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.Postage on a parcel is calculated as £4.60, correct to the nearest 20p. Which of these could not be the actual cost of the postage?
- 2.The simple interest, £I, earned on a savings account is given by the formula I = PRT/100, where P is the amount invested in pounds, R is the interest rate per year and T is the time in years. Rearrange the formula to make P the subject.
- 3.Write the ratio 2 : 1/4 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 4.A cyclist rides around a perfectly circular track with centre O. At every moment of the ride, the distance from O to the cyclist is exactly the same. Which term names this fixed distance?
- 5.A bag contains 2 white counters and 8 black counters. One counter is taken at random from the bag. Work out the probability that the counter is not black.
- 6.In a vertical line chart of test results, the tallest line stands for 40 pupils. The same results are to be shown in a pie chart of all 100 pupils. Work out the angle at the centre of the sector that will stand for those 40 pupils.
- 7.Work out the highest common factor of 20 and 32.
- 8.Work out the values of x and y that satisfy both x + y = 10 and x − y = 4.
- 9.A baker uses 450 g of flour and 300 g of butter in a batch of pastry. Write the mass of butter as a fraction of the total mass of flour and butter, in its simplest form.
- 10.A straight transversal crosses a pair of parallel lines. At one crossing point, the angle between the transversal and a parallel line is 118°. Work out the size of the co-interior (allied) angle at the other crossing point.
- 11.On Amelia's walk to school there are two sets of traffic lights. The probability that the first set is green when she reaches it is 0.4. The probability that the second set is green when she reaches it is 0.5. The two sets work independently of each other. Work out the probability that both sets are green.
- 12.Write 12 as a product of its prime factors.
- 13.The diagram shows two curves drawn on the same grid. Curve A is the graph of . Which equation could represent curve B?
- 14.A map has a scale of 1:25000. A road on the map is 6 cm long. Work out the real-life length of the road, giving your answer in kilometres.
- 15.An isosceles triangle ABC has AB equal to AC. AM is a line from vertex A, perpendicular to BC, meeting BC at point M. Which condition proves that triangle ABM is congruent to triangle ACM?
- 16.A cinema has 21 rows of seats with 29 seats in each row. Work out an estimate for the number of people the cinema can hold, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 17.The nth term of a sequence is 3n + 2. Work out the 4th term of the sequence.
- 18.A bottle contains 1.5 litres of juice. Given that 1 litre = 1000 ml, work out the capacity of the bottle in millilitres.
- 19.Which one of these statements is true?
- 20.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
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.