Time
Time problems test converting between units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days), reading and converting between 12-hour and 24-hour clocks, and calculating durations using timetables. Time appears frequently on GCSE Foundation papers as calculator-allowed structured word problems involving journeys, appointments and events.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Learn the key facts: 60 seconds = 1 minute, 60 minutes = 1 hour, 24 hours = 1 day, 7 days = 1 week.
- To convert 12-hour to 24-hour time, add 12 to any pm hour after 12 (e.g. 3:15 pm = 15:15); am times before 12 stay the same, except 12 am which becomes 00:00.
- When finding a duration, count up in convenient chunks (e.g. to the next hour, then in hours, then in remaining minutes) rather than subtracting the times like decimals.
- Remember time is not decimal: 1.5 hours means 1 hour 30 minutes, not 1 hour 50 minutes, so convert minutes using out of 60, not out of 100.
- For timetable questions, read the correct row and column carefully, and check whether a journey crosses midnight.
- Check your final answer makes sense in context; a journey or lesson lasting an unreasonable number of hours signals an error.
Worked example
A train leaves Bristol at 14:35. The journey to Cardiff takes 1 hour 50 minutes. Work out the time the train arrives in Cardiff.
- Add 1 hour to 14:35: 14:35 + 1 hour = 15:35.
- There are 50 minutes left to add.
- Add 25 minutes to reach the next hour: 15:35 + 25 minutes = 16:00.
- Add the remaining 25 minutes: 16:00 + 25 minutes = 16:25.
- Final answer: the train arrives in Cardiff at 16:25.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Maths exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A dentist appointment starts at 10:10 am and ends at 11:35 am. Work out how long the appointment lasts.
Sam's holiday starts on Tuesday 8th September and lasts 9 nights. (a) Work out the date Sam returns home. (2) (b) Write down the day of the week Sam returns home. (1)
A gym opens at 06:00 and closes at 22:00 every day. Each day the gym is closed for cleaning between 12:30 and 13:45. (a) Work out the total time, in hours and minutes, that the gym is open in one day. (3) (b) Work out the total time, in hours, that the gym is open during one week (7 days). Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place. (2)
See real past-paper questions on time, organised by topic with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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