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Year 6 · Maths · Ratio · Lesson 1

Understanding ratio

Write ratios in the correct order, simplify ratios, and connect ratios with fractions.

Whiteboard video lesson: Understanding ratio

19-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

Watch free for a month

What your child will learn

  • Write a ratio
  • Know that order matters
  • Simplify ratios
  • Change a ratio to a fraction
  • Use 'for every'

The method

  1. Write the parts in order.
  2. Find the HCF of the parts.
  3. Divide every part by it.
  4. Check: simplify again?

Key words: ratio, simplify, part, whole, for every.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

A bowl has 4 apples and 9 pears. Write the ratio of apples to pears.

  1. Step 1: Draw a bar model: Apples 4 boxes, Pears 9 boxes
  2. Step 2: apples : pears = 4 : 9

Answer: 4 : 9

Question 2

A pattern has 5 squares and 2 circles. Write the ratio of squares to circles.

  1. Step 1: Draw a bar model: Squares 5 boxes, Circles 2 boxes
  2. Step 2: squares : circles = 5 : 2

Answer: 5 : 2

Question 3

Simplify the ratio 4 : 8.

  1. Step 1: Highest common factor of 4, 8 = 4
  2. Step 2: 4 : 8 = 1 : 2 (÷ 4)

Answer: 1 : 2