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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.Work out 8% of £250.
- 2.Solve the inequality 6x ≥ 18.
- 3.Noah runs 2 km in 10 minutes. Work out how long he takes to run 5 km at the same speed.
- 4.Point B is at (3, 5). It is reflected in the line y = 2. Work out the coordinates of the image of point B.
- 5.The probability that it rains in Manchester tomorrow is 1/12. Work out the probability that it does not rain in Manchester tomorrow.
- 6.A random sample of 50 pupils at a school were asked whether they prefer sport to music. 30 of the 50 pupils said they prefer sport. The school has 500 pupils altogether. Work out an estimate for the number of the 500 pupils who prefer sport.
- 7.Write 0.45 as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 8.Factorise x² − 3x − 10.
- 9.Write 2 m : 150 cm : 50 cm as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 10.A hiker walks due west. What is the three-figure bearing for this direction?
- 11.At a school fête, a stall invites visitors to spin a fair spinner with 8 equal sections numbered 1 to 8, and separately toss a fair coin. A visitor wins a small prize only if the spinner lands on a multiple of 3 and the coin lands on heads. Work out the probability that a visitor wins a prize, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.The attendance at a football match is 23,000, correct to the nearest thousand. Which of these attendances is not possible for the match?
- 13.Two numbers have a sum of 24. Their difference is 6. Work out the two numbers.
- 14.There are 84 passengers on a double-decker bus. 35 of the passengers are adults and the rest are children. Write the number of adults as a fraction of the number of children. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.A trapezium-shaped garden bed has parallel sides of 2.5 m and 4.5 m, and a perpendicular width of 3 m. A gardener wants to know the area of the bed before ordering topsoil. Work out the area of the garden bed.
- 16.Work out −6 × (−3).
- 17.Write down the expression that means the same as 3 × y × y.
- 18.Two mathematically similar triangular flags have areas in the ratio 4 : 25. The height of the smaller flag is 6 cm. Work out the height of the larger flag.
- 19.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −2/3 ___ −5/6
- 20.A footpath is drawn 3 cm long on a map with a scale of 1 : 50 000. Work out the real length of the footpath, in metres.
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.