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PSLE 2023 · Paper 2 · Q9 Number & Algebra · Percentage 3 marks · long answer difficulty 3 of 5

PSLE 2023 Paper 2, Question 9: Percentage

The answer

\(\$46\)

PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Question 9 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 9 of the PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Mathematics paper. It tests percentage, in the Number & Algebra strand. It is worth 3 marks. Open your copy of the paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.

Watch the walkthrough

Video: a Genius Plus Academy teacher solving PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Question 9 Teacher video · 2023 P2 Q9

Step-by-step solution

Bar model of the money spent
Bar model from the GPA worked solution, the calculator took \(75\%\); the book took \(40\%\) of the remainder, leaving \(\$6.90\).

After the calculator, the remainder is \(25\%\) of her money. The book took \(40\%\) of the remainder, leaving \(60\%\) of the remainder \(= \$6.90\). Remainder \(= \$6.90 \div 60 \times 100 = \$11.50\). Money at first \(= \$11.50 \div 25 \times 100 = \$46\).

Answer: \(\$46\)

Same structure, different costume

A question is hard because of its structure, not its story.

Change egg tarts to badges, a tank to two tanks, a ring of card to a folded sheet, and a child sees a brand new problem. The lock underneath is the same, and so is the key. Once a student can name the structure, a whole row of questions that look different start to open the same way.

It is also where marks really leak. Across fourteen years of papers, the marks lost in PSLE math leak at the reading far more than at the arithmetic, which is exactly why recognising the structure fixes them. We call this Lock and Key: name the lock, then the key follows.

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All PSLE 2023 worked solutions →

One of the 10 question types

Read a question, know the method.

The PSLE keeps testing the same 10 structures. Our PSLE Math Intensive trains the Lock and Key reflex across all ten, with 158 curated questions over two days.

Questions students ask

What does PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Question 9 test?

It is a percentage question from the Number & Algebra strand, worth 3 marks.

Is there a video solution?

Yes. A Genius Plus Academy teacher works it on video above, free to watch.

Are these worked solutions free?

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Where can I find more PSLE worked solutions?

Browse every year from 2014 to 2025 in our worked-solutions library at /resources/solutions/psle/.

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