) Write these amounts as percentages.

Sixty per cent = Thirty per cent =

Eighty-five per cent = Ninety per cent =

2) Write the following percentages as fractions in their simplest form.

60 % = 16 % =

35 % = 43 % =

www.bksb.co.uk 19
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

3) Put the following in order starting with the largest.

95 65 55
45% 50% 35%
100 100 100

Largest ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

4) A newspaper is covering an election and reports that all the categories have seen an
increase in the number of votes.

Which category has seen the smallest increase?

__________

5) A school diner is trying to encourage students to drink healthier drinks.

Which drink offers the biggest increase?

____________

www.bksb.co.uk 20
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

6) Dana wants to join a gym. She sees the following advertisements.

Which gym offers the biggest discount?

___________

www.bksb.co.uk 21
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Equivalencies between Common Fractions, Percentages and Decimals

Fractions, percentages and decimals are all parts of something.

3 Different Ways to Write the Same Thing.

numerator 1
denominator = 50% = 0.5
2
percentage decimal

1
= 25% = 0.25
4

3
= 75% = 0.75
4

Sometimes we need to convert between each one.

To convert a percentage to a decimal, divide by 100.

25% = 25 ÷ 100 = 0.25

50% = 50 ÷ 100 = 0.50
75% = 75 ÷ 100 = 0.75

To convert a decimal to a percentage, multiply the decimal by 100.

0.15 = 0.15 × 100 = 15%

0.50 = 0.50 × 100 = 50%

0.75 = 0.75 × 100 = 75%

www.bksb.co.uk 22
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Change these percentages to decimals.

30% = 45% =

60% = 5% =

2) Change these percentages to decimals.

1% = 55% =

80% = 10% =

3) Change these decimals to percentages.

0.75 = 0.25 =

0.65 = 0.07 =

4) Change these decimals to percentages.

0.2 = 0.15 =

0.05 = 0.95 =

www.bksb.co.uk 23
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

To convert a percentage to a fraction, put the number over 100 and simplify if possible.

50 1
50% = =
100 2

25 1
25% = =
100 4

75 3
75% = =
100 4

Practise the Skill

1) Write each percentage as a fraction and simplify if possible.

20% = 90% =

25% = 10% =

2) Write each percentage as a fraction and simplify if possible.

45% = 5% =

17% = 8% =

www.bksb.co.uk 24
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

To convert a fraction to a decimal, divide the numerator by the denominator.

1
= 1÷5= 0.2
5
1
= 1 ÷ 10 = 0.1
10
3
= 3÷4= 0.75
4

To convert a decimal to a fraction, write the decimal as a fraction in tenths, hundredths or

thousandths. Think about the number value and simplify if possible.

3
0.3 = 3 tenths =
10
5 1
0.5 = 5 tenths = =
10 2
25 1
0.25 = 25 hundredths = =
100 4
125 1
0.125 = 125 thousandths = =
1000 8

www.bksb.co.uk 25
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Write each fraction as a decimal.

1 1
= =
4 2

1 1
= =
5 8

2) Write each fraction as a decimal.

3 7
= =
8 10

5 3
= =
8 5

3) Write each decimal as a fraction.

0.2 = 0.6 =

0.8 = 0.3 =

4) Write each decimal as a fraction.

0.4 = 0.5 =

0.375 = 0.825 =

www.bksb.co.uk 26
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

To convert a fraction to a percentage, divide the numerator by the denominator, then

multiply by 100.
1
x 100%
2

1
= 1 ÷ 2 = 0.5 0.5 x 100 = 50%
2

1
x 100%
5

1
= 1 ÷ 5 = 0.2 0.2 x 100 = 20%
5

Practise the Skill

1) Write the following fractions as percentages.

1 1 1
= = =
4 6 8

1 1
= =
10 3

2) Write the following fractions as percentages.

3 2 5
= = =
4 5 6

3 7
= =
10 8

www.bksb.co.uk 27
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

Equivalencies between Common Fractions, Percentages and Decimals
1) You are buying a mobile phone and see these offers.

Which discount would you rather have?

__________
1
2) A travel company is offering off the cost of a holiday if you book directly with them,
3
or 20% if you book online. You want to save as much as possible, so how will you
book your holiday?

Circle your answer.

Directly / online

3) A newspaper reports a 15% increase in the number of tourists 2 years ago and an
1
increase of one year ago. In which year was the biggest increase?
6
Circle your answer.

2 Years ago / 1 Year ago

1
4) A bank offers interest rates of 0.6 per cent on its savings account or per cent on
2
its online account. Which account offers the best interest rate?

Circle your answer

Savings / Online

www.bksb.co.uk 28
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

5) Jason wants to buy new trainers. The shop is offering 45% off all trainers sold on
1
Saturday and all trainers price on Sunday.
2
To pay the least amount for his trainers, on which day should Jason buy his trainers?
Circle your answer.

Saturday / Sunday

1
6) A teacher notices that on Friday 10% of the students were absent and on Monday
8
were absent. On which day were most students absent?
Circle your answer.

Monday / Friday

www.bksb.co.uk 29
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Calculating a Fraction of an Amount

To find a fraction of an amount you divide the amount by the denominator.

1
of 100 = 100 ÷ 2 = 50
2

1
of £80 = £80 ÷ 4 = £20
4

1
of 25 g = 25 g ÷ 5 =5g
5

3 1
To find more than one fractional part of an amount, (i.e rather than just ), you divide
4 4
the amount by the denominator and then multiply by the numerator.

3
of 120 = 120 ÷ 4 = 30 x 3 = 90
4

2
of £18 = £18 ÷ 3 = £6 x 2 = £12
3

Practise the Skill

1) Find:
1 1
of 30 = of £99 =
2 3

3 2
of 160 = of 15 kg =
4 3

5 3
of £1440 = of 620 litres =
6 10

1
2) The government plans to build 75,000 new homes. of the new homes will be built
5
in a city near you. How many is that?

__________

www.bksb.co.uk 30
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

2
3) of the drivers at a test centre fail their driving test on their first attempt. If 90 tests
3
were taken, how many failed?

__________

3
4) There were 180 dogs in a rescue centre. of them were re-housed. How many were
4
were left?

__________

2
5) In one month it rained on of the days. There were 30 days in that month. On how
5
many days did it rain?

__________

7
6) At college of the students use the college transport. There are 4000 students at
8
the college. How many students use the transport?

__________

www.bksb.co.uk 31
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Explain the Skill

Calculating a Percentage of an Amount

To find 1% of an amount divide the amount by 100.

To find 50%, find half of the amount.

To find 25%, find half and half again of the amount.
To find 75%, find half and half again and add the amounts together.
To find 10%, divide the amount by 10.
To find 5%, find 10% of the amount and halve it.

1% of 3500 = 3500 ÷ 100 = 35

50% of 80 g = 80 g ÷ 2 = 40 g

25% of 640 = 640 ÷ 2 = 320 (50% of 640)

320 ÷ 2 = 160 (25% of 640)

75% of 200 litres = 200 ÷ 2 = 100 litres (50% of 200 litres)

100 ÷ 2 = 50 litres (25% of 200 litres)
100 + 50 = 150 litres (75% of 200 litres)

10% of 450 km = 450 ÷ 10 = 45 km

5% of 400 = 400 ÷ 10 = 40 (10% of 400)

40 ÷ 2 = 20 (5% of 400)

www.bksb.co.uk 32
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Practise the Skill

1) Find:

1% of 800 = ______ 1% of £25 = £ ______

5% of 180 kg = ______ kg 5% of 30 m = ______ m

10% of 590 g = ______ g 10% of £6.50 = £ ______

25% of 700 m = ______ m 25% of 96 kg = ______ kg

50% of 430 g = ______ g 50% of 2550 m = ______ m

75% of 80 km = ______ km 75% of 684 = ______

2) You get a quote of £4550 for replacing the double glazing in your house.
If you replace all the doors and windows you receive a 50% discount.

How much will it cost after the discount?

£ ________

www.bksb.co.uk 33
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

3) A group of friends go out for a meal and the meal costs £148. They are given a
discount of 25% because of a mix-up on their orders.

How much does the meal cost after the discount?

£ ________

4) A concert hall has a seating capacity of 5752. Seventy- five percent of the seats are
occupied.

How many seats are un-occupied?

__________

5) Your bank account is £840 overdrawn and you are charged 5% interest.

How much interest do you have to pay?

£ ________

6) A salesman gets 15% commission on any cars he sells.

How much does he get for selling a car costing £8750?

£ ________

www.bksb.co.uk 34
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

Apply the Skill

1) There is an international tennis tournament at your local stadium and Gemma has
been selected to work as a ball girl.
Out of 225 applicants, 1/5 were successful. Of the successful applicants, 20%
couldn’t make all the training sessions and were discounted.

How many were selected to work at the tournament?

__________

2) 4250 yellow and white tennis balls will be used during the tournament. 3/5 of the
tennis balls are yellow. After the tournament the yellow balls are sold for £2.50 per
can of three. 85% of the money from the sale of the tennis balls is given to charity.

How much will the charity get?

__________

3) 49 080 tickets have been sold for the tournament. 3/5 of the tickets are for the
qualifying matches and 15% of the tickets are for the final match.

How many tickets sold are for the semi-final matches?

__________

www.bksb.co.uk 35
 FS MATHS L1 – 3 V1.0

4) Paul buys tickets for himself, his wife and their daughter who is 12 years old.
He buys tickets online for the final in Category 2 seats.

How much does he pay?

£ ________

5) 7500 portions of strawberries have been ordered for the tournament but because of
bad weather only 5/6 of the order has been delivered. 10% of those delivered are
given to the players and staff.
How many portions of strawberries can be sold?

__________

6) Gemma’s Mum runs the merchandise shop.

She bought 60 t shirts from the wholesaler at £13 each.
She sets the selling price of each t shirt so she would make 30% profit on each shirt.
She sells 40 shirts at this price.
Towards the end of the tournament she reduces the price by 20% and sells the
remaining t shirts.
How much profit or loss has she made?
Circle your answer.

Profit / Loss £ ________

www.bksb.co.uk 36