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.Four students work out 6 + 2 × 3. Which student has worked it out correctly?
- 2.A sequence has the position-to-term rule: the nth term is 3n. Write down the first four terms of the sequence.
- 3.A tray holds 8 muffins and 20 cupcakes. Write the ratio of the number of muffins to the number of cupcakes in its simplest form.
- 4.Point A and point B are 5 cm apart. How many points are exactly 4 cm from A and exactly 3 cm from B?
- 5.A survey asks 40 people whether they own a cat, a dog, both, or neither. 12 people own only a cat, 15 own only a dog, 5 own both, and 8 own neither. Work out the probability that a randomly chosen person owns a cat or a dog (or both). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 6.A netball team scored 50, 83 and 68 points in three matches. Work out the mean number of points scored.
- 7.Work out 36 ÷ (2 × 3)
- 8.Work out the value of 3n − 2 when n = 1
- 9.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 7x. Work out the value of x when y = 35.y = 7x
- 10.A straight line crosses a pair of parallel lines. One of the co-interior (allied) angles is 118°. Work out the size of the other co-interior angle.
- 11.At a gym, 45 members are surveyed. 24 use the running machines, 20 use the weights machines, and 9 use both. Work out how many of the 45 members use neither machine.
- 12.A café is planning its lunch menu. It will offer one soup from 3 choices and one sandwich from 4 choices, but the mushroom soup, one of the 3 soups, will only be served with the cheese sandwich, one of the 4 sandwiches, on a normal day. Work out how many different soup-and-sandwich combinations are available on a normal day.
- 13.Make x the subject of the formula y = 4(x − 6).
- 14.A photo is enlarged so that its new width is 1.4 times its original width. Write the multiplier that would scale the new width back down to the original width, as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 15.The diagram shows a solid resting on its side on a table. Work out which shape is its plan view, the view looking straight down from above.
- 16.Work out √25 + 4² − 12 ÷ 3
- 17.The nth term of a sequence is n² + 3. Work out the first term of the sequence that is greater than 50.
- 18.A sunflower is 140 cm tall. A tomato plant is 80 cm tall. Write the height of the tomato plant as a fraction of the height of the sunflower, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 19.Work out 2/5 + 1/4, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 20.Two mathematically similar logos are printed on a poster. They have areas 20 cm² and 45 cm². Nadia says that the length scale factor from the smaller logo to the larger logo is 45 ÷ 20 = 2.25. Give a reason why Nadia is incorrect, and work out the correct length scale factor.
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.