Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method)

Sample Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method) questions

A few of the 36 questions, from easier to harder. Choose your exam board and tier to practise them, with every answer marked.

1. Question 12 marksGrade 3
   Adam gets a bonus of 30% of £80. Katy gets a bonus of £28. Work out the difference between the bonus Adam gets and the bonus Katy gets.
   Show the worked solution

   Adam's bonus: 30% of £80 = 0.3 × 80 = £24. M1

   Difference: £28 − £24 = £4. A1
2. Question 23 marksGrade 4
   Shari buys a box of 60 candles for £125. She sells the candles for £2.25 each. Calculate her percentage profit.
   Show the worked solution

   Revenue: 60 × £2.25 = £135. M1

   Profit: £135 − £125 = £10. M2

   Percentage profit: 10/125 × 100 = 8%. A1

What are the common mistakes in Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method)?

When a pupil makes one of these on Revision Workshop, the marking engine names the mistake and explains it, instead of just marking the answer wrong.

• Uses the wrong operation or sign when translating a worded description into an algebraic expression

  Treated "decrease by 7%" as "decrease by 7" (a raw number), adding/subtracting 7 directly from the original amount instead of applying it as a proportion of the total

• Applies the wrong inverse operation when isolating the unknown (e.g. subtracts instead of adding, or vice versa)

  Used the multiplier for the opposite direction of change (increase) instead of decrease

• Divides profit by the selling price instead of the original cost price when calculating percentage profit

  Calculates profit ÷ revenue × 100 (10/135 ≈ 7.4%) instead of profit ÷ cost price × 100 (10/125 = 8%) - percentage profit is always relative to the original cost.

Quick answers about Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method)

How many Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method) practice questions are there?

There are 36 self-marking GCSE and IGCSE Maths questions on Percentage increase and decrease (multiplier method), written for AQA, Pearson, OCR, Pearson International GCSE Maths A (4MA1), Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580), Cambridge IGCSE (9-1) Mathematics (0980) across Foundation and Higher and Core and Extended tier. Each one is marked instantly and has a full worked solution.

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