OCR GCSE Mathematics: Percentages and ordering fractions, decimals and percentages (J560) – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover sections 2.03 and 2.04 of the OCR GCSE (9-1) Mathematics (J560) specification, Version 2.1 (August 2026): percentages, multipliers, percentage change, original-value problems, simple interest, ordering and inequality symbols. All of it is Foundation and Higher tier content, so no question is Higher tier only. Learn the methods in the study guide and the revision notes first. See also the OCR GCSE Mathematics hub, the printable checklist, and the free diagnostics. Where a question says “by hand”, show your working without a calculator.

How to use the set: attempt each question on paper before you read the answer. Mark your own working against the numbered steps, and give yourself a mark only where the step is written down. Then note which type of question cost you marks (conversion, percentage of a quantity, multipliers, percentage change, original value, simple interest, ordering or symbols) and revisit that section of the study guide. Questions 5, 6 and 11 need an original-value method, and question 10 needs careful attention to which amount each percentage refers to.

Questions

1. Express 0.28 as a percentage and as a fraction in lowest terms. [2]

2. By hand:

(a) Find 12% of £350. [2] (b) Write 63 out of 90 as a percentage. [2]

3. A concert ticket costs £45.

(a) The price rises by 8%. Find the new price. [2] (b) A different price falls by 7.5%. Write down the decimal multiplier. [1]

4. A phone costs £320 in one shop and is reduced to £272. Find the percentage reduction. [3]

5. A camera is sold for £61.20 after a reduction of 32%. Find the original price. [3]

6. After a 4% increase, a monthly rent is £728. Find the rent before the increase. [3]

7. Leo invests £2,400 at 2.5% simple interest per year.

(a) Find the interest after 6 years. [2] (b) Find the total amount after 6 years. [1] (c) Find how many years it takes to earn £450 interest. [2]

8. By hand, write these in order, smallest first: 0.52, 5/9, 53%, 11/20, −0.6 [3]

9.

(a) Insert < , > or = : 7/8 … 0.87 [1] (b) True or false: 18/25 ≠ 72%. Give a reason. [1] (c) Insert < , > or = : −1.4 … −1.04 [1] (d) n is an integer and −3 < n ≤ 2. List all possible values of n. [2]

10. A bike costs £480. In a sale it is reduced by 20%. Later the sale price is increased by 20%.

(a) Find the sale price. [2] (b) Find the price after the increase. [1] (c) Find the overall percentage change from £480. [3]

11. An account pays 3.2% simple interest per year. Tara leaves her deposit in it for 5 years and then has £2,030 in total.

(a) Find her deposit. [3] (b) Her friend invests £1,750 at 3.6% simple interest per year. Let n be the number of years. Find the smallest whole number of years for the interest to be at least £315, and write your answer as an inequality in n. [3]

12.

(a) A recipe uses 280 g of flour. It is reduced by 3/8. Find the new mass. [2] (b) A mass is increased by 1/5 and is now 36 kg. Find the original mass. [2]

Answers

1. 0.28 × 100 = 28% [1]. 28/100 = 7/25 [1] [2] Examiner insight: Give the fraction fully simplified; 28/100 is not in lowest terms, so cancel down and check the denominator.

2. (a) 10% of 350 = 35 and 1% = 3.5, so 2% = 7 [1]. 12% = 35 + 7 = £42 [1] (b) 63/90 [1] × 100 = 70% [1] [4] Examiner insight: Put the part on top and the whole underneath. Writing 90/63 first gives a percentage over 100, which is a signal to turn the fraction over.

3. (a) Multiplier = 1.08 [1]. 45 × 1.08 = £48.60 [1] (b) 1 − 0.075 = 0.925 [1] [3] Examiner insight: Write the money answer to two decimal places. £48.6 reads as incomplete, and a clear multiplier shows your method.

4. Reduction = 320 − 272 = 48 [1]. 48/320 × 100 [1] = 15% decrease [1] [3] Examiner insight: Divide by the original price, £320, not the sale price. Naming the answer as a decrease is good practice.

5. Multiplier = 1 − 0.32 = 0.68 [1]. Original = 61.20 ÷ 0.68 [1] = £90 [1] [3] Examiner insight: This is an original-value question, so divide by the multiplier. Check forwards: 90 × 0.68 = 61.20. Adding 32% of £61.20 is a common wrong route.

6. Multiplier = 1.04 [1]. Original = 728 ÷ 1.04 [1] = £700 [1] [3] Examiner insight: A forward check (700 × 1.04 = 728) costs a few seconds and exposes the slip of taking 4% off £728.

7. (a) Interest per year = 2400 × 2.5/100 = £60 [1]. Over 6 years = 6 × 60 = £360 [1] (b) 2400 + 360 = £2,760 [1] (c) 450 ÷ 60 [1] = 7.5 years [1] [5] Examiner insight: Simple interest is the same each year, so work out one year first. Showing that figure gives you something to build the later parts on.

8. 5/9 = 0.556 (3 d.p.), 11/20 = 0.55, 53% = 0.53, 0.52, −0.6 [1]. Order of decimals: −0.6, 0.52, 0.53, 0.55, 0.556 [1]. −0.6, 0.52, 53%, 11/20, 5/9 [1] [3] Examiner insight: Write the final answer in the original forms. Giving only converted decimals risks losing the last mark, and writing −0.6 last is the usual slip with negatives.

9. (a) 7/8 = 0.875 [1], so 7/8 > 0.87 (b) 18/25 = 0.72 = 72%, so the statement is false [1] because the two are equal (c) −1.4 is further below zero, so −1.4 < −1.04 [1] (d) −3 is excluded and 2 is included [1]. −2, −1, 0, 1, 2 [1] [5] Examiner insight: In part (d), read the symbols one end at a time. Writing −3 in the list, or leaving out 2, is the typical way to drop a mark.

10. (a) Multiplier 0.8 [1]. 480 × 0.8 = £384 [1] (b) 384 × 1.2 = £460.80 [1] (c) Change = 480 − 460.80 = 19.20 [1]. 19.20/480 × 100 [1] = 4% decrease [1] [6] Examiner insight: The second change is a percentage of the sale price, not the original. It is tempting to say there is no overall change, so do the working to see the true result.

11. (a) Interest rate over 5 years = 5 × 3.2% = 16% [1]. Multiplier = 1.16 [1]. Deposit = 2030 ÷ 1.16 = £1,750 [1] (b) Interest per year = 1750 × 3.6/100 = £63 [1]. 315 ÷ 63 = 5 [1]. n ≥ 5 [1] [6] Examiner insight: A question that asks for an inequality wants the inequality, so a bare “5 years” may not be enough. In part (a), dividing by the multiplier is the original-value step.

12. (a) Multiplier = 1 − 3/8 = 5/8 [1]. 280 × 5/8 = 175 g [1] (b) Multiplier = 1 + 1/5 = 6/5 [1]. 36 ÷ 6/5 = 36 × 5/6 = 30 kg [1] [4] Examiner insight: Dividing by a fraction means multiplying by its reciprocal. Show that line so a slip in the arithmetic does not hide a correct method.

Where marks are usually lost

• Taking the final figure as the base when finding a percentage change, rather than the starting figure.
• Using the percentage itself as the multiplier, such as 0.32 for a 32% decrease.
• Multiplying instead of dividing in original-value questions.
• Applying a second percentage to the original amount rather than the changed amount.
• Leaving out the zero in money answers, such as £48.6.
• Giving converted decimals when the question asks for the original forms in order.
• Putting negative numbers the wrong way round, or reading −0.6 as larger than 0.52.
• Reading ≤ and < as the same, and so including or excluding the wrong end value.
• Forgetting to say whether a percentage change is an increase or a decrease.
• Not setting out interest per year first in simple interest questions.

Next steps

• Re-read the revision notes and then the study guide.
• Check the unit against the OCR GCSE Mathematics hub and tick it off on the checklist.
• Try all free 10-minute diagnostics to find what to revise next.
• Book a free trial class if you want help with the topics that stayed difficult.

Official syllabus

OCR GCSE (9-1) Mathematics (J560), Version 2.1 (August 2026), first assessment 2017, published by OCR. Sections 2.03a-2.03c and 2.04a-2.04b.