GL Assessment Style Maths Speed Section 2
Section 2 builds on the instant-recall facts tested in Section 1 by asking for short calculations that need two mental steps chained together rather than a single fact, for example finding a percentage of an amount, scaling a fact up or down, or combining a known times-table fact with a quick add or subtract. The reading load stays minimal, but each item now takes a genuine, if brief, mental calculation, so the section rewards efficient mental strategies such as rounding, partitioning and using a known fact to derive a new one.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Spot which known fact the question is built from, such as a times-table fact or 10% of an amount, before choosing a strategy.
- To find a percentage such as 5% or 15% of an amount, find 10% first by dividing by 10, then halve or add as needed, rather than using long multiplication.
- To multiply by a multiple of a known table fact, such as x 20 or x 30, multiply by the smaller factor first and then multiply the result by 10.
- To subtract a number close to a multiple of 10 or 100, round it up first and add back the difference, for example 64 - 29 = 64 - 30 + 1.
- Chain no more than two mental steps per question; if a question needs more, use rough jottings rather than losing the thread mentally.
- Keep the same order-first, mark-and-return strategy as a bare-facts section: answer what you can immediately, mark anything slower, and return to it.
- Sanity-check each answer against the size of the numbers involved, for example 15% of 60 should be noticeably less than 60, to catch a slipped decimal point.
Worked example
Answer each part using a quick mental method: (a) 15% of 60 (b) 23 x 20 (c) 82 - 38 (d) double 3.5 then add 9.
- (a) Find 10% of 60 first: 6. Then find 5%, which is half of 10%: 3. Add them together: 15% of 60 = 6 + 3 = 9.
- (b) Multiply 23 by 2 first: 23 x 2 = 46. Then multiply by 10: 46 x 10 = 460, so 23 x 20 = 460.
- (c) Round 38 up to 40: 82 - 40 = 42. Add back the extra 2 that was subtracted: 42 + 2 = 44, so 82 - 38 = 44.
- (d) Double 3.5 = 7. Add 9: 7 + 9 = 16.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Find 20% of 45.Show answer
Answer: 9 (10% of 45 = 4.5; double it to get 20% = 9).
Q217 x 30Show answer
Answer: 510 (17 x 3 = 51; 51 x 10 = 510).
Q391 - 47Show answer
Answer: 44 (round 47 up to 50: 91 - 50 = 41; add back 3 = 44).
Q4Double 6.5, then subtract 5.Show answer
Answer: 8 (double 6.5 = 13; 13 - 5 = 8).
Q5Find 5% of 220.Show answer
Answer: 11 (10% of 220 = 22; half of that is 11).
Q614 x 40Show answer
Answer: 560 (14 x 4 = 56; 56 x 10 = 560).
Q7150 - 68Show answer
Answer: 82 (round 68 up to 70: 150 - 70 = 80; add back 2 = 82).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A pupil is asked to find 35% of 80 using two mental steps rather than long multiplication. (a) Show how to find 35% of 80 by combining a 10% fact and a 5% fact. (b) State the final answer.
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A caterer scales up a recipe cost using mental multiplication. An ingredient costs 34 pence per portion, and the caterer needs 40 portions. (a) Use the strategy of multiplying by the small factor first, then by 10, to find the total cost in pence. (b) Convert the answer to pounds and pence.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the gl assessment style maths speed section 2 worksheet pack - 8 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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