GCSE MATHS • HIGHER TIER

Percentage Increase Made Simple

Calculate increases accurately using percentages, formulas and multipliers.

Clear method

Exam practice

Worked proofs

Percentage Increase in Four Moves

1 Identify

Identify the original amount and the percentage increase .

2 Calculate

Find the increase amount or choose the correct multiplier .

3 Increase

Add the percentage increase or multiply by the increase multiplier .

4 Check

Make sure the final value is larger than the original amount .

What You’ll Learn

Understand Percentage Increase

Recognise when a value has increased by a percentage.

Use the Percentage Increase Formula

Calculate the increase as a percentage of the original amount.

Use Two Calculation Methods

Find the increase first or calculate the percentage and add it.

Use Multipliers

Apply multipliers such as 1.10, 1.20 and 1.35.

Apply Percentage Increase

Solve money, population, salary and growth questions.

Key Rules

Percentage Increase = (Increase ÷ Original Amount) × 100

This formula is used when calculating how much a value has increased as a percentage.

Worked Proof: Percentage Increase

Step-by-Step Method

More Worked Examples

1

A shirt costs £50 and rises to £60 .

Increase = £60 − £50 = £10

Percentage Increase = (10 ÷ 50) × 100 = 20%

Answer = 20%

2

Increase £80 by 25% .

25% of £80 = £20

£80 + £20 = £100

Answer = £100

3

Increase £200 by 15% .

Multiplier = 1.15

£200 × 1.15 = £230

Answer = £230

4

Increase £120 by 8% .

Multiplier = 1.08

£120 × 1.08 = £129.60

Answer = £129.60

Original amount : Use the original amount, not the new amount, in the percentage formula.
Multiply by 100: Do not forget the final ×100 when finding a percentage increase.
Multiplier: Use an increase multiplier greater than 1.
Increase vs decrease: Check that the final value should be larger, not smaller.