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.Grace buys three items costing £9.95, £19.90 and £4.99. Work out an estimate for the total cost, by rounding each price to the nearest pound.
- 2.The first four terms of a sequence are 9, 14, 19, 24. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 3.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.
- 4.A cone is cut by a flat plane parallel to its circular base, partway up between the base and the apex. What shape is the cross-section?
- 5.A student is estimating the probability that a spinner lands on red. In her first 85 spins it landed on red 34 times. She then spins it 165 more times, and in those it lands on red 58 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability of red from all 250 spins. Give your answer as a decimal, correct to 3 decimal places.
- 6.Write down the statement that correctly describes the difference between correlation and causation.
- 7.Work out the value of ∛125.
- 8.Write down the coordinates of the point where the line y = 2x + 4 crosses the y-axis.y = 2x + 4
- 9.At a youth club the ratio of juniors to seniors is 3:5. There are 40 members altogether. Work out how many seniors there are.
- 10.a is the column vector with top number 3 and bottom number 2. b is the column vector with top number −1 and bottom number 4. Work out a + b, giving your answer as a column vector in the form (top, bottom).
- 11.An ordinary fair dice is rolled twice. Work out the probability of getting at least one 5.
- 12.Which of these is equal to 5³?
- 13.Solve x² + 3x − 10 = 0.
- 14.A shade of paint is made by mixing blue paint and white paint. To make 5 litres of the shade, 2 litres of blue paint is used and the rest is white paint. Write the ratio of blue paint to white paint in its simplest form.
- 15.A shape is translated by the vector . The point P(6, 1) lies on the shape. Write down the coordinates of the image of P.
- 16.Work out 20 − 8 ÷ 2 + 1
- 17.Simplify p + p + p.
- 18.Two cars travel at constant speeds. Car A travels 150 km in 3 hours. Car B travels 180 km in 4 hours. Which car is faster, and what is its speed?
- 19.On one night in Manchester the temperature at 3 am was 8 °C below zero and at 9 am it was 3 °C below zero. Write down the warmer of the two readings.
- 20.A company's profit this year is 130% of last year's profit. Last year's profit was £40,000. Work out this year's profit.
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.