WorksheetsAbout this worksheet
Percent means "out of a hundred". To find 25% of 80, multiply 80 by 25 and divide by 100, or simply take a quarter. These sheets ask for a percentage of a number and always give whole number answers.
What this skill is
A percentage is a fraction with 100 as its denominator, written with the % sign. It lets us compare things measured out of different totals: marks out of 80 and marks out of 50 can both be turned into marks out of 100. Finding a percentage of a number is one multiplication and one division by 100, or a few easy steps built from 10%.
A worked example
Find 35% of 240 by building from 10%.
- 10% of 240 is 24 (divide by 10).
- 30% is three times that: 72.
- 5% is half of 10%: 12.
- 35% = 30% + 5% = 72 + 12 = 84.
The formula gives the same: 240 × 35 ÷ 100 = 84. A sense check: 35% is a little more than a third, and a third of 240 is 80.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Learn the easy ones as fractions: 50% is half, 25% is a quarter, 10% is one tenth, 20% is one fifth.
- Build others from 10%: 30% is three times 10%; 5% is half of 10%.
- Link it to shop discounts and exam marks; children meet both every week.
How to use this sheet at home and in class
- At home: start with "Easy: 10%, 20%, 25%, 50%" and ask for answers in the head. These four are worth knowing as fractions for life.
- In class: let half the class use the formula and half build from 10%, then compare. Children should own both methods.
- Bring a newspaper sale advertisement or a marks sheet. A real 20% discount on a real price makes the sheet matter.
Mistakes to watch for
- Forgetting to divide by 100, so that 25% of 80 comes out as 2,000.
- Treating the percentage as the answer: saying 25% of 80 is 25.
- Thinking a percentage of a number can never be more than 100. 50% of 600 is 300; the percent is out of a hundred, the answer is not.
What to try next
- Fractions worksheets: percentages are fractions out of 100.
- Decimals worksheets: 35% is also 0.35.
- Simple equations worksheets: for classes 6 to 8.