This exam tips covers Exam Success Tips within Percentage Problems for GCSE Mathematics. Revise Percentage Problems in Number for GCSE Mathematics with 14 exam-style questions and 22 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 6 of 8 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Exam Success Tips
- Always show working: Even if you use a calculator, show the calculation setup
- Check answers make sense: A 90% discount shouldn't give you more than the original price!
- Read carefully: Is the percentage being added or subtracted? Is VAT included or excluded?
- Use multipliers for efficiency: 1.15 for 15% increase, 0.75 for 25% decrease
- Round appropriately: Money usually rounds to pence, percentages to 1 decimal place
Practice questions for Percentage Problems
What is the multiplier for a 30% increase?
Work out 20% of 60.
Quick recall flashcards
A £60 item has 25% off. What do you pay?
Method 1: Discount = £60 × 0.25 = £15, Pay = £60 - £15 = £45
Method 2: Pay = £60 × 0.75 = £45
Answer: £45
What is the formula for simple interest?
I = PRT/100
where P = Principal, R = Rate (%), T = Time (years)