Sample paper · GCSE Foundation · grades 1–5
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)
The real Paper 1 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, non-calculator, and all three papers carry equal weight. This sample is 20 original questions in the same content proportions as the Foundation qualification — number 25%, algebra 20%, ratio, proportion and rates of change 25%, geometry and measures 15%, probability 7.5%, statistics 7.5% — with no calculator-only items. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 50% / 25% / 25%.
Non-calculatorGCSE Foundation
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)
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- 1.A sponsored walk is 36 km long. Aisha has completed 8/12 of the walk. Work out how far she has walked.
- 2.Two expressions are 6(x − 1) and 6x − 6. A student says these are equivalent for every value of x. Is the student correct?
- 3.A room plan is drawn to a scale of 1 : 50. A wall in the room is 4 m long in real life. Work out the length of the wall on the plan, in centimetres.
- 4.Point E is at (4, 2). It is rotated 180° about the point (1, 1). Work out the coordinates of the image of point E.
- 5.A bag contains 20 counters. 8 of the counters are red and 12 are blue. A counter is taken at random, its colour is recorded, and it is put back in the bag. This is done 150 times. Work out how many red counters you would expect to be recorded.
- 6.A scatter graph plots the number of years, x, that 20 employees have worked at a company against their salary, y. All the plotted points lie between x = 1 and x = 15. Write down the word used to describe an estimate for y made using a value of x that lies between 1 and 15.
- 7.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −9 ___ −4
- 8.Two numbers have a sum of 24. Their difference is 6. Work out the two numbers.
- 9.Write the ratio 4x : 6x in its simplest form, where x is a positive number.
- 10.A wooden block is a cuboid measuring 2 cm by 10 cm by 15 cm. Work out the volume of the block.
- 11.Four pupils each flip the same coin a number of times and record the results. Sam flips it 40 times and gets 24 heads. Priti flips it 25 times and gets 10 heads. Leo flips it 20 times and gets 9 heads. Fatima flips it 15 times and gets 6 heads. Combine all four pupils' results to estimate the probability that the coin lands on heads.
- 12.Priya adds 3.6 and 0.45 on paper and writes down 3.65 as her answer. Work out the correct value of 3.6 + 0.45.
- 13.Which of these equations gives a graph shaped like a U, symmetrical about a vertical line?
- 14.Write 45 minutes : 2 hours as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 15.A triangular prism has a cross-section that is a triangle with a base of 3.5 cm and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. The prism is 10 cm long. Work out the volume of the prism.
- 16.Work out 1/2 of 1/4 of 80.
- 17.A straight line passes through the points (2, 7) and (5, 16). Work out the value of y when x = 0.
- 18.Two mathematically similar circles have radii 4 cm and 20 cm. Write the ratio of the area of the smaller circle to the area of the larger circle in its simplest form.
- 19.An allotment plot is divided into vegetables and flowers in the ratio 9 : 4. A third of the vegetable section is used for potatoes. What fraction of the whole plot is potatoes?
- 20.A solution is made by dissolving 50 g of sugar in 200 g of water. Work out the concentration of sugar in the solution as a percentage.
How the 20 questions are shared out
- Number — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
- Algebra — 4 questions (20% of the qualification)
- Ratio, proportion and rates of change — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
- Geometry and measures — 3 questions (15% of the qualification)
- Probability — 2 questions (7.5% of the qualification)
- Statistics — 1 question (7.5% of the qualification)
Where an area has fewer printable questions than its share, the shortfall is filled from the other areas. These are original questions, not past papers.