Percentages, Fractions & Decimals (Ages 9–11)

M13Percentage

Percent means ‘out of 100’. We can convert between fractions, decimals and percentages.

Percentages help us compare and understand amounts in everyday life.

What is 25% of this pizza?

Percentage

25%

out of 100

→

Fraction

one quarter

→

Decimal

0.25

twenty-five hundredths

💡 To find a percentage of an amount: convert the percentage to a fraction or decimal, then multiply.

Learn the Method

1Understand the percent.

Percent means ‘out of 100’.

25%100

2Convert to a fraction or decimal.

Choose the easiest form to work with.

25% = 14 or 0.25

3Multiply by the amount.

Fraction: multiply as a fraction. Decimal: multiply as a decimal.

14 × amount or 0.25 × amount

4Write the answer.

This is the part of the amount.

✓

⭐ Top TipFractions are exact. Decimals are quick and easy!

Worked Example

Find 25% of £48.

Method 1: Using a Fraction

25% = 14

14 of £48 = £48 ÷ 4

= £12

Method 2: Using a Decimal

25% = 0.25

0.25 × £48 = £12.00

= £12

Answer

🏆

£12

25% of £48 is £12.

✓ Both methods give the same answer!

Watch Out! Common Mistakes

Treating percent as a whole number.

25% of 48 = 25 × 48 = 1200 ✕

Wrong! You must convert the percent first: 25% = 14 or 0.25.

Forgetting it’s out of 100.

25% of 48 = 48 ÷ 25 = 1.92 ✕

Wrong! 25% means 25 out of 100, not 1 out of 25.

Using the wrong decimal.

25% = 2.5 ✕

Wrong! 25% = 0.25 (twenty-five hundredths), not 2.5.

⬇ Cheat Sheet

PERCENTAGE

Percent means ‘out of 100’.
Convert: percentage → fraction or decimal.
Multiply by the amount.

Key conversions: 25% = 14 = 0.25 · 50% = 12 = 0.50 · 75% = 34 = 0.75 · 100% = 1
Example: 25% of £48 = £48 ÷ 4 = £12

📖 Continue Your Journey

✓ M1 What Are Fractions?✓ M2 Equivalent Fractions ✓ M3 Simplifying Fractions ✓ M4 Comparing Fractions ✓ M5 Ordering Fractions ✓ M6 Adding Fractions (Same Denominator)✓ M7 Adding Fractions (Different Denominator)✓ M8 Subtracting Fractions (Same Denominator)✓ M9 Multiplying Fractions ✓ M10 Dividing Fractions ✓ M11 Mixed Numbers ✓ M12 Fraction of an Amount M13 Percentage

→

You’ve completed the Fractions Journey! 🎉Next up: M14 Decimals (Place Value & Rounding)

📄 Free printable: Download the Percentage cheat sheet (PDF) — keep it by your child's desk.

Quick summary

Percent means out of 100: 25% = 25/100 = 1/4 = 0.25.
To find a percentage of an amount, convert to a fraction or decimal first, then multiply.
25% of £48: fraction method £48 ÷ 4 = £12; decimal method 0.25 × £48 = £12.
Key conversions to memorise: 25% = 1/4, 50% = 1/2, 75% = 3/4, 100% = 1.

Frequently asked questions

What does percent mean?

Percent means ‘out of 100’. So 25% means 25 out of every 100 — the same as the fraction 25/100 (which simplifies to 1/4) or the decimal 0.25.

How do you find a percentage of an amount?

Convert the percentage to a fraction or decimal, then multiply. For 25% of £48: £48 ÷ 4 = £12, or 0.25 × £48 = £12 — both methods agree.

How are percentages, fractions and decimals connected?

They are three ways of writing the same value. 50% = 1/2 = 0.5. Being able to switch between them is a core Year 5–6 skill.

When do children learn percentages?

In England, percentages are introduced in Year 5 and used to solve problems in Year 6 — and they feature heavily in 11+ and SATs papers.

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