Calculating change from £5 and £10 notes using subtraction or counting up methods.
Where your child meets this in real life: Shopping transactions, checking you've received correct change
Each SEAG paper has 28 maths questions. Questions 29 to 50 are multiple choice with five possible answers, and questions 51 to 56 need a short written answer. With 56 questions in 60 minutes across English and maths, that is about a minute per question.
SEAGReady breaks calculate change into 2 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Calculate change from £5 or £10 when buying one item
Calculate change after buying multiple items by finding total cost first
Try three free questions from our calculate change course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.
Freya buys the pen shown and pays with the note shown. How much change does she get?
Aisling buys one scone and one cup of tea from the cafe and pays with the note shown. What change does she get?
Hannah's money and planned purchase are shown. Can she buy the magazine and still have at least the amount she wants left?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Naomi buys a notebook at the school shop. It costs £3.65. She pays with a £5 note.
How much change does Naomi get?
£5.00 − £3.65
Change is the distance from the cost to the amount paid
Step 1 of 4
Naomi buys a notebook at the school shop. It costs £3.65. She pays with a £5 note.
How much change does Naomi get?
Naomi gets £1.35 change.
The key insight: Change is the distance from the cost to the amount paid; counting through the next pound keeps the pence clear.
Common mix-up: £3.65 − £5.00 = can't do it. Always subtract the cost FROM the payment, not the other way round.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in calculate change, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with calculate change? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
Free to start · no card needed