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Themed maths

Summer maths escape room for IGCSE and GCSE

The beach hut is locked, and the keys are in a box with six locks. Teams solve six locks in order; each code is needed for the next. Printable clue cards, a teacher answer key and a bonus lock for the fastest team.

Level
IGCSE and GCSE (Higher and Extended)
Time
41 minutes, plus a 10-minute extension
Topics
Number: money, percentages, time and rounding; Shape: area; Algebra: equations
Equipment
No calculator needed.

Download student sheet (PDF)Answers (PDF)

Suggested timings

PartTimeWhat
Starter5 minQuick questions on the board
Main: lock 16 minThe ice-cream van
Main: lock 26 minThe pool
Main: lock 36 minThe sale
Main: lock 46 minThe train
Main: lock 56 minThe sandcastle
Main: lock 66 minThe beach hut
Extension10 minFast finishers or homework

Starter (5 minutes)

Warm-up before the locks: quick questions on the board.

  1. Find 15% of 40.
  2. Work out 3.2 × 100.
  3. Work out 1/4 + 1/3.

Main activity (36 minutes)

Lock 1: The ice-cream van (6 min)

Ice creams cost £2.40 each.

  1. How many ice creams can you buy with £30? This is code 1.

Lock 2: The pool (6 min)

A rectangular paddling pool is 5 m wide.

  1. Its length is code 1 metres. Find its area in m2. This is code 2.

Lock 3: The sale (6 min)

Everything in the beach shop is reduced.

  1. Find code 2 per cent of 350. This is code 3.

Lock 4: The train (6 min)

A train leaves at 09:40.

  1. The journey takes code 3 minutes. What time does it arrive? Write the 24-hour time as four digits: this is code 4.

Lock 5: The sandcastle (6 min)

Round code 4 to 1 significant figure.

  1. Divide your rounded number by 100. This is code 5.

Lock 6: The beach hut (6 min)

The last lock.

  1. Solve x2 = 10 × code 5 − 19, where x > 0. The value of x opens the hut.

Extension (10 minutes)

Bonus lock for the fastest team.

  1. Two fair dice are rolled. Find the probability that the total is code 6.

For teachers

Teacher notes and full worked answers
  • How to run it: print the student sheet and cut out the six lock cards. Give each team lock 1. When a team brings you the right code, give them the next card (the answer key is in the answers PDF). The first team to open lock 6 escapes. Teams can also have every card at once and race through them in order.
  • Each code is used in the next lock, so check every code before the team moves on: one slip early on breaks the chain.

Starter

  1. 6
    • 10% = 4 and 5% = 2
  2. 320
    • Move the digits two places.
  3. 7/12
    • 3/12 + 4/12

Lock 1: The ice-cream van

  1. 12
    • 30 ÷ 2.40 = 12.5
    • You can buy 12.

Lock 2: The pool

  1. 60
    • 12 × 5 = 60

Lock 3: The sale

  1. 210
    • 60% of 350 = 0.6 × 350 = 210

Lock 4: The train

  1. 13:10, so code 1310
    • 210 minutes = 3 hours 30 minutes
    • 09:40 + 3 h 30 min = 13:10

Lock 5: The sandcastle

  1. 10
    • 1310 rounds to 1000
    • 1000 ÷ 100 = 10

Lock 6: The beach hut

  1. 9
    • x2 = 100 − 19 = 81
    • x = 9

Extension

  1. 1/9
    • Totals of 9: (3, 6), (4, 5), (5, 4), (6, 3)
    • 4/36 = 1/9

The same answers are in the answers PDF. Every answer was recomputed by computer before publishing.

Practise the topics

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