Money and Time Problems
Money and Time Problems is the Year 4 topic covering adding, subtracting and comparing amounts of money given in pounds and pence, and solving time problems that involve reading 12-hour and 24-hour clocks, converting between them, and working out durations and calendar facts.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- For a money problem, decide whether amounts need to be added (a total cost, a combined amount) or subtracted (change, or the difference between two prices), then line up the pounds and pence columns carefully, treating the pence like the ones and tens columns of a normal written calculation.
- To find change, subtract the cost from the amount paid; to compare two prices, subtract the smaller amount from the larger amount.
- For a 12-hour clock time, remember am is before midday and pm is after midday; for a 24-hour clock time, the hours run from 00:00 (midnight) to 23:59.
- To convert a 24-hour time to a 12-hour time, subtract 12 from the hours if it is 13:00 or later and add 'pm'; if it is before 12:00, keep the hours the same and add 'am'.
- To find a duration, count on from the start time to the end time, often via a whole hour to make the counting easier, for example counting to the next o'clock and then counting the rest of the way.
- Learn the key calendar facts, 1 year = 12 months and 1 week = 7 days, and use multiplication or division to convert between years, weeks and days.
Worked example
A cinema ticket costs £6.50. Amara buys 3 tickets and pays with a £20 note. How much change does she get?
- First find the total cost of 3 tickets: 3 x £6.50 = £19.50.
- Amara pays with £20, so subtract the total cost from £20: £20.00 - £19.50.
- £20.00 - £19.50 = £0.50.
- Amara gets £0.50 change, which is 50 pence.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1A drink costs £1.85 and a sandwich costs £2.40. How much do they cost together?Show answer
Answer: £4.25 (£1.85 + £2.40)
Q2Leon buys a magazine for £3.20 and pays with a £5 note. How much change does he get?Show answer
Answer: £1.80 (£5.00 - £3.20)
Q3Write 15:40 on the 24-hour clock as a 12-hour clock time.Show answer
Answer: 3:40 pm (15 - 12 = 3)
Q4Write 8:25 am as a 24-hour clock time.Show answer
Answer: 08:25
Q5A train leaves at 09:15 and arrives at 10:05. How long does the journey take?Show answer
Answer: 50 minutes (09:15 to 10:00 is 45 minutes, then 5 more minutes to 10:05)
Q6How many months are there in 4 years?Show answer
Answer: 48 months (4 x 12)
Q7How many days are there in 6 weeks?Show answer
Answer: 42 days (6 x 7)
Q8Nadia has £10. She buys a book for £4.75 and a pencil case for £2.99. How much money does she have left?Show answer
Answer: £2.26, because £4.75 + £2.99 = £7.74 and £10.00 - £7.74 = £2.26
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a KS2 Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A concert starts at 19:30 and finishes at 21:15. How long does the concert last? Give your answer in hours and minutes.
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A market stall sells apples for £0.35 each. Sam buys 6 apples and pays with a £5 note. How much change does he get? Show your working.
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Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
Write 23:00 as a 12-hour clock time.
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Nothing ticked yet - 1 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the money and time problems worksheet pack - 6 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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