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Free GCSE maths resource

GCSE percentages practice and starter worksheets

Build confidence with percentages of amounts, percentage changes and reverse percentages. Try the examples, check the working, then choose the part of percentages you want to practise next.

Foundation and Higher · Useful for students strengthening core skills before mixed GCSE practice.

Core pathway. Core GCSE methods are useful across Foundation and Higher. Start with the core examples and questions.

Higher extension. More demanding selections are marked Higher extension: practice question 8. Use these after the core work, following your teacher’s guidance.

3 worked examples and 8 original practice questions · Allow 25–40 minutes · Read online or print. Higher extensions are labelled. No account or email needed.

Learn the methodTry the questions

Printing includes the method, examples and space for working, followed by a separate answer section.

A useful approach

  1. Convert a percentage to a decimal multiplier, or build it from useful amounts such as 10% and 5%.
  2. For percentage change, divide the change by the original amount and multiply by 100.
  3. For a reverse percentage, identify the multiplier that produced the final amount, then divide by that multiplier.

A mistake to watch for

An increase followed by the same percentage decrease usually does not return to the starting amount: the second percentage uses a different base.

Learn each method, then practise it

Read each line of working and explain why it follows from the previous line.

Percentage of an amount

A percentage means parts per hundred. Multiply the amount by the percentage divided by 100.

Worked example 1

Percentages · Core GCSE skill · No calculator · 2 marks

Work out 15% of £60

  1. 10% of 60 is 6.
  2. 5% is half of 10%, so 5% of 60 is 3.
  3. 15% = 10% + 5% = 6 + 3 = 9 pounds.
Answer: £9
Report a problem with this question

Now practise this method: Question 1 · Question 2

Percentage change

Find the change first, divide by the original amount, then multiply by 100. Name whether this is an increase or decrease.

Worked example 2

Percentage Change · Core GCSE skill · No calculator · 3 marks

Last year a rail season ticket cost £640.

This year the same season ticket costs £688.

Work out the percentage increase in the cost of the season ticket.

  1. Increase = 688 − 640 = £48.
  2. Compare the increase with the original £640, which represents 100%. Using the new price as the denominator would answer a different question.
  3. Percentage increase = 48 ÷ 640 = 0.075.
  4. 0.075 × 100 = 7.5%.
Answer: 7.5%
Report a problem with this question

Now practise this method: Question 3 · Question 4

Reverse percentages

The final amount already includes the change. Identify its decimal multiplier, then divide the final amount by that multiplier to recover 100%.

Worked example 3

Reverse Percentages · Core GCSE skill · Calculator allowed · 2 marks

In a sale, all prices are reduced by 15%.

The sale price of a jumper is £68.

Work out the normal price of the jumper.

  1. The sale price is 100% − 15% = 85% of the normal price
  2. The original price was multiplied by 0.85 to obtain the sale price. Undo that multiplication by dividing by 0.85; adding 15% of the sale price would use the wrong starting amount.
  3. Normal price = 68 ÷ 0.85 = £80
  4. Check: 80 × 0.85 = £68
Answer: £80
Report a problem with this question

Now practise this method: Question 5 · Question 6 · Question 7 · Question 8

Your practice questions

Write your working on paper. Marks indicate how much working to show; these questions are self-marked and do not change saved practice results. Use squared paper for drawing questions.

Worked answers: Percentages

Compare the reasoning as well as the final answer. Another correct method is valid. If a step is unclear, revisit an example before trying a similar question.

Answer 1

Show answer and working for question 1
  1. Percent means “out of 100”, so 34% = 34/100 = 0.34. Multiplying by 0.34 finds 34 hundredths of the whole amount.
  2. 34% as a decimal is 0.34.
  3. 0.34 x 850 = 289, so there are 289 ml of orange juice.
Answer: 289 ml
Back to question 1

Answer 2

Show answer and working for question 2
  1. Interest for one year: 3% of 2400 = 0.03 x 2400 = 72 pounds.
  2. Simple interest is the same each year, so over 3 years it is 3 x 72 = 216 pounds.
Answer: £216
Back to question 2

Answer 3

Show answer and working for question 3
  1. Loss = 250 − 210 = £40.
  2. Percentage loss = 40 ÷ 250 = 0.16.
  3. 0.16 × 100 = 16%.
Answer: 16%
Back to question 3

Answer 4

Show answer and working for question 4
  1. Profit = 85 − 68 = £17.
  2. Percentage profit = 17 ÷ 68 = 0.25.
  3. 0.25 × 100 = 25%.
Answer: 25%
Back to question 4

Answer 5

Show answer and working for question 5
  1. The new price is 120% of the old price
  2. Old price = 54 ÷ 1.2 = £45
  3. Check: 45 × 1.2 = £54
Answer: £45
Back to question 5

Answer 6

Show answer and working for question 6
  1. The reduced price is 90% of the original price
  2. Original price = 63 ÷ 0.9 = £70
  3. Check: 70 × 0.9 = £63
Answer: £70
Back to question 6

Answer 7

Show answer and working for question 7
  1. The 2025 population is 112% of the 2015 population
  2. 2015 population = 26 880 ÷ 1.12 = 24 000
  3. Check: 24 000 × 1.12 = 26 880
Answer: 24000
Back to question 7

Answer 8

Show answer and working for question 8
  1. The sale price is 70% of the original price
  2. Original price = 59.36 ÷ 0.7 = £84.80
  3. Check: 84.80 × 0.7 = £59.36
Answer: £84.80
Back to question 8

Practise a specific skill

Workouts provide interactive practice; choose the tier your school has recommended.

Use this in class

Ask pupils to identify which amount represents 100% before they start. Keep original amount, change and final amount clearly labelled in their working.

Build a custom classroom worksheet or print this page. The teacher builder can display questions on a projector and reveal answers separately.

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