Dividing fractions

Sample Dividing fractions questions

A few of the 11 questions, from easier to harder. Choose your exam board and tier to practise them, with every answer marked.

1. Question 12 marksGrade 5
   Sally has 30 feet of ribbon. She cuts strips each of length $2\dfrac{2}{5}$ feet from the ribbon. Sally says: "I can cut 13 of these strips from this ribbon." Is she correct? Show how you decide.
   Show the worked solution

   30 ÷ 2⅖ = 30 ÷ 12/5 = 30 × 5/12 = 150/12 = 12.5. M1

   Only 12 whole strips of length 2⅖ feet can be cut from 30 feet of ribbon (with 0.5 of a strip length left over), so Sally is incorrect. A1

What are the common mistakes in Dividing fractions?

When a pupil makes one of these on Revision Workshop, the marking engine names the mistake and explains it, instead of just marking the answer wrong.

• Divides fractions by multiplying directly instead of multiplying by the reciprocal

  Multiplied the two fractions straight across instead of multiplying by the reciprocal of the second fraction

• Rounds a quantity of whole units up to the next whole number instead of down, when only complete/whole units count and a partial remainder cannot be used.

  Rounds 12.5 strips up to 13, not recognising that a partial strip (0.5 of a strip) cannot be cut as a full strip - the number of whole strips must be rounded down.

Quick answers about Dividing fractions

How many Dividing fractions practice questions are there?

There are 11 self-marking GCSE and IGCSE Maths questions on Dividing fractions, written for AQA, Pearson, OCR, Pearson International GCSE Maths A (4MA1), Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580), Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Mathematics (0980) across Foundation and Higher and Extended tier. Each one is marked instantly and has a full worked solution.

Do I need an account to practise Dividing fractions?

No. You can start practising Dividing fractions straight away without an account. A free account keeps your results across sessions, so you can see your progress on this topic over time.