Can AI teach my kid maths?

Receipt · 2026-08-12

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The exact prompt

My child is working on fractions of amounts, around year 5 of the English national curriculum. Give me five practice questions ordered easier to harder with worked answers I can check myself, one everyday explanation of the idea using food or money, and the question I should ask my child to find where the confusion actually starts. Keep the method consistent with how UK primary schools teach it, and say when you are not sure it is.

The raw output

# Fractions of Amounts: Year 5 Practice

## Everyday Explanation (Using Money)

If you have £20 and you spend **1/4 of it**, you divide £20 into 4 equal parts, then take 1 part.
- £20 ÷ 4 = £5 (that's 1/4)

If you spend **3/4 of it**, you take 3 of those parts:
- 3 × £5 = £15

**The rule: To find a fraction of an amount, divide by the denominator (bottom number), then multiply by the numerator (top number).**

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## Five Practice Questions

### Question 1 (Easiest)
What is **1/2 of 8**?

**Worked Answer:**
- Divide by the denominator: 8 ÷ 2 = 4
- Multiply by the numerator: 4 × 1 = 4
- **Answer: 4**

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### Question 2
What is **1/5 of 20**?

**Worked Answer:**
- Divide by the denominator: 20 ÷ 5 = 4
- Multiply by the numerator: 4 × 1 = 4
- **Answer: 4**

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### Question 3
What is **3/4 of 12**?

**Worked Answer:**
- Divide by the denominator: 12 ÷ 4 = 3
- Multiply by the numerator: 3 × 3 = 9
- **Answer: 9**

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### Question 4
What is **2/5 of 25**?

**Worked Answer:**
- Divide by the denominator: 25 ÷ 5 = 5
- Multiply by the numerator: 5 × 2 = 10
- **Answer: 10**

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### Question 5 (Hardest)
What is **3/8 of 40**?

**Worked Answer:**
- Divide by the denominator: 40 ÷ 8 = 5
- Multiply by the numerator: 5 × 3 = 15
- **Answer: 15**

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## The Diagnostic Question to Ask

**"Show me how you would work out 2/3 of 12. Can you talk me through what you're doing?"**

This question reveals where confusion typically starts:

- **If they struggle:** Do they know they need to divide first? Do they divide by the right number (denominator not numerator)?
- **If they get it wrong:** Are they dividing but forgetting to multiply? Or multiplying first?
- **If they're confused:** Do they understand what the fraction means (the denominator tells you how many equal parts)?

Listen for whether they can explain *why* they're dividing and multiplying, not just following steps.

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## Note on Method Consistency

The "divide by denominator, multiply by numerator" method is **standard in UK primary schools** and appears in most Year 5 textbooks (Mastery approaches like Power Maths and White Rose use this explicitly). However, *I'm less certain* whether all schools introduce a visual bar model or area diagram first before moving to this method—that varies by school. If your child's school has shown them a different visual approach, referencing that will help them connect it to this rule.