'Tricky' maths exam question leaves 85% of parents stumped - but can you answer it correctly?
A new survey of UK parents has found that eight in 10 people were unable to answer a past maths GCSE question, which looked at ratios.
A maths exam question has proven so challenging that it left 85-per cent of people stumped while trying to solve it. The arrival of May marks the beginning of exam season, with millions of pupils putting their rigorous revision to the test.
Regardless of whether you were a maths prodigy during your school days or someone who has completely erased all recollections of maths classes, the stress and anxiety linked with taking an exam are all too familiar. A recent survey conducted by Save My Exams among UK parents revealed that eight out of 10 parents couldn't answer a previous maths GCSE question concerning ratios.
Ratios might initially appear complex, but there are formulas to decipher them. Numerous maths experts utilise social media platforms to demonstrate the correct approach to such questions.
In one popular video, a secondary school teacher - who also serves as the head of maths - explained how to dissect and respond to a maths exam question about the ratio of sweets hypothetically received by three children.
As exams approach, many secondary school students receive revision assistance from their parents. Bearing this in mind, experts from Save My Exams asked 500 parents to answer a past paper GCSE maths question, reports the Mirror.
The question, which would be included in both the foundation and higher paper, left 85-per cent of individuals unable to provide a solution. In fact, 55-per cent of participants answered incorrectly, while 30-per cent couldn't provide an answer at all.
UK secondary school students' parents were faced with a tricky question about changing ratio. Lucy Kirkham, head of STEM at Save My Exams, unravelled the solution, saying: "This GCSE Maths question relates to changing ratios, and requires students and parents to correctly find the value of one part, in order to work out how much money Chris gave to Errol.
"Before being able to calculate this, you first need to work out how much each part of the ratio is worth by dividing how much Debbie gets by her part of the ratio, then multiplying this by Chris and Errol's ratios."
Debbie's part in the ratio was 4 and she received £120. So, the first step would be to divide 120 by 4, giving an answer of 30. This figure can then be multiplied by each of the figures in the original ratio (3:4:2) to show how much each person received.
Chris received three shares and 3 x 30 is 90, meaning he received £90. Errol received two shares and 2 x 30 is 60.
She continued: "One part is therefore worth £30, multiplying this by each of the other shares, Errol gets £60 and Chris £90, meaning they have shared £270 in total.
"In the second ratio, there are 10 shares in total (2 + 5 + 3 = 10) so one part is equivalent to £27, as you divide the total amount the friends have by the total shares in the new ratio."
Errol had three shares in the second ratio and 3 x 27 is 81.
The expert explained: "Finally, you can work out how much Errol now gets by deducting the two values Errol had (this would be £81 minus £60) in each ratio, giving a final answer of £21."
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