Functional Skills Maths L2 Exam Study Guide (2027)
Everything the Functional Skills Maths Level 2 Exam tests, topic by topic: what each section covers, the facts that come up most, and how to study it. Pair it with the free 15-question practice test.
The exam at a glance
| Questions | One exam in two sections: non-calculator (about a quarter of the marks) and calculator (about three quarters). Pearson Edexcel: 64 marks (16 + 48); City & Guilds: 60 marks (15 + 45) |
|---|---|
| Time | Pearson Edexcel: 1 hour 55 minutes (25 minutes non-calculator + 1 hour 30 minutes calculator). City & Guilds: 1 hour 45 minutes (25 minutes + 1 hour 20 minutes) |
| Grades and pass mark | Pass or fail; the pass mark is set for each paper version, so aim for 70% in practice |
| Format | Written or on-screen exam with a non-calculator section and a calculator section. Questions are set in everyday and workplace contexts |
| Exam boards | Pearson Edexcel, City & Guilds, NCFE, Highfield and other Ofqual-regulated awarding bodies |
| Test provider | At a college, training provider or approved test centre. Exams are on demand, and some centres offer on-screen tests, including remotely invigilated online exams |
Mind map: the whole exam on one screen
Read the complete Functional Skills Maths L2 study notes for “Number and Calculation”
Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 16 minutes of reading: Place value and large numbers · Order of operations · Negative numbers in context · Written methods for the non-calculator section · Powers and roots · Rounding and estimating · Factors, multiples and primes in problems, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.
1. Number and Calculation
Place value, the four operations, negative numbers, order of operations, powers and roots, rounding and estimation. These skills are tested directly in the non-calculator section and needed in every problem.
Key facts
- Order of operations (BIDMAS): brackets, indices (powers and roots), then division and multiplication left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
- Negative numbers in context: temperatures, bank balances and floor levels. Subtracting a negative is the same as adding; multiplying or dividing two numbers with the same sign gives a positive answer.
- Large numbers: read and write numbers in the millions with commas, e.g. 2,450,000 is two million, four hundred and fifty thousand.
- Rounding: to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000; to decimal places (count after the point); to significant figures (count from the first non-zero digit).
- Estimate by rounding each number to 1 significant figure, then use the estimate to check your calculator answer is sensible.
- Squares, square roots, cubes and simple powers: 7² = 49, √81 = 9, 3³ = 27, 10³ = 1,000.
- Multiples, factors and primes: use them to solve problems such as how many full boxes can be packed or when two repeating events happen together.
- Non-calculator methods: column addition and subtraction, column (or grid) multiplication and short division, including with decimals.
Flashcards
Exam tip: On the non-calculator section, write each step down. A tidy written method is faster to check and earns method marks if one digit goes wrong.
2. Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages, fractions and percentages of amounts, percentage change, discounts, VAT, interest and comparing values in different forms.
Key facts
- Convert: fraction to decimal by dividing the top by the bottom; decimal to percentage by multiplying by 100. Learn the common ones: 1/2 = 0.5 = 50%, 1/4 = 0.25 = 25%, 1/5 = 0.2 = 20%, 1/8 = 0.125 = 12.5%, 1/3 ≈ 0.333 ≈ 33.3%.
- Fraction of an amount: divide by the bottom, multiply by the top. 3/8 of £56 = £56 ÷ 8 × 3 = £21.
- Percentages without a calculator: 10% = divide by 10, 5% = half of 10%, 1% = divide by 100. Build others from these: 17.5% = 10% + 5% + 2.5%.
- With a calculator use multipliers: 35% of x = 0.35 × x; increase by 20% = × 1.2; decrease by 15% = × 0.85.
- Percentage change = change ÷ original × 100. Always divide by the original (starting) value.
- VAT at 20%: the price including VAT is the price before VAT × 1.2. To find the price before VAT, divide by 1.2.
- Simple interest is the same amount each year; compound interest is added to the balance each year, so use original × (1 + r/100)^years.
- To compare values in different forms, convert them all to decimals (or all to percentages) first.
Flashcards
Exam tip: After a percentage question, ask whether your answer is the amount of change or the new total. Level 2 questions often want the new total.
3. Ratio, Proportion and Formulae
Ratio and sharing, scaling recipes and quantities, direct and inverse proportion, best buys, and using formulae written in words or letters.
Key facts
- Simplify ratios by dividing all parts by a common factor: 12 : 18 = 2 : 3. Make units the same first (50 cm : 2 m = 50 : 200 = 1 : 4).
- Share in a ratio: add the parts, divide the total by the number of parts, then multiply. £45 in the ratio 4 : 5: one part = £5, so £20 and £25.
- Direct proportion (recipes, costs): find the value for one unit, then multiply. Unitary method: 4 people need 300 g, so 1 person needs 75 g.
- Inverse proportion: as one quantity goes up, the other goes down. If 3 workers take 8 days, 1 worker takes 24 days, so 4 workers take 6 days.
- Best buys: compare the price per unit (per 100 g or per item) or the amount per £1.
- Formulae in words, e.g. cost = £25 + 40p per mile: convert units (40p = £0.40) and follow the order of operations.
- Formulae in letters, e.g. C = 25 + 0.4m: substitute the values, then calculate. You may also need to work backwards, e.g. find m when C = 73.
- Scale on maps and plans: 1 : 50 means 1 cm on the plan is 50 cm in real life.
Flashcards
Exam tip: In best-buy and ratio questions, write the unit on every number. Mixing grams and kilograms or pence and pounds is the most common way to lose the mark.
Test yourself on these topics
Take the free 15-question Functional Skills Maths L2 test, then save your results to unlock your Readiness Score and the mistakes bank.
4. Measures, Money and Time
Metric units and conversions, money and budgeting, time and timetables, speed, distance and time, temperature and conversion graphs.
Key facts
- Metric conversions: 10 mm = 1 cm, 100 cm = 1 m, 1,000 m = 1 km; 1,000 g = 1 kg; 1,000 ml = 1 litre; 1 m³ = 1,000 litres.
- Area and volume units convert differently: 1 m² = 10,000 cm² and 1 m³ = 1,000,000 cm³.
Flashcards
Exam tip: When adding times, work in hours and minutes, not decimals. Count up to the next whole hour, then add the rest.
5. Shape, Area and Volume
Perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, circles and composite shapes, volume and surface area of cuboids and cylinders, scale drawings, plans and elevations, angles and coordinates.
Key facts
- Perimeter is the distance around the outside (add all the sides). Area of a rectangle = length × width; triangle = ½ × base × height; parallelogram = base × height.
- Circles: circumference = π × diameter; area = π × radius². Halve the diameter to get the radius.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Check that all lengths are in the same unit before you multiply. A room measured in metres with a door in centimetres is a common trap.
6. Statistics and Charts
Reading and drawing tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and scatter diagrams; mean, median, mode and range, including estimating the mean from grouped data; comparing data sets.
Key facts
- Mean = total ÷ number of values. Median = middle value when ordered (the mean of the two middle values if there is an even number). Mode = most common value. Range = largest - smallest.
- From a frequency table, mean = Σ(value × frequency) ÷ total frequency.
Flashcards
Exam tip: When comparing data, always write one sentence about the average and one about the range, using the context of the question.
7. Probability
Probability scales, probabilities as fractions, decimals and percentages, P(not A), expected outcomes, and combined events using lists, tables and sample space diagrams.
Key facts
- Probability = number of favourable outcomes ÷ total number of outcomes, written as a fraction, decimal or percentage between 0 and 1 (0% and 100%).
- On a probability scale, 0 is impossible, 0.5 is an even chance and 1 is certain.
Flashcards
Exam tip: A probability can never be more than 1 or less than 0. If your answer is, you have divided the wrong way round.
How to pass
- Spend the 25-minute non-calculator section on written methods you trust: column multiplication, short division, simple percentages and fractions of amounts. It is worth about a quarter of the marks.
- Most calculator-section questions are multi-step problems in context, such as costs, plans and timetables. Underline every number and condition in the question before you start.
- Always show your working, and write a clear final answer with units. When a question asks you to make a decision ('is there enough paint?'), back it up with a calculation and say yes or no.
- Round sensibly for the real-life context: you cannot buy 5.76 tins of paint, so you need 6. Read whether the question wants you to round up or down.
- Check every answer for common sense. A 15% discount should make the price smaller, and a room in a house is not 400 m long.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for the Functional Skills Maths L2 exam?
Most students do best starting 10 to 12 weeks before the first paper, with 30 to 45 minutes a day per subject. You're ready once your Readiness Score has stayed at 80 or higher for about a week.
Can I take the Functional Skills Maths L2 exam online?
No. Functional Skills Maths L2 is a written exam sat in person at your school, college or an approved exam centre. Format: written or on-screen exam with a non-calculator section and a calculator section. Questions are set in everyday and workplace contexts. Check your exam board's timetable for dates.
What score do I need to pass the Functional Skills Maths L2 exam?
Pass or fail; the pass mark is set for each paper version, so aim for 70% in practice. The exam has one exam in two sections: non-calculator (about a quarter of the marks) and calculator (about three quarters). pearson edexcel: 64 marks (16 + 48); city & guilds: 60 marks (15 + 45) and a time limit of pearson edexcel: 1 hour 55 minutes (25 minutes non-calculator + 1 hour 30 minutes calculator). city & guilds: 1 hour 45 minutes (25 minutes + 1 hour 20 minutes).
What are the most tested topics?
The outline covers number and calculation, fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio, proportion and formulae, measures, money and time, shape, area and volume, statistics and charts, probability. Use the free practice test to see which ones you need most.
The premium Functional Skills Maths L2 study path
Premium Functional Skills Maths L2 prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.
Your step-by-step study path
- 1Number and Calculation9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25Notes free with an account
- 2Fractions, Decimals and Percentages9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- 3Ratio, Proportion and Formulae9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- 4Measures, Money and Time9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- 5Shape, Area and Volume8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- 6Statistics and Charts8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- 7Probability8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25Premium
- Final step: 6 full mock exams64 questions each, timed like exam day. Hit your target on them before your first paper.Premium
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Summarised from the exam boards' published specifications and the rules cited, checked November 2026. Confirm current requirements with Pearson Edexcel, City & Guilds, NCFE, Highfield and other Ofqual-regulated awarding bodies.