Functional QuestionHigher(Statistics 6)

For the week beginning ….

Arnie saw a camera priced at £250 in London.He saw the same camera priced at $297.50 in New York.This is a 30% saving on the London price.How many dollars are there to the pound?

Answer £1 = $ .................................................(Total 3 marks) 

Or equivalent 297.5 ÷ 0.7 (= 425)M1 – Method mark

297.5 ÷ 175 (1.7)425 ÷ 250M1 – Method mark

1.7 (0)A1 - Accuracy marks are awarded when following on from a correct method[3] 

This question was usually zero or 3 marks with less than half scoring full marks. The two basic approaches which were to find 70% of the London price (£175) or ‘100%’ of the New York price ($ 425) and compare, were seen equally often. There were many common errors involving various calculations of 30% or 130% of both London and New York prices, or just doing a straight currency conversion on the stated values. 

Common Mistakes – what did the examiners say?