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.Which of these decimals lies between 1/4 and 2/5?
- 2.A number machine adds 5 to its input. Work out the output when the input is 0.
- 3.Write 45 minutes : 2 hours as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 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?
- 5.180 people entered a fun run. A frequency tree splits them into 108 adults and the rest children. It then splits each of those groups into those who finished and those who did not. 99 of the adults finished, and 153 of the 180 people finished altogether. Work out how many children did not finish.
- 6.A pictogram shows the number of cars sold by a garage in Plymouth each month, where each whole car symbol represents 8 cars sold and a half symbol represents 4 cars. March shows 3 whole symbols and one half symbol. Work out how many cars were sold in March.
- 7.Four friends share a restaurant bill of £53.90 equally. A calculator gives each share as 13.475. Work out how much each friend should pay.
- 8.The first five cube numbers are 1, 8, 27, 64, 125. Write down the next cube number in the sequence.
- 9.Two mathematically similar rectangles have lengths in the ratio 3 : 5. The area of the smaller rectangle is 27 cm². Work out the area of the larger rectangle.
- 10.In pentagon PQRST, which of the following correctly names the interior angle at vertex R, using standard three-letter angle notation?
- 11.A red dice and a blue dice are rolled. Both dice are ordinary and fair. Work out the probability of getting a 1 on the red dice and a 2 on the blue dice.
- 12.Nadia has £84. She spends 3/7 of it on a jacket and the rest on a bag. Work out the ratio of the amount spent on the jacket to the amount spent on the bag, in its simplest form.
- 13.A water butt holds 200 litres and is being drained at a steady 8 litres per minute. Write down the function for the amount of water y, in litres, left after x minutes.
- 14.The rent on a flat increases by 10% one year and by a further 10% the following year. Work out the overall percentage increase over the two years.
- 15.A quadrilateral has vertices A(1, 1), B(5, 1), C(6, 4) and D(2, 4). By comparing the y-coordinates of A, B and of D, C, write down whether the sides AB and DC are parallel, and give a reason for your answer.
- 16.Amelia has 49 boxes of apples with 21 apples in each box. Work out an estimate for the total number of apples, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 17.Yusuf has £40 saved and adds £6 each week. His sister Aisha has £10 saved and adds £11 each week. After how many weeks will they have saved the same amount?
- 18.Write 3/4 as a percentage.
- 19.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.
- 20.In a bag the ratio of red counters to blue counters is 7 : 4. Write the number of red counters as a fraction of the number of blue counters.
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.