Using proportional reasoning to solve problems: finding costs from unit prices, scaling recipes, calculating rates. Using 'find one, then multiply' or 'find the multiplier' strategies.
Where your child meets this in real life: Calculating costs (if 3 apples cost £1.20, how much do 7 cost?), scaling recipes (6 scones → 18 scones), rate problems
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 solve scaling and proportion problems into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Scale quantities when one value is a whole number multiple of another (e.g., ×2, ×3, ×4)
Solve proportion problems by finding the unit value first (value of 1), then multiplying by the target quantity
Solve problems involving rates (per minute, per hour) including unit conversions when needed
Try three free questions from our solve scaling and proportion problems 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.
The table shows the flour needed for 3 scones. Olivia wants to make 9 scones. How much flour does she need?
Naomi bought 6 pencils for £4.20. How much would 9 pencils cost?
A machine at a factory produces 24 items in 8 minutes. How many items can it produce in 1 hour?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
A recipe for 4 fairy cakes needs 120g of flour. Millie wants to make 12 fairy cakes for the school bake sale.
How much flour does she need?
4 cakes → 120g, 12 cakes → ?
How many times bigger is 12 than 4?
Step 1 of 4
A recipe for 4 fairy cakes needs 120g of flour. Millie wants to make 12 fairy cakes for the school bake sale.
How much flour does she need?
Millie needs 360g of flour to make 12 fairy cakes.
The key insight: Whatever you do to one side, you do to the other - that's what proportional means!
Common mix-up: 120g + 8 = 128g. Adding doesn't work for scaling. If you make 3 times as many, you multiply by 3.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in solve scaling and proportion problems, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with solve scaling and proportion problems? 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