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Maths · Fractions, ratio and percentages
Percentages
Multipliers turn every percentage question into one multiplication - increases, decreases, percentage change, finding the original price and interest that grows year after year.
Last Lesson and Before
Answer each one, then check.
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1
What is 10% of 80?
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8
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2
Write 0.35 as a percentage.
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35%
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3
Write \(\frac{3}{4}\) as a percentage.
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75%
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4
Work out \(1.2 \times 50\).
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60
Learning Objectives
- 1Find a percentage of an amount, with and without a calculator.
- 2Increase and decrease by a percentage using a multiplier.
- 3Write one quantity as a percentage of another and find a percentage change.
- 4Find the original amount after a percentage change (reverse percentages).
- 5Work out simple and compound interest and depreciation.
Percentages of Amounts
Per cent means "out of 100".
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Without a calculator
Build from 10%, 5% and 1%: 35% of £180 = 30% + 5% = £54 + £9 = £63.
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With a calculator
Use the decimal: 35% of 180 = \(0.35 \times 180 = 63\).
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As a fraction of the whole
15 out of 60 is \(\frac{15}{60} \times 100 = 25\%\).
Multipliers
A multiplier does a percentage change in one step.
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Increase by 15%
100% + 15% = 115%, so multiply by 1.15.
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Decrease by 15%
100% − 15% = 85%, so multiply by 0.85.
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More examples
Increase by 3%: \(\times 1.03\). Decrease by 40%: \(\times 0.6\). Increase by 100%: \(\times 2\).
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Why use them
They work for every amount and every percentage, and they make repeated changes easy.
Percentage Increase with a Multiplier
Increase £240 by 15%.
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- 1 The multiplier \(100\% + 15\% = 115\% = 1.15\)
- 2 Multiply \(240 \times 1.15 = 276\)
Answer£276
Percentage Change
The price of a jacket rises from £60 to £75. Find the percentage increase.
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- 1 Find the change \(75 - 60 = 15\)
- 2 Divide by the ORIGINAL amount \(\dfrac{15}{60} = 0.25\)
- 3 Convert to a percentage \(0.25 \times 100 = 25\%\)
Answer25% increase
Reverse Percentages
When you know the amount AFTER a percentage change, divide by the multiplier to get back to the original.
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The trap
After a 20% increase to £90, the original is NOT £90 minus 20% of £90.
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The method
£90 is 120% of the original, so the original is \(90 \div 1.2 = £75\).
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Check
\(75 \times 1.2 = 90\).
A Reverse Percentage
In a sale, prices are reduced by 30%. A coat costs £56 in the sale. What was its original price?
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- 1 The sale price is 70% of the original multiplier \(0.7\)
- 2 Divide by the multiplier \(56 \div 0.7 = 80\)
- 3 Check \(80 \times 0.7 = 56\)
Answer£80
Simple and Compound Interest
Interest is money added to savings (or a loan) each year.
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Simple interest
The same amount each year, worked out on the original sum: 3% of £2000 is £60 a year.
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Compound interest
Interest is added to the total, so next year's interest is on a bigger amount.
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The formula
Amount \(= \text{original} \times \text{multiplier}^{\text{years}}\).
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Depreciation
The same idea for losing value: a car losing 12% a year is \(\times 0.88\) each year.
Compound Interest
£2000 is invested at 3% compound interest per year. How much is it worth after 4 years?
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- 1 The multiplier for one year \(1.03\)
- 2 Four years: multiply by 1.03 four times \(2000 \times 1.03^4\)
- 3 Work it out \(2251.017\ldots\)
Answer£2251.02
Simple or Compound?
Simple interest on £2000 at 3%
- Year 1: £60
- Year 2: £60
- Year 3: £60
- Year 4: £60
- Total after 4 years: £2240
Compound interest on £2000 at 3%
- Year 1: £60
- Year 2: £61.80
- Year 3: £63.65
- Year 4: £65.56
- Total after 4 years: £2251.02
The Best Deal
(a) A shop increases a £50 price by 20%, then reduces the new price by 20%. What is the final price? (b) Bank A pays 4% simple interest. Bank B pays 3.8% compound interest. Which gives more on £1000 after 5 years? (c) A phone costs £252 after a 16% discount. What did it cost before?
1. Write each multiplier.
2. Multiply, or divide for a reverse percentage.
3. Check your answer makes sense.
A good answer shows: (a) \(50 \times 1.2 \times 0.8 = £48\) - not £50. (b) A: \(1000 + 5 \times 40 = £1200\). B: \(1000 \times 1.038^5 = £1205.03\). Bank B. (c) \(252 \div 0.84 = £300\).
Can I...?
- 1Find a percentage of an amount without a calculator.
- 2Write a percentage as a multiplier.
- 3Increase or decrease by a percentage.
- 4Write one amount as a percentage of another.
- 5Work out a percentage change.
- 6Find the original amount (reverse percentage).
- 7Work out compound interest.
- 8Work out depreciation.
Summary & Exam Focus
- Increase by \(p\%\): multiply by \(1 + \frac{p}{100}\). Decrease: multiply by \(1 - \frac{p}{100}\).
- Percentage change = change \(\div\) original \(\times\) 100.
- Reverse percentage: divide by the multiplier.
- Compound interest: original \(\times\) multiplier to the power of the number of years.
Exam focus
After a 15% decrease, the price of a TV is £391. What was the price before the decrease? (3 marks) (3 marks)
In a reverse percentage question, the amount you are given is NOT 100%. Divide by the multiplier - never take the percentage off the new amount.
Key terms
The vocabulary this lesson expects you to use. Each one is linked from the first place it appears above.
- Percentage
- A number out of 100.
- Multiplier
- The number you multiply by to make a percentage change, e.g. 1.15 for a 15% increase.
- Percentage change
- \(\dfrac{\text{change}}{\text{original}} \times 100\).
- Reverse percentage
- Finding the original amount from the amount after a change.
- Simple interest
- Interest worked out on the original amount only.
- Compound interest
- Interest added to the total, so later interest is on a bigger amount.
- Depreciation
- A loss in value over time.
Practice questions
Have a go at each one before you open its answer.
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Question 1 Non-calculator 2 marks
Work out 35% of £180.
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Model answer
10% = £18, so 30% = £54. 5% = £9. 35% = £54 + £9 = £63.
Mark scheme
- A correct method, e.g. 10% = 18 and 5% = 9 — M1
- £63 — A1
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Question 2 Non-calculator 2 marks
The price of a jacket rises from £60 to £75. Work out the percentage increase.
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Model answer
Increase = £15. \(\dfrac{15}{60} \times 100 = 25\%\).
Mark scheme
- \(\frac{15}{60}\) — M1
- 25% — A1
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Question 3 Calculator 3 marks
After a 15% decrease, the price of a TV is £391. What was the price before the decrease?
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Model answer
£391 is 85% of the original. \(391 \div 0.85 = £460\).
Mark scheme
- 85% or 0.85 used — P1
- \(391 \div 0.85\) — P1
- £460 — A1
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Question 4 Calculator 3 marks
Priya invests £5000 for 3 years at 2.5% per year compound interest. How much will the investment be worth at the end of 3 years?
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Model answer
\(5000 \times 1.025^3 = 5384.453\ldots\), so £5384.45.
Mark scheme
- 1.025 used as a multiplier — M1
- \(5000 \times 1.025^3\) — M1
- £5384.45 — A1
Quick check
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What multiplier increases an amount by 7%?
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C: 1.07
100% + 7% = 107% = 1.07.
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A price falls from £80 to £60. What is the percentage decrease?
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A: 25%
The change is £20, and \(\frac{20}{80} = 25\%\). Always divide by the original.
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After a 10% increase a bike costs £330. What was the original price?
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B: £300
£330 is 110% of the original: \(330 \div 1.1 = £300\).
Downloads
Free to keep, print and annotate.
- Percentages.pptx Built from the lesson script on 29 September 2026. View
- Percentages - Completed Notes.docx The full notes for the lesson, to revise from. Built from the lesson script on 29 September 2026. View
- Percentages - Exam Questions.docx Built from the lesson script on 29 September 2026. View
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