Functional Skills: Ratio

FS Level 1FS Level 2AQACity & GuildsEdexcelHighfield QualificationsNCFEOpen Awards

Functional Skills: Ratio Revision

Ratio

A ratio is something we use to compare how much there is of one thing to how much there is of another.

A ratio is written like 2:5 and is spoken as 2 to 5. This means that for every 2 lots of one thing, there must be 5 lots of the other.

There are 3 skills you need to know for ratios.

Make sure you are happy with the following topics before continuing.

The best way to start your level 2 maths revision is…...

The subject knowledge assessment. This covers key areas from the level 2 maths exam and once completed will provide revision suggestions so you know what topics to focus on.

CTA Icon
FS Level 1FS Level 2AQAEdexcelCity & GuildsNCFEOpen AwardsHighfield Qualifications

Skill 1: Simplifying Ratios

To simplify a ratio, divide each part of the ratio by the same number each time, until they can no longer be divided.

Example: Write the ratio \textcolor{red}{18}:\textcolor{blue}{60}:\textcolor{limegreen}{24} in its simplest form.

We can divide each number by 3 and then by 2 (or just by 6):

This cannot be simplified anymore to make whole numbers, so the ratio is in its simplest form, which is \textcolor{red}{3}:\textcolor{blue}{10}:\textcolor{limegreen}{4}

FS Level 1FS Level 2AQAEdexcelCity & GuildsNCFEOpen AwardsHighfield Qualifications

Follow Our Socials

Social BG
Facebook

Follow our Facebook for community support

Social BG

Follow our Instagram & TikTok for revision help

Our Facebook page can put you in touch with other students of your course for revision and community support. Alternatively, you can find us on Instagram or TikTok where we're always sharing revision tips for all our courses.

Follow our socials for revision tips and community support

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • tiktok

Skill 2: Solving Questions Involving Ratios

There are various types of questions involving ratios that you will encounter.

Example: Olive makes her tea by adding \textcolor{blue}{1} part milk to \textcolor{red}{7} parts hot water (\textcolor{blue}{1} : \textcolor{red}{7}). If Olive uses 30 ml of milk, how much hot water does she use?

The amount of milk used is \text{\textcolor{blue}{1 part}} = \textcolor{blue}{30 \text{ ml}}

Olive uses 7 parts of hot water to every part of milk.

So,

The amount of hot water used is \textcolor{red}{\text{7 parts}} = \textcolor{red}{7} \times \textcolor{blue}{30} = \textcolor{black}{210 \text{ ml}}

 

Example: Simon and Luca sell some items at an auction. They make £450 in total.

They split the money they make respectively in the ratio \textcolor{red}{4}:\textcolor{limegreen}{5}. Work out how much money each of them receive.

 

The ratio tells us that there are

\textcolor{red}{4} + \textcolor{limegreen}{5} = 9 parts

\textcolor{red}{4} of these go to Simon and \textcolor{limegreen}{5} of these go to Luca.

So, find how much \textcolor{purple}{1} part of £450 is worth, by dividing the total number of parts, 9

\textcolor{purple}{\text{1 part}} = £450 \div 9 = \textcolor{purple}{£50}

So,

\text{Simon's share} = \textcolor{red}{4 \text{ parts}} = \textcolor{red}{4} \times \textcolor{purple}{£50} = \textcolor{black}{£200}

\text{Luca's share} = \textcolor{limegreen}{5 \text{ parts}} = \textcolor{limegreen}{5} \times \textcolor{purple}{£50} = \textcolor{black}{£250}

FS Level 1FS Level 2AQAEdexcelCity & GuildsNCFEOpen AwardsHighfield Qualifications

Struggling with Ratio?

Take our functional skills maths level 2 assessment and see how you would score in the real exam.

CTA Icon

Skill 3: Calculating Total Amounts

You can use ratios to calculate total amounts, using the following steps:

Step 1: Calculate the value of one part (you may be given this in the question).

Step 2: Calculate the total number of parts.

Step 3: Calculate the total amount, by multiplying the value of one part by the total number of parts.

 

Example: A basic dough is made by mixing \textcolor{blue}{3} parts of Greek yoghurt and \textcolor{limegreen}{4} parts self-raising flour.

160 g of self-raising flour is used. How much dough is made in total?

 

4 parts self-raising flour is 160 g, so

\textcolor{purple}{\text{1 part}} = 160 \div 4 = \textcolor{purple}{40 \text{ g}}

The total number of parts is

\textcolor{blue}{3} + \textcolor{limegreen}{4} = \textcolor{red}{7}

So, the total amount of dough made is

\textcolor{red}{7} \times \textcolor{purple}{40 \text{ g}} = \textcolor{black}{280 \text{ g}}

FS Level 1FS Level 2AQAEdexcelCity & GuildsNCFEOpen AwardsHighfield Qualifications

Functional Skills: Ratio Example Questions

The ratio of men : women is 160 : 280

This can be simplified, by dividing both sides by 10:

16:28

it can be simplified further, by dividing both sides by 4:

4:7

This can no longer be divided to make whole numbers, so it is in its simplest form.

The amount of squash used is 1 part = 50 ml

Liam uses 5 parts of water to every part of squash.

So, the amount of water needed is

5 \times 50 ml = 250 ml

The total number of parts in the ratio is

3 + 4 + 2 = 9

1 part is worth

63 \div 9 = 7 years

 

Adam’s part of the ratio is 3 parts, so he is

3 \times 7 = 21 years old

Ben’s part of the ratio is 4 parts, so he is

4 \times 7 = 28 years old

Charlie’s part of the ratio is 2 parts, so he is

2 \times 7 = 14 years old

1 part = 330 \div 3 = 110 g

Total number of parts = 2 + 3 = 5

Total amount of fudge made = 5 \times 110 g = 550 g

Related Content

PFS

Multiplication

FS Level 1FS Level 2Entry Level 3
PFS

Division

FS Level 1FS Level 2Entry Level 3

Additional Resources

PFS

Exam Tips Cheat Sheet

FS Level 2
PFS

Formula Booklet

FS Level 2

Functional Skills: Ratio Worksheet and Example Questions

Site Logo

Ratio L1, L2

FS Level 1FS Level 2NewOfficial PFS

[responsive-flipbook id=”pfs_pocket_revision_guide_-_sample”]

You May Also Like...

Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Pocket Revision Guide

Revise and practice for your functional skills maths level 2 exam. All topics covered in this compact revision guide.

View Product

Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Mini Tests

Practice for your functional skills Maths level 2, questions from every topic included.

View Product
Sale!

Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Revision Cards

Revise for functional skills maths level 2 easily and whenever and wherever you need. Covering all the topics, with revision, questions and answers for every topic.

£8.99
View Product

Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Practice Papers

This 5 set of Functional Skills Maths Level 2 practice papers are a great way to revise for your Functional Skills Maths Level 2 exam. These practice papers have been specially tailored to match the format, structure, and question types used by each of the main exam boards for functional skills Maths. Each of the 5 papers also comes with a comprehensive mark scheme, so you can see how well you did, and identify areas to improve on.

From: £29.99
View Product

Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Practice Papers & Revision Cards

This great value bundle enables you to get 5 functional skills maths level 2 practice papers along with the increasingly popular flashcard set that covers the level 2 content in quick fire format.

From: £37.99
View Product