24 questions across ratio, direct and inverse proportion, compound measures and area and volume scale factors.

⚗️ Ratio and proportion mastery — Higher

Maths · GCSE Higher · 24 questions · ~45 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

Ratio, proportion and rates of change is 20% of a Higher paper and it is the area that rewards method over recall. This sheet works through it in one sitting: simplifying and sharing in a ratio, including the questions that give you one share or the difference rather than the total; expressing one quantity as a fraction or percentage of another; direct and inverse proportion, both numerically and as an equation with a constant k; compound measures — speed, density and pressure — with unit conversions built in rather than avoided; and the similar-shapes work where lengths, areas and volumes scale by the factor, its square and its cube. That last group is where Higher candidates lose the most marks in this area, so it is deliberately over-represented here.

1.Two mathematically similar triangular flags have areas in the ratio 4 : 25. The height of the smaller flag is 6 cm. Work out the height of the larger flag.
(a)15 cm
(b)27 cm
(c)37.5 cm
(d)2.4 cm
2.Write the ratio 3/4 : 1/2 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
(a)3:1
(b)3:2
(c)2:3
(d)2:1
3.It takes 8 painters 6 days to paint a fence. Working at the same rate, work out how many days 4 painters would take to paint the same fence.
(a)3 days
(b)12 days
(c)10 days
(d)48 days
4.A shade of paint is made by mixing blue paint and white paint. To make 5 litres of the shade, 2 litres of blue paint is used and the rest is white paint. Write the ratio of blue paint to white paint in its simplest form.
(a)5:3
(b)2:5
(c)2:3
(d)3:2
5.A model car is built at a scale of 1 : 20 compared with the real car. Work out the factor by which the surface area to be painted on the real car is bigger than the surface area of the model.
(a)8000
(b)40
(c)20
(d)400
6.A recipe for 8 muffins needs 200 g of sugar. Sam wants to make 20 muffins for a bake sale, and he already has 350 g of sugar. Work out how many more grams of sugar he needs to buy.
(a)150 g
(b)850 g
(c)0 g
(d)500 g
7.Two cars leave the same point at the same time and travel in opposite directions. One travels at 80 km/h and the other at 60 km/h. Work out how long it takes until the cars are 350 km apart.
(a)5 hours
(b)2.5 hours
(c)17.5 hours
(d)4.375 hours
8.Write 250 g : 2 kg as a ratio in its simplest form.
(a)1:8
(b)5:40
(c)125:1
(d)8:1
9.3 builders put up a fence in 12 days. All the builders work at the same rate, so the number of days is inversely proportional to the number of builders. Work out how long 9 builders take to put up the same fence.
(a)4 days
(b)9 days
(c)6 days
(d)36 days
10.Write 75p : £1.50 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
(a)2:1
(b)3:4
(c)1:2
(d)50:1
11.2.4 kg of cheese costs £36. Work out the cost of 1.5 kg of the same cheese.
(a)£15
(b)£57.60
(c)£22.50
(d)£54
12.The manufacturing cost of a specialist lens, in pounds, is proportional to the square root of its diameter, in millimetres. A lens of diameter 9 mm costs £12 to manufacture. Construct the equation connecting cost C and diameter d, then work out the cost of manufacturing a lens of diameter 16 mm.
(a)£32
(b)£16
(c)£4
(d)£64
13.A rectangular garden has its length and width in the ratio 5:3. Given that the perimeter of the garden is 64 m, work out the width of the garden.
(a)8 m
(b)24 m
(c)12 m
(d)20 m
14.Two quantities x and y are in direct proportion. When x = 8, the value of y is 20. Work out the value of y when x = 14.
(a)26
(b)5.6
(c)28
(d)35
15.A toy manufacturer makes a model aircraft that is mathematically similar to the real aircraft, at a scale of 1 : 48. The wingspan of the model is 15 cm. Work out the wingspan of the real aircraft, giving your answer in metres.
(a)72 m
(b)7.2 m
(c)0.72 m
(d)0.31 m
16.Two mathematically similar picture frames have perimeters 30 cm and 45 cm. The area of the smaller frame is 40 cm². Work out the area of the larger frame.
(a)2.25 cm²
(b)60 cm²
(c)90 cm²
(d)135 cm²
17.A crate exerts a force of 84 N on the floor through a base with an area of 2.4 m². Work out the pressure on the floor, in N/m².
(a)0.03 N/m²
(b)35 N/m²
(c)201.6 N/m²
(d)81.6 N/m²
18.After a 20% discount, a jacket costs £48. Work out the original price of the jacket.
(a)£40
(b)£60
(c)£57.60
(d)£38.40
19.A necklace is made using gold beads and silver beads in the ratio 7:3. There are 40 more gold beads than silver beads. Work out the total number of beads in the necklace.
(a)100
(b)40
(c)70
(d)30
20.A fixed job of fitting a solar array is shared between installers, and the time taken is inversely proportional to the number of installers working on it at once. With 4 installers the job takes 18 hours. Construct the equation connecting time T and number of installers n, then work out how long it would take with 6 installers.
(a)27 hours
(b)72 hours
(c)18 hours
(d)12 hours
21.Amelia uses 2 kg of flour to bake 5 cakes. Using the same recipe, work out how many cakes she can bake with 6 kg of flour.
(a)10
(b)12
(c)15
(d)20
22.The number of euros, e, received is directly proportional to the number of pounds, p, exchanged. Exchanging £40 gives 46 euros. Work out how many euros are received for £65, giving your answer to the nearest euro.
(a)57
(b)75
(c)74
(d)71
23.For the pairs x = 6, y = 15 and x = 10, y = 25, which statement is correct?
(a)They are not in direct proportion, because y − x is different for each pair (9 and 15).
(b)They are not in direct proportion, because x + y is different for each pair (21 and 35).
(c)They are in direct proportion, because y ÷ x = 2.5 for both pairs.
(d)They are in direct proportion, because x × y = 90 and 250.
24.Noah runs 2 km in 10 minutes. Work out how long he takes to run 5 km at the same speed.
(a)50 minutes
(b)20 minutes
(c)15 minutes
(d)25 minutes

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 24 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content area covered: Ratio, proportion and rates of change (statements R4, R5, R9, R10, R11, R12, R13). It is pitched at GCSE Higher and takes about 45 minutes to work through in full. It is built for independent practice, with full answers at the end for self-marking.

How to use the sheet well

Print it or open it on screen — both work. Printing is A4; the screen view fits phones and tablets.
Do all 24 questions before checking — about 45 minutes is the guide, but there is no time pressure.
Check the answers — press “Show answers” or print the answer page separately.
Redo the questions you got wrong — twice as effective as doing 24 fresh ones.
“New questions” — builds a fresh sheet on the same statements, so you can practise again without repeats.

Why this sheet helps

MathsUK worksheets use questions graded by difficulty and a fair spread of correct-answer positions (the answer is not always (a)) — so the student really has to think about each question rather than guess a pattern. Every question is tagged to a DfE content statement and checked before it enters the bank. The answers come with a step-by-step explanation, not just a value — so a wrong answer becomes a lesson.

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