WEEK 1 — Repairing Your Maths Foundations

Welcome to Week 1 of your eight-week maths catch-up plan.
This week is all about strengthening the essential skills that make everything else in maths easier. Each day has a clear focus, a short explanation, and practice questions to help build confidence step by step.

The video at the top of the page gives the full lesson.
Below you’ll find the mind map, the daily breakdown, practice exercises, and a short quiz.

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Mind Map – Week 1

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DAY 1 — Number Flexibility

This day focuses on making numbers easier to work with.
Number flexibility (or “number sense”) helps everything else feel less heavy.

What to understand

• Numbers can be broken into friendlier parts

• This makes multiplication, division and mental maths easier

Examples:

• 48 = 40 + 8

• 36 = 30 + 6

• 72 = 70 + 2

Practice

1. Break each number into two different forms:

   • 36

   • 72

   • 54

2. Mental multiplications:

   • 6 × 7

   • 8 × 9

   • 12 × 8

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DAY 2 — Fraction Basics

Today focuses on the five key fractions that appear everywhere in maths.

What to understand

Learn these conversions by heart:

• 1/2 = 0.5

• 1/4 = 0.25

• 1/5 = 0.2

• 1/10 = 0.1

• 1/100 = 0.01

Practice

3. Convert these fractions to decimals:

   • 1/2

   • 1/4

   • 1/5

   • 1/10

4. Find:

   • 1/4 of 80

   • 1/5 of 60

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DAY 3 — Percentages (10% Rule)

Today’s focus is the 10% rule, the easiest way to handle percentages.

What to understand

• To find 10%, divide by 10

• From 10%, you can find 20%, 5%, 25%, etc.

Examples:

• 10% of 80 → 8

• 20% → double 10%

• 5% → half of 10%

• 50% → half of the number

Practice

5. Find:

   • 10% of 80

   • 20% of 60

   • 5% of 120

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DAY 4 — Gentle Algebra (x is a missing number)

Today makes algebra feel simple, not scary.

What to understand

• x just represents a number we don’t know yet

• Solving an equation means finding the number that makes it true

Examples:

• x + 7 = 15

• 3x = 21

Practice

6. Solve for x:

   • x + 7 = 15

   • 3x = 21

   • x − 5 = 11

   • 2x + 4 = 20

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DAY 5 — Mixed Practice (Revision)

This day pulls everything together.
Short, simple practice to strengthen what you learned.

Practice

7. Break 84 and 96 into two forms

8. Convert 1/4 and 1/5 to decimals

9. Find:

   • 10% of 150

   • 25% of 80

10. Solve:

• x − 3 = 12

• 4x = 28

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Weekly Quiz — Week 1

The quiz is short and helps you check what you’ve understood.
If you’re stuck, use the mind map or rewatch the video.