Pounds and Pence: Counting Your Coins

Imagine you reach into your pocket and pull out a handful of coins. Some are small and silver, some are gold, and one is big and heavy. How do you know which ones are worth more? Think about the last time you bought something. Did you use coins, a note, or both? Money comes in two types in the UK system: pounds and pence. Let's find out how they fit together.

In the UK money system, we use two units: pence and pounds. Pence (p) are the smaller unit. Coins come in 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, and 50p. Pounds (£) are the bigger unit. The symbol £ goes in front of the number — for example, £1 or £5. One pound is worth exactly 100 pence. We write that as: £1 = 100p. When an amount is less than one pound, we write it with p at the end — for example, 75p. When an amount is one pound or more, we use the £ symbol — for example, £1.50. The digits after the dot show the pence part. So £1.50 means 1 pound and 50 pence. Important rule: never write both symbols together. Write £1.50, not £1.50p. Worked Example: You buy a pencil for 60p and a rubber for 35p. How much do you spend in total? Step 1 — Add the pence: 60 + 35 = 95. Step 2 — Is the total 100 or more? No, it is 95, so we write it as 95p. Now, you pay with £1 (which equals 100p). How much change do you get? Step 3 — Subtract: 100p − 95p = 5p change. So you spend 95p and receive 5p change.