Convert between units of time, switch between 12-hour and 24-hour clocks, read timetables and work out how long things take. It is a Foundation topic, aimed at grade 1. Free questions with answers are on this page. Worked examples show each line before you try the questions.
Time is not decimal. There are 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute, so 2.5 hours is 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is 150 minutes, not 250. To convert hours to minutes, multiply by 60; minutes to hours, divide by 60.
The 24-hour clock avoids a.m./p.m. mix-ups: 14:20 is twenty past two in the afternoon. To find how long something takes, count forward to the next hour, then on to the finish time. From 14:20 to 16:05 is 1 hour 45 minutes.
Timetable questions are the same skill with extra rows. Read the correct column, and watch for 'the next train after…' which is not always the one you first spot.
Objectives
Convert hours and minutes.
Find a gap between two times.
Read a 24-hour time as afternoon or morning.
Key points
Convert between hours, minutes and seconds (remember there are 60, not 100, minutes in an hour).
Change times between 12-hour (am/pm) and 24-hour clock.
Work out the length of time between two clock times by counting on.
Add a duration to a start time to find a finish time.
Worked examples
Example 1
A film starts at 2:40 pm and lasts 35 minutes. It ends just after 3 pm. How many minutes past 3 pm does it end?
2 marks
From 2:40 to 3:00 is 20 minutes.
35 − 20 = 15 minutes into the next hour.
The film ends at 3:15 pm.
Answer: 15
Common slips
Slip: 2:40 + 35 = 2:75 Minutes do not stay at 75. 60 minutes become the next hour.
Slip: 35 + 20 = 55 The 20 minutes were used up getting to 3:00. Only the rest remains.
Slip: The film ends at 2:75. 2:75 is not a time of day.
Example 2
How many minutes are there from 9:15 to 11:00?
2 marks
9:15 to 10:00 is 45 minutes.
10:00 to 11:00 is 60 minutes.
45 + 60 = 105 minutes.
Answer: 105
Common slips
Slip: 11:00 − 9:15 = 1:85 Clock subtraction is not decimal subtraction.
Slip: That hour is 100 minutes. An hour is 60 minutes.
Slip: 45 + 60 = 105 hours. The parts were counted in minutes, so the total is minutes.
Example 3
A shift runs from 08:40 to 12:10. How many minutes is that?
3 marks
08:40 to 12:40 would be 4 hours, which is 240 minutes.
12:10 is 30 minutes earlier than 12:40.
240 − 30 = 210 minutes.
Answer: 210
Common slips
Slip: 08:40 to 12:10 is 12:10 − 08:40 = 370 minutes. That decimal subtraction invents minutes.
Slip: Take off 10 minutes. From :40 to :10 on a later hour is 30 minutes less than 4 hours, because :40 back to :10 is 30.
Slip: 240 + 30 = 270 The finish is earlier than the 4-hour mark, so subtract.
Questions and answers
GCSE Maths time questions and answers. Try each one, then open the answer. Easy questions come first.
Question 1 Easy2 marks
How many minutes are in 2 hours?
Show answer
Answer: 120
2 × 60 = 120.
There are 120 minutes.
M1 — 2 × 60 = 120.
A1 — Answer 120
Question 2 Easy2 marks
How many minutes are in 1 hour 25 minutes?
Show answer
Answer: 85
60 + 25 = 85.
That is 85 minutes.
M1 — 60 + 25 = 85.
A1 — Answer 85
Question 3 Medium2 marks
How many minutes from 4:10 to 5:00?
Show answer
Answer: 50
4:10 to 5:00 is 50 minutes.
60 − 10 = 50.
M1 — 4:10 to 5:00 is 50 minutes.
A1 — Answer 50
Question 4 Medium2 marks
How many hours are in 2 days?
Show answer
Answer: 48
2 × 24 = 48.
There are 48 hours.
M1 — 2 × 24 = 48.
A1 — Answer 48
Question 5 Hard2 marks
How many minutes from 10:48 to 12:03?
Show answer
Answer: 75
10:48 to 11:48 is 60 minutes, then to 12:00 is 12, then 3 more.
60 + 12 + 3 = 75.
M1 — 10:48 to 11:48 is 60 minutes, then to 12:00 is 12, then 3 more.
A1 — Answer 75
Question 6 Hard2 marks
A match has two 45-minute halves and a 15-minute break. How many minutes is that altogether?
Show answer
Answer: 105
45 + 45 = 90.
90 + 15 = 105.
M1 — 45 + 45 = 90.
A1 — Answer 105
Question 7 Exam-style3 marks
A coach leaves at 09:48 and arrives at 11:15. How many minutes is the journey?
Show answer
Answer: 87
09:48 to 10:48 is 60 minutes.
10:48 to 11:15 is 27 minutes, and 60 + 27 = 87.
M1 — Counts a full hour
M1 — Adds the remaining minutes
A1 — Answer 87
Common mistakes
Most lost marks on this topic are one slip.
Treating times like decimals, so 2:50 + 20 minutes becomes 2:70, or the gap from 2:50 to 3:10 is worked out as 310 − 250 = 60.
When minutes reach 60, carry one hour and keep only the leftover minutes.
Using 100 minutes in an hour.
An hour has 60 minutes. Half an hour is 30 minutes.
Adding 12 hours to noon or to a time that is already in 24-hour form.
Noon is 12:00. Only a 12-hour pm time, other than noon, needs 12 added.
Spot the slip
How many minutes are in one hour?
60
100
24
Show the slip
60 An hour is split into 60 minutes, not 100.
Exam tips
Be ready to do this without a calculator. Paper 1 is the non-calculator paper.
If the question says “show that”, the result is given. The marks are for the steps that reach it.
The method is the same on AQA-style and Edexcel-style papers.
Draw a quick time line with your jumps written above it (10 min, 1 h, 25 min) — the jumps are the method marks.
Write times in the format the question uses (24-hour if the timetable does).
Printable worksheet
The same questions are in a PDF you can print. Answers start on a later page.
Or use Print in your browser. Answers under each question are included when you print.
Questions students ask
Is Time Foundation or Higher?
Time is Foundation, aimed at grade 1.
What is a common slip on Time?
Treating times like decimals, so 2:50 + 20 minutes becomes 2:70, or the gap from 2:50 to 3:10 is worked out as 310 − 250 = 60. When minutes reach 60, carry one hour and keep only the leftover minutes.
Where can I get Time questions and answers?
The questions on this page are free. Open Show answer under each one, or download the worksheet PDF. Start free to practise this topic in the app.