What Are Percentages? Year 5 & 6 Guide

P1What Are Percentages?

Percent means ‘out of 100’.

A percentage is a special fraction with 100 on the bottom.

What does 25% look like?

25%

25 out of 100 squares

50%

half of the whole

100%

the whole thing

25% = 25100 = 0.25 · per cent = per hundred

Learn the 3-Step Method

1Read the % sign as ‘out of 100’.

25% means 25 out of every 100.

25% = 25 out of 100

2Picture a hundred square.

Shade that many squares out of 100 — the picture IS the percentage.

3Connect to fractions.

25% = 25/100, which simplifies to 1/4.

25% = 25100 = 14

💡 Key Idea100% is always the whole thing — 100% of a class is everyone; 50% is half; 0% is none.

Worked Example

In a spelling test of 100 words, Amy spells 83 correctly. What percentage is that — and what percentage did she get wrong?

Correct

83 out of 100

83%

→

Wrong

100 − 83 = 17

17%

→

✓ Check

83 + 17 = 100 ✓

Parts of a whole always total 100%.

Watch Out! Common Mistakes

Thinking percentages can't pass 100.

“110% is impossible” ✕

Not always! More than the original whole is over 100% — prices can rise by 110%. (But a test score out of 100 can’t.)

Treating 5% as 5.

5% = 5 ✕

Wrong! 5% is 5 out of 100 = 5/100 = 0.05 — a small part, not the number 5.

Forgetting parts must total 100%.

83% right + 27% wrong ✕

Wrong! 83 + 27 = 110. The parts of one whole must add to exactly 100%.

⬇ Cheat Sheet

WHAT ARE PERCENTAGES?

Per cent = per hundred.
x% means x out of every 100.
100% = the whole; 50% = half; 25% = a quarter.
Parts of one whole always add to 100%.

Example: 83 out of 100 = 83%; the rest = 100 − 83 = 17%.

📖 Continue Your Journey

P1 What Are Percentages?P2 Percentages, Fractions and Decimals P3 Finding 50%, 25% and 10%P4 Percentage of an Amount P5 Percentage Increase P6 Percentage Decrease P7 Percentages and Money P8 One Number as a Percentage of Another P9 Comparing with Percentages P10 Percentage Change P11 Reverse Percentages P12 Percentage Problem Solving

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Next Lesson: P2 Percentages, Fractions and DecimalsThree ways to write the same amount.

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

Quick summary

Percent means out of 100: 25% is 25 out of every 100.
A hundred square makes any percentage visible.
100% is the whole; 50% is half; 25% is a quarter.
The parts of one whole always add up to 100%.

Frequently asked questions

What does percent actually mean?

It comes from the Latin 'per centum' — per hundred. So 25% means 25 out of every 100.

Can a percentage be more than 100?

Yes, when something grows beyond its original whole — a price that doubles rises by 100%. But scores out of a fixed total (like a test) can't exceed 100%.

When do children learn percentages at school?

In England percentages are introduced in Year 5 and used for problem solving in Year 6. They feature heavily in 11+ and SATs papers.

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P2 Percentages, Fractions and Decimals