Percentages: out of 100

What percent means, percentages as fractions and how to find a percentage of an amount. Read one step, play with it, then tap “I understand this”.

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Percent means “out of 100”

35% means 35 out of 100: 35100. 100% is everything; 50% is half.

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The percent grid

Change the percentage and look at the fraction and decimal.

Why always out of 100?

17 out of 20 and 40 out of 50 are hard to compare. As 85% and 80% you see straight away which one is better. 100 is a fixed “whole” that makes everything comparable.

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Percentages you must know

100%	all of it
50%	12
25%	14
75%	34
20%	15
10%	110

Meerkat tip

Know these six by heart and most percentage sums become easy.

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A percentage of an amount

The 10% method: divide by 10 to get 10%, then build up. 30% of R80: 10% = R8, so 30% = 3 × R8 = R24.

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The 10% strip

Choose the amount and the percentage.

Why does the 10% method work?

10% is a tenth, and you get a tenth by dividing by 10. From 10% you can build anything: 5% is half of it, 20% is double, 30% is three times.

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Practise

Game

How much is it?

Choose the right amount.

Correct: 0

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Check yourself

Remember this: your summary

Percent means out of 100: 35% = 35100 = 0,35.
Know: 50% = ½, 25% = ¼, 75% = ¾, 10% = 110, 20% = 15, 1% = 1100.
10% of an amount: divide by 10. Build the rest from there.

Write these points in your maths book. Read them again the night before the test.

Quiz

Quick questions

Tap an answer. If you get one wrong, read why and go back to that step. You get new questions every time.

You ticked all 4 steps! Now you are ready for the quiz.

Free PDF to downloadPrint the practice sheet and practise on paper. The memo is on page 2: try on your own first.

Practice sheet for this classQuestions + memo · 2 A4 pagesPractice sheet
Numbers16 pages · PDFPaper Memo

All 14 free Grade 6 maths papers →

Ready for more? The Grade 6 percentages quiz gives you new questions every time.

Start the percentages quiz All Grade 6 classes

For parents

One step a day is enough. Ten calm minutes work better than an hour the night before the test.
Point out sale tags at the shop: “30% off R200. What do we pay?” Percentages are everywhere.
Ask your child to tell you the rule in their own words. If they can explain it, they understand it.
The ticks (“I understand this”) are saved on this device only. We never ask for names or emails.

Follows CAPS for Grade 6 Maths. Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.