PAss Functional Skills

Fractions and decimals

Fractions and decimals for GCSE Sociology OCR: what it means, how to set the working out, and the questions it is asked in.
  • GCSE
  • OCR
  • Sociology
  • Spec R2 · R11 · R8
  • 8 min read
  • 6 revision boxes

Introduction

2 boxes
1 min read

What is fractions and decimals?

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Transcript

A short spoken summary of fractions and decimals and where it is used.

A spoken walk-through of fractions and decimals before you read the notes.
Practise the routine version until it is automatic, then move to the multi-step questions.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing fractions and decimals laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
3 rows

The fractions and decimals reference table

Sketch the shape even when the question does not ask for one — it makes the next step obvious.
Term
Meaning
Example
Common slip
Row 1 column 1
Row 1 column 2
x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
Row 1 column 4
Row 2 column 1
Row 2 column 2
x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
Row 2 column 4

Learning

2 boxes
4 steps

How to work with fractions and decimals

This idea appears again in the higher-mark questions, so it is worth over-learning.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing fractions and decimals laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.
Worth knowing: 34×25\frac{3}{4} \times \frac{2}{5}.
  1. Read the question and write down what is being asked for.
  2. Set out the working for fractions and decimals in the order the method gives.
  3. Substitute the values and simplify.
  4. Check the answer against an estimate before writing it down.
Start from the definition and substitute the numbers the question gives you.
Simplify one line at a time: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0.
Answer: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0
3 rules

Key facts: Fractions and decimals

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.

  • Rule 1

    How fractions and decimals behaves in the 1st of the cases the specification names.
    ≈160\approx 160

  • Rule 2

    How fractions and decimals behaves in the 2nd of the cases the specification names.
    a2+b2=c2a^2 + b^2 = c^2

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Examples

2 boxes
3 marks · worked

Worked example: fractions and decimals

The examiner marks the working, so a correct answer with no method still drops marks.
4 marks · worked

Practice question 6: x2+5x+6=0x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0

Read the units in the question before you start; a converted unit is the most common slip.
The layout below is the one the mark scheme expects.

Diagram showing fractions and decimals laid out step by step

The same idea drawn out, so the method is visible.

Practice bank

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Common questions

How many marks is fractions and decimals usually worth?
Between one and four, depending on how many steps the question asks for.
Is this on the GCSE Sociology OCR paper?
Yes — it sits in the Geometry and measures strand.