Year 6 - Maths
Use knowledge of calculating any percentage of a number to solve problems in a range of contexts
Understanding percentages
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will explain what percent means and how to represent a percentage in different ways. They will learn how to convert percentages to decimals and fractions and solve conversion problems.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to calculate any percentage of a number and solve problems in a range of contexts.
Key Notes
- If I know 10% of a number, I can halve it to find 5%
- If I know 10% and 5% of a number, I can add them to find 15%
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division can be used to calculate a new percentage from known percentages.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Percentage: A percentage is a proportion of a whole.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may confuse the numbers given and the percentages of them when calculating.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Solve this in steps: explain the method from this lesson and why each step matters.
If I know 10% of a number, I can halve it to find 5%. If I know 10% and 5% of a number, I can add them to find 15%.
2. Use this key word in a maths sentence and explain it clearly. 'Percentage'
A percentage is a proportion of a whole. Use this word when showing your method, then check your final answer is reasonable.
3. Spot and fix this common maths mistake.
Mistake: Pupils may confuse the numbers given and the percentages of them when calculating. Correction: In the lesson, calculating with the numbers given (from 3 to 90) and the percentages of them (e.g. 1% to 30%) is often dealt with separately, looking at individual columns in a table. Columns can be covered when calculating to help focus attention.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Explain how to convert a percentage to a fraction without a denominator of 100 Study Guide
- Explain how to convert percentages to decimals and fractions with a denominator of 100 Study Guide
- Explain how to solve problems where the percentage part and size is known but the whole is unknown Study Guide
- Explain what percent means and represent a percentage in different ways Study Guide
- Solve problems involving percentages in a range of contexts Study Guide
- Solve problems where the known percentage part and size represents a change to the whole Study Guide
- Use knowledge of calculating 50%, 10% and 1% of a number to solve problems in a range of contexts Study Guide
- Use knowledge of calculating common percentages of a number to solve problems in a range of contexts Study Guide
- Use knowledge of fraction-decimal-percentage conversions to solve problems in a range of contexts Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 6 Maths guide library.