Functional Skills Maths –

Level 1
Stuff you need to know
 Averages and Range

• Mean = total ÷ number of values

• Range = Highest – Lowest
 Charts and Graphs
• All charts need labels on the two axes, even scales with units (eg
cm, £ etc), a title, and a key if appropriate, eg
 Pie Chart
• To calculate the angles for a Pie chart:
• Angle = 360 ÷ total x frequency
 Probability
• If a sock drawer contains 2 red socks, 1 black
sock and 5 white socks, then the probability that
you pick out a red sock is 2/8 , as there are 8
socks altogether and 2 of them are red. This
cancels down to 1/4.

• Probabilities are expressed as fractions (eg 1/4),

decimals (eg 0.25) or percentages (eg 25%)
 Percentages
To find a percentage of a number, eg 47%
of £25
47 ÷ 100 x 25 = £11.75
 Fractions
• To find a fraction of an amount, divide by the bottom
number and times by the top, eg find two thirds of £18.
Two thirds is written 2/3 , so
18 ÷ 3 = 6, then 6 x 2 = £12

• To express one number as a fraction of another, eg

what is 10 as a fraction of 30

10/30 which cancels down to 1/3

 Ratio
• To express two numbers as a ratio, eg what is the ratio
of flour to fat in the recipe below?

Flour 100g
Fat 50g
Sugar 25g

Ratio = 100:50 which can be cancelled down (like a fraction) to 2:1

To share an amount in a given ratio eg share £10 in the ratio 2:3.
There are 2 + 3 = 5 parts needed,
£10 ÷ 5 = £2
The first share is £2 x 2 = £4 and the second share is £2 x 3 = £6
 Formulae
• A formula is a rule which tells you what to do
with the numbers eg The cost of hiring a cement
mixer is £30 per day. Work out the cost of hiring
the mixer for 5 days.

• The formula here is

Total cost = cost per day x number of days
Total cost = £30 x 5 = £150
 Units of Measurement
1000 mm = 1 metre 1000 m = 1 km
(10mm = 1 cm 100 cm = 1 m)
1000 mg = 1 gram 1000 g = 1 kg
1000 ml = 1 Litre
(10ml = 1 cl 100 cl = 1 L)

Converting between the units

• eg what is 2500 mm in metres?
There are 1000 mm in 1 metre, so 2500 ÷ 1000 = 2.5 m
• eg what is 6 .5 km in metres?
There are 1000 m in 1 km, so 6.5 x 1000 = 6500 m
N.B.
If the units you are converting to are larger, then divide
If the units you are converting to are smaller, then multiply
 Perimeter, area and volume
• Perimeter means distance round the edge, measured in
cm, metres, etc

8cm

4cm 4cm

Perimeter = 8 + 4 + 8 + 4

8cm = 24 cm
 Area means the amount of flat surface eg the size of the
floor, or the amount of wall to be painted, measured in cm2,
m2 etc

• The area of a rectangle is Length x Width

5cm

6cm
Area = 5 x 6 = 30 cm2
 Volume means the amount of 3-D space taken up eg the
amount of air in a room, measured in cm3, m3 etc

The volume of a cuboid (ie a box) is:

Length x Width x Height

Volume = 7 x 5 x 6
7cm
= 210 cm3

5 cm

6cm
 Time
60 seconds = 1 minute
60 minutes = 1 hour
To convert hours to minutes, times by 60
To convert minutes to hours, divide by 60
24 hours = 1 day
7 days = 1 week
52 weeks = 1 year
NB there are NOT exactly 4 weeks in 1 month!
12 months = 1 year
365 days = 1 year
 Speed Distance and Time
Speed = Distance ÷ Time
Units are: miles per hour (mph)
km per hour (km/h)
metres per second (m/s)