Functional Skills

Maths
Level 2
Use, convert and calculate using metric and, where
appropriate, imperial measures
v1.0
 FS MATHS L2 – 8 V1.0

Functional Skills Maths:

Level 2

Skill Standard:
8

Coverage and Range:

Use, convert and calculate using metric and, where appropriate, imperial measures.

 Calculate with sums of money and convert between currencies, understanding

buying and selling rates, and that exchange rates are fixed.
 Calculate, measure and record dates and times in different formats and know the
relationship between units of time, for example second, minute, hour, day, week,
month and year.
 Estimate, measure and compare length, distance, weight, capacity and
temperature, including reading celsius and fahrenheit scales and conversation
tables.
 Know common imperial units, for example yard, foot, inch, mile, ton, pound, ounce,
pint, gallon, and metric measures, for example mm, cm, m, km, mg, g, kg, tonne,
ml, l.
 Use mixed units of measure within the same system, for example m and cm, giving
answer in m.
 Calculate with units of measure between systems, using conversion tables and
scales, and know how to use approximate conversion factors, for example a
kilogram is a bit more than 2lb, 1lb is approximately 450 g, a litre is less than 2
pints, a gallon is about 4.5 litres, a metre is a bit more than a yard, an inch is about
2.5 cm, a foot is about 30 cm, 5 miles is about 8 km.1

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

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Explain the Skill

Convert Currencies

When you travel abroad you need to change your money to the currency of the country
you visit. Currency exchange rates are not fixed, they can vary from day to day.
Current exchange rates are displayed in banks, daily papers and can be found on the
Internet. There are two different rates.

 Selling Rate: The rate the bank sells you the foreign currency.

 Buying Rate: The rate the bank buys from you the foreign currency.

The buying back rate is always higher because the banks and travel agents will take a
commission.

To change pounds sterling to a different currency you multiply by the selling rate.
To change back to pounds sterling you divide the foreign currency by the buying rate.

Bank Selling Rate Bank Buying Rate

Euro € £1 = 1.35 £1 = 1.44

A couple changed £300 into Euros to go on holiday. £300 × 1.35 = 405 Euros
They returned with 75 Euros and exchanged these into £’s. 75 Euros ÷ 1.44 = £52.08

Bank Selling Rate Bank Buying Rate

U.S. Dollar $ £1 = 1.55 £1 = 1.62

Kitty went to the USA and changed £500 into dollars. These are the exchange rates she
got at the bureau de change. How many dollars did she get?

£500 x 1.55 = $775.00

On her return she changed $125 into Pounds Sterling. How many pounds did she get?

$125 ÷ 1.62 = £77.16

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Practise the Skill

1) Change the following amounts into Euros using the bank selling rate of £1 = €1.32

£400 = €________

£350 = €________

£780 = €________

2) The Bureau de Change selling rate is £1 = $1.51

Change the following amounts into US Dollars.

£250 = $________

£475 = $________

3) The Bureau de Change buying rate is £1 = $1.71

Change the following amounts into Pounds Sterling.

$165 = £________

$770 = £________

4)
Bank Selling Rate Bank Buying Rate
Canadian Dollar £1 = 1.90 £1 = 2.16

a) How much will you get if you change £450 into Canadian Dollars using the bank
selling rate?

$ ________

b) How much will you get if you change 365 Canadian Dollars into £’s?

£ ________

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5) Sandeep is planning a trip to India to visit his family. He changes £300 pounds
sterling to Indian Rupees.
The exchange rate is £1 = 95 Indian Rupees.
How many Indian Rupees will he get?
_________ Indian Rupees

6) Garry is returning from a weekend in Prague. He has €184 he didn’t spend and is
going to change them into Pounds Sterling.
The bank buying rate is £1 = €1.52.
How much will he get?
£ ________

Explain the Skill

Dates

There are several different ways of writing the date. The month can be written in full or in
a shortened form and can sometimes be a number.

In some countries the month comes before the day. e.g. 14/10/96 would be written as
10/14/96

In the UK the date is written day/month/year.

The first day of March 2015 can be written as:

1st March 2015 1 March 2015 01/03/2015

1 Mar 2015 01.Mar.15 1 Mar 15

01.03.15 01/03/15 1.3.2015

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Practise the Skill

1) Change these dates into the format 01/03/2015.

25th December 2017 = ___ / ___ / _______

1 Apr 1999 = ___ / ___ / _______

29 July 2010 = ___ / ___ / _______

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2) Tom is based in the UK and has meetings in various places as shown in his mobile
phone.

He is writing an email confirming his

meeting in Liverpool.
Give the date in this format dd/mm/yyyy
Give the time in the 24 hour format.

Dear Rob,
We are looking forward to you meeting you on ___/___/_______ at
___:___ at your office in Liverpool.
Please confirm this is still convenient.
Thanks,
Tom

What is the time of his meeting in Birmingham? Give your answer is 24 hour format.

__________

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3) It’s the 18th November and Tom is arranging a meeting in two weeks.
a) What will be the date of the meeting? (In dd/mm/yyyy format)

____________

b) He has to write a report for 11/12/2015. What day is this? Circle your answer.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

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Explain the Skill

Time

You need to know the units of time and the relationship between the units.

Units of Time
60 seconds = 1 minute
60 minutes = 1 hour
24 hours = 1 day
7 days = 1 week
12 months = 1 year
52 weeks = 1 year
365 days = 1 year
366 days = 1 leap year
100 years = 1 century
1000 years = 1 millennium

A train leaves London at 11:20 and arrives in Edinburgh at 16:04. How long does the train
take to get from London to Edinburgh?

11:20 to 12:00 is 40 minutes.

12:00 to 16:00 is 4 hours.
16:00 to 16:04 is 4 minutes.

Total time = 40 minutes + 4 hours + 4 minutes

= 4 hours 44 minutes

So the train journey takes 4 hours 44 minutes

Izzy is 27 years 4 months old. She will be getting married in 1 year 9 months.
How old will Izzy be when she gets married?

You need to add 1 year 9 months to 27 years 4 months.

First add 1 year to give 28 years.
Then add 9 months + 4 months = 13 months. This is 1 year 1 month.
So add 1 year 1 month to 28 years to give 29 years 1 month.

So Izzy will be 29 years 1 month

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Practise the Skill

1) Rob is catching a flight from Birmingham airport. The flight is at 08:42. He needs to
be at the airport 2 hours before his flight is due and it takes him 1 hour 25 minutes
to get to the airport.
What is the latest time Rob needs to leave home to arrive at the airport on time?

____:____

2) Ben and Jack took part in a cycle race. Ben took 47 minutes 39 seconds and Jack
took 54 minutes 12 seconds to complete the race.
What is the difference between the two times?

____ minutes ____ seconds

3) Ben is 27 years 8 months old and Jack is 33 years 2 months.

What is the difference between their ages?

____ years ____ months

4) Deena leaves her house at 13:37 and drives for 20 minutes to the supermarket.
She spends 1 hour 30 minutes at the supermarket before driving to the dentist 15
minutes away.
She spends 45 minutes at the dentist before driving for 25 minutes back to her
house.
What time does she arrive back home?

____ : ____

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5) The timetable shows the times of buses between Tenby and Pendine.

Hannah lives at Lower Beauvale and she is meeting her friend in Newthorpe. It
takes her 15 minutes to walk from the bus stop to her friend’s house.
What is the time of the latest bus she can take to get to her friend’s house by
08:55?

____ : ____

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Explain the Skill

Temperature

Temperature is measured using a thermometer and is usually measured in degrees

Celsius or Fahrenheit.

9
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the Celsius temperature reading by , and
5
then add 32.
9
F=Cx + 32
5

To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature, and then
5
multiply by .
9
5
C = (F - 32) x
9

The thermometer shows the temperature on two different days in summer. What is the
difference between the two temperatures?

To read the scale you first need to work out what the individual marks on the thermometer
represent.

Each mark represents 1 degree.

So the first reading is 19 °C and the second reading is 33 °C.
The difference is 14 °C.

It is 30 °C in London. What is this temperature in degrees Fahrenheit?

9
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the Celsius temperature reading by , and
5
then add 32.

9
So 30 x + 32 = 86 °F
5

Ans 30°C = 86 °F

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Practise the Skill

1) What temperature is marked on this thermometer?

______°F

2) What is the difference between the two temperatures marked on this thermometer?

______°C

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3) What is the difference between the two temperatures marked on these

thermometer?
_______°C

4) The temperature in Death Valley, California in July reached 40 °C.

9
Use F = C x + 32
5
What is this temperature in degrees Fahrenheit?

_______°F

5) In March the temperature was 50 °F.

5
Use C = (F - 32) x
9
What is this temperature in degrees Celsius?

_______°C

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Explain the Skill

Length

Length is a measurement of distance. Metric units are used to measure length though
sometimes imperial units are still used in UK. You need to be familiar with some of the
more common units and how to convert from metric to imperial units or vice versa using
approximate conversion factors.

Metric Units Imperial Units

10 mm = 1 cm 12 inches = 1 foot
100 cm = 1 m 3 feet = 1 yard
1000 m = 1 km 1760 yards = 1 mile

To convert centimetres to millimetres, multiply by 10.

To convert metres to centimetres, multiply by 100.

To convert feet to inches, multiply by 12.

To convert yards to feet, multiply by 3

Approximate conversion factors between imperial and metric units.

Imperial Units Metric Units

1 inch 2.5 cm
1 foot 30 cm
1 yard 1m
5 miles 8 km

5 miles = 8 kilometres.

To convert miles to kilometres, multiply by 8 and divide by 5

To convert kilometres to miles, divide by 8 and multiply by 5.

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Practise the Skill

1) A window frame measures 960 mm.

a) What is this in centimetres?

________ cm

b) What is this in metres?

_________ m

2) Estimate the following.

3 yards = approximately ______ m

3 feet = approximately ______ cm

8 inches = approximately ______ cm

3) Put these in order of size, starting with the largest.

200 mm 185 cm 1 km 50 m 1100 cm 1875 mm

Largest _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

4) Complete these calculations. Give your final answers in metres.

a) 4.5 m + 370 mm + 18 cm = ________m

b) 22.5 m - 1650 mm = ________m

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5) Julie is buying ribbon for costumes for the school show. She needs lengths
measuring 14 inches, 15 inches and 11 inches.
a) How much does she need in total in feet and inches?
____ ft ____ inches

b) If she buys 1 yard, has she bought enough?

Circle your answer.
Yes / No

6) Georgia runs 32 kilometres every week.

How far does she run in miles?
Use 5 miles = 8 km
______ miles

7) James is 5 feet 10 inches tall.

What is his height in metres?
Use 1 foot = 30 cm and 1 inch = 2.5 cm
______ metres

8) Beth is going to a university 80 miles away.

How far is this in kilometres?
Use 5 miles = 8 km
______ kilometres

9) Work out the distance between the markings on this metre ruler.

________ cm

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Explain the Skill

Weight

Weight is a measure of the mass of an object. Metric units are used to measure weight
though sometimes imperial units are still used in UK. You need to be familiar with some of
the more common units and how to convert from metric to imperial units or vice versa
using approximate conversion factors.

Metric Units Imperial Units

1000 g = 1 kg 16 ounces = 1 pound

1000 kg = 1 tonne 14 pounds = 1 stone

To convert kilograms to grams, multiply by 1000.

To convert tonnes to kilograms, multiply by 1000.

To convert pounds to ounces, multiply by 16.

To convert stones to pounds, multiply by 14.

Approximate conversion factors between imperial and metric units.

Imperial Units Metric Units

1 ounce 25 g
2.2 pounds 1 kg

To convert 3 kilograms to pounds.

3 x 2.2 = 6.6 kg

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Practise the Skill

1) A parcel weighs 7.05 kg.

What is this in grams?
_______ g

2) Put these weights in order of size, starting with the largest.

1
4 kg 450 g 4.04 kg 4.4 kg 4004 g 4 kg
2
Largest _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

3) Work out the following. Give your answers in kilograms.

a) 770 g + 1.7 kg + 77 g = _______ kg

b) 3.3 kg – 330 g = _______ kg

4) Estimate the following.

a) 12 ounces = approximately _______ g

b) 33 pounds = approximately _______ kg

5) A recipe uses 8 ounces of flour.

How many grams is this?
Use 1 ounce is about 25 g
_______ g

6) A large chicken weighs 2.5 kg.

How many pounds is this?
Use 2.2 pounds is about 1 kg
_______ lbs

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7) Kitty is baking several large cakes for a charity cake sale.

She needs 1200 grams of sugar for the cakes.

a) Approximately how many pounds is this?

Use 450 grams is about 1 pound.
_______ lbs

This will be marked within a reasonable range.

b) If she needs 400 grams of margarine for 1 cake, will she have enough
margarine to make 6 cakes from 2 kilogram.
Circle your answer.

Yes / No

8) What is the weight shown on the scales?

____ kg _____ g

9) What is the difference between the two readings on this scale?

______ kg

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Explain the Skill

Capacity

Capacity is the amount of fluid held in a container. Metric units are used to measure
capacity though sometimes imperial units are still used in UK. You need to be familiar with
some of the more common units and how to convert from metric to imperial units or vice
versa using approximate conversion factors.

Metric Units Imperial Units

1000 ml = 1 litre 20 fluid ounces = 1 pint

8 pints = 1 gallon

To convert litres to millilitres, multiply by 1000.

To convert litres to centilitres, multiply by 100.

To convert pints to fluid ounces, multiply by 20.

To convert gallons to pints, multiply by 8.

Approximate conversion factors between imperial and metric units.

Imperial Units Metric Units

1 pints 1 litre
1 gallon 4 litres

Convert 5 litres to pints.

5x1 = 8 pints

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Practise the Skill

Capacity

1) A container holds 60 millilitres of juice.

How many litres is this?
______ litres

2) Estimate the following.

(Use 1 pints = 1 litre) (1 gallon = 4 litres)

7 pints = approximately _________ litres

27 litres = approximately ________ gallons

3) Put these in order of size, starting with the smallest.

2022 ml 2.2 l 2002 ml 222 cl 2.02 l

Largest _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

4) Water is served at a restaurant from various containers.

What is the total capacity of the water in the 5 containers?

Give your answer in litres.
_______ litres

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5) All these buckets have water in them. Put them in the order of size, starting with the
smallest capacity.

24 pints 400 fluid ounces 2 gallons

Smallest ________ ________ ________

3
6) A recipe says you will need 1 of a pint of stock. Approximately how many fluid
4
ounces is this? 20 fluid ounces = 1 pint
______ fluid ounces

7) Ben drinks one pint of milk a day. He buys milk in 2 litre containers.
How many containers does he need for a week?
Use 1 pints = 1 litre

______ containers

8) A car’s petrol tank holds 72 litres.

Use 1 gallon = 4 litres
How many gallons is this?
______ gallons

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Apply the Skill

1) Isabella is a Spanish student coming to study in England for 1 year.

She changes 700 Euros to Pounds Sterling for her trip to England.
The exchange rate is 1 Euro = £0.72
How many pounds will she get?
£_______

2) Isabella’s flight departs at 13:10. It takes 1 hour 45 minutes to get from her home
to Madrid airport. She needs to be at the airport 2 hours before her flight.
What is the latest time she should leave home to travel to the airport?
___ : ___

3) Isabella’s flight from Madrid to London has been delayed. The flight arrives in
London at 18:20.
If the flight takes 2 hours 35 minutes, what time did the flight depart from Madrid?
___ : ___

4) Isabella is 5 feet 5 inches tall. What is this in metres to the nearest centimetre?
Use the conversion 1 inch = 2.5 cm and 1 foot = 30 cm.
______ m

5) Isabella weighs 51 kg. What is this weight to the nearest stone?

Use the conversion 1 kg = 2.2 pounds and 14 pounds = 1 stone.
______ stone

6) Isabella likes to keep fit and runs 30 miles a week. How far is this in kilometres?
Use the conversion 5 miles = 8 kilometres.
______ km

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7) When she is running she needs to drink 70 fluid ounces of water.

Approximately how many litres is this?
Use the conversion 20 fluid ounces = 1 pint and 1 pints = 1 litre
______ litres

8) Isabella buys a 1.75 litre carton of apple juice.

What is the largest number of 200 millilitre glasses that she can have from the
carton?
______ glasses

9) Isabella is planning a visit back to Spain to see her family.

She wants to stay for 1 week and needs to book a return flight to London on
6th May.
On what date should she book her flight out to Madrid?

____ / ____ / ________

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10) She needs to change Pound Sterling into Euros. She changes £250. The exchange
rate is £1.00 = €1.38.
How many Euros will she get?
€_______

11) The temperature in Madrid 15 °C.

What is this temperature in degrees Fahrenheit?
Use the conversion F=Cx + 32
_______°F

12) Isabella’s Dad picks her up from the airport and they drive 128 kilometres to their
house.
How many miles is this?
Use the conversion 5 miles = 8 kilometres.
_______ miles

13) The fuel tank in her Dad’s car holds 54 litres of petrol. He filled the tank up a few
days ago and it is now full.
How many gallons has he got left?
A gallon is about 4.5 litres.
______ gallons

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