DfE statement N10 · Number
Fractions and decimals, including recurring decimals
Fractions and decimals, including recurring decimals is content statement N10 of the DfE GCSE mathematics subject content, in the number area. It is on both tiers, with a Higher-only part, and it is examined without a calculator. Below is what the specification actually requires, the 3 mistakes that cost marks on this topic most often, and practice questions written to the statement — original questions, not past papers.
What the specification says
The DfE subject content for GCSE mathematics states, verbatim: "Work interchangeably with terminating decimals and their corresponding fractions (such as 3.5 and 7/2, or 0.375 and 3/8); change recurring decimals into their corresponding fractions and vice versa." (statement N10). Every awarding organisation — Pearson Edexcel, AQA and OCR — must cover it, so the wording is the same whichever specification your school follows.
Tier
Both tiers, but part of it is Higher only. Foundation covers the statement except for the following, which the DfE prints in bold and reserves for Higher: "change recurring decimals into their corresponding fractions and vice versa". Everything else in the statement is Foundation content.
Calculator
This is non-calculator territory. Questions on it belong naturally on Paper 1, where written method is all you have — so practise it that way rather than with a calculator to hand.
Common mistakes
- Converting 0.3 recurring to 3/10. It is 1/3; a recurring decimal is not the same as the terminating one that starts the same way.
- Multiplying by the wrong power of 10 in the recurring-decimal method, so the recurring tails do not line up and fail to cancel on subtraction.
- Converting 0.375 to 375/100 rather than 375/1000, by miscounting the decimal places.
Sample questions (10 of 30)
Nearby statements
Questions people ask
Is fractions and decimals, including recurring decimals on Foundation or Higher?
Both, but not all of it. The parts the DfE prints in bold — "change recurring decimals into their corresponding fractions and vice versa" — are Higher only; the rest is Foundation content.
Can I use a calculator for fractions and decimals, including recurring decimals?
Not on Paper 1, which is where this normally appears. Paper 1 is non-calculator for both tiers and carries the same 80 marks as each of the other two papers.
What is the single most common mistake here?
Converting 0.3 recurring to 3/10. It is 1/3; a recurring decimal is not the same as the terminating one that starts the same way.
Are these past paper questions?
No. Every question is original, written to this DfE content statement and checked before publication. We do not host past papers or mark schemes.
Back to Number at Foundation or at Higher.