Consumer Education
Price is Right
Activity getting learners to estimate weights and dimensions for calculating postage and packing,
when sending imaginary goods to a buyer, sold in an online auction. Includes a weights comparison
guide and wish list proforma.
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Buying and selling: Unit 2 Activity 6 The price is right!
This document provides activities to use with learners/ participants/ service users; the material has been written to include
education focuses on literacy, numeracy, functional skills and English for speakers of other languages within a formal
education setting. However if you wish to use the activities within an informal group or as part of an awareness raising
campaign you will only need p3 onwards.
Learning resources are not designed for tutors/ educators to advise their participants on specific cases; where necessary
participants should be directed to the appropriate advice agency.
Unit/ Activity focus
Estimating weight and
dimensions for calculating
postage and packing
Consumer education
objectives
Develop awareness of sources
of information about P&P costs
Literacy, language and numeracy objectives
Estimate and calculate costs for items and
postage and packaging using scales, tables
and percentages
Understand the postage
implications of item weight and
size
Extension activity: Calculate percentages
Numeracy curriculum refs
AN N1/L1.8
AN N1/L1.9
AN N2/L1.1
AN N2/L1.2
AN N2/L1.3
AN N2/L1.5
AN N2/L1.6
AN N2/L2.8
AN N2/L1.7
AN N2/L1.8
AN N2/L1.9
AN N2/L1.10
AN N2/L1.11
AN MSS1/L1.1
AN MSS1/L1.4
Key/ Functional
Skills curriculum
refs
KS N1.2
FS Maths L1
KS N2.1
KS N2.2
FS Maths L2
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RESOURCES AND PREPARATION
Computers with internet access and data projector, if available
BS U2 Activity 5 The price is right! Advert forms: completed slips from previous activity
BS U2 Activity 6a The price is right! Weight comparison guide: one for each group
BS U2 Activity 6b The price is right! Wish list: one for each learner
Rulers and tape measures
Kitchen and bathroom scales
Sticky labels or post-it notes
Calculators
NUMERACY FOCUS
SUGGESTED PROCEDURE
 Set the context by explaining to learners that they are now going to imagine that they are selling their item to a buyer who lives in another part of
the country and so need to work out the cost of postage and packaging (P&P).
 Learners first write the price for their item on a post-it note and stick it on the back of their advert. They should not let other learners see the
price.
 Elicit factors to consider for calculating P&P, i.e. dimensions and weight. Then ask learners to work out the cost of P&P for their item. This can be
done online if computers are available at using the Price finder tool at www.royalmail.com/portal/rm.
 Using scales:
– if scales are not available, learners can use the Royal Mail’s weight comparison guide to estimate the weight of their items – see BS U2 Activity
6a The price is right! Weight comparison guide sheet.
– If scales are available, learners first estimate the weight using the Royal Mail weight comparison guide and then weigh the item and compare
the estimated and real weights.
 Learners now write the cost of P&P under the price of their item on the post-it note and stick it on the back of their advert.
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 Display the small ads around the room, giving each advert a separate reference number and keeping the prices out of sight on the reverse.
 Agree an imaginary total budget with learners, e.g. £50 each. Give each learner a BS U2 Activity 6b The price is right! Wish list sheet.
 Explain to learners they need to move around the room, read the adverts and choose up to five items that they are interested in buying within
the agreed budget. They need to record each item on their Wish list, and what they estimate the price and P&P will be. To help them estimate
the P&P, they should refer to the Estimation of weight and dimensions sheet and consider the dimensions and weight of the items they choose.
 Tell the learners to calculate the estimated total cost of the items plus P&P on their wish list.
 Now ask each learner to transfer the post-it notes with the price for their item and cost of P&P to the front of each advert. Learners now
calculate the actual cost of their wish list, including P&P, and work out which items they can afford within the agreed budget.
 Ask questions about the difference between the actual and estimated costs. Lead into a discussion about postage and packaging, the importance
of budgeting and estimation as a useful tool.
Ideas for Level 2 and/or extension activities
Ask learners to calculate what percentage of the total cost of their wish list is P&P.
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Buying and selling:
Unit 2 Activity 5 The price is right! Advert forms
The price is right! Advert forms
Category:
Item:
Description :
Contact name:
Ref. no.
Category:
Item:
Description :
Contact name:
Ref. no.
Category:
Item:
Description :
Contact name:
Ref. no.
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Buying and selling:
Unit 2 Activity 6a The price is right! Weight comparison guide
The price is right! Weight comparison guide
The comparison guide below will give you example weights for many items.
Remember that if your item is too large
through a letterbox, you’ll need to
post it at the Post Office anyway, and you
will be able to weigh it there.
Item
to go
Weight
Letter or greeting card
30 g
Standard DL envelope with 4 sheets of A4
44 g
Compact disc in bubble envelope
130 g
A4 envelope with 20 sheets of A4
160 g
Mobile phone in bubble envelope
180 g
DVD in bubble envelope
190 g
Video cassette in bubble envelope
295 g
400 page paperback book in bubble envelope
310 g
Pair of jeans
500 g
Glossy magazine in bubble envelope
585 g
Pair of trainers
1000 g
Electric drill
2 kg
Medium sized suitcase containing clothing
20 kg
Table reproduced with kind permission from Royal Mail Group
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Buying and selling:
Unit 2 Activity 6b The price is right! Wish list
The price is right! Wish list
Estimated costs
Item
Estimated
price of item
Estimated
cost of
P&P
Estimated total cost
Actual costs
Estimated
total (item
plus P & P)
Actual price of Actual cost of
item
P&P
Actual total
(item plus
P & P)
Actual total cost
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