Just under half of England's 16 to 65s (49.1%) had maths skills at the same levels expected of primary school age children (Entry Levels 1 to 3) - that's an estimated 16.8m people
Of that 6.8% were on a par with what 5 to 7-year-olds are expected to understand, 16.9% on a par with a 7 to 9-year-old and 25.4% on a par with a 9 to 11-year-old.
For comparison, just 14.9% of working age people had literacy skills this poor (estimated 5.1m people), suggesting poor numeracy might be a bigger crisis than poor literacy
Wales is worse, with 51% of people with math skills at the same level as a primary school child.
Of that 5% were on a par with what 5 to 7-year-olds are expected to understand, 17% on a par with a 7 to 9-year-old and 29% on a par with a 9 to 11-year-old.
We thought you might like some quiz questions to test which half of the population you fit into?
Year 1-3
5 + 7 =
16 - 4 =
¼ of 8 =
Year 4-6
546 x 7 =
3³ =
5920 ÷ 32 =
Year 7 to 9
10:7 = [ ]:35
What is the value of 3(2x - 5) when x = 4?
4.8 ÷ 3 =
GCSE
If 2(5x +1) = 3(3x +7), what does x equal?
¾ x 2/3 =
Washing machine sells for £240 after a 20% discount. What was the original price?
A Level
When 3x3 + 2x2 - 7x + 5 is divided by x - 2 the remainder equals?
If h(x) = x3 and f(x) = cos2x then f(h(x)) equals?
The line with equation 3x + 2y = 5 has a gradient of what?
Answers
Year 1-3 (all 1 points)
5 + 7 = 12
16 - 4 = 12
¼ of 8 = 2
Year 4-6 (all 2 points)
546 x 7 = 3,822
3³ = 27
5920 ÷ 32 = 185
Year 7 to 9 (all 3 points)
10:7 = [ ]:35 / 50
What is the value of 3(2x - 5) when x = 4? 9
4.8 ÷ 3 = 1.6
GCSE (all 4 points)
If 2(5x +1) = 3(3x +7), what does x equal? 19
¾ x 2/3 = 1/2
Washing machine sells for £240 after a 20% discount. What was the original price? £300
A Level (all 10 points)
When 3x3 + 2x2 - 7x + 5 is divided by x - 2 the remainder equals 23
If h(x) = x3 and f(x) = cos2x then f(h(x)) equals cos³2x
The line with equation 3x + 2y = 5 has a gradient of what? -3/2
Total points
3 or less: Your maths are as good as a 4-6-year-old
4-9: Your maths are as good as a 7-10-year-old
10-18: Your maths are as good as an 11-14-year-old
19-30: Your maths are at GCSE level
31 and above: Your maths are at A-Level. Well done.
