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.An allotment is divided into two plots in the ratio 2:3. The larger plot has an area of 18 m². Work out the fraction of the total area taken up by the smaller plot.
- 2.A geometric sequence has first term 5, and each term after that is 3 times the term before it. Work out the first term of the sequence that is greater than 1000.
- 3.In a test, Amelia answered 18 of the 24 questions correctly. Work out the percentage of the questions she answered correctly.
- 4.A kite string makes an angle of 30° with the ground. The kite is flying at a height of 6 m directly above a point on the ground. Using the exact value of sin 30°, work out the exact length of the kite string.
- 5.A leisure centre has 150 members. 80 of the members are male and the rest are female. Every member uses either the pool or the gym, but not both. 66 members use the pool, and 35 of those pool users are male. Work out how many female members use the gym.
- 6.Amelia's mean mark over four tests is 29. Her first three marks are 31, 26 and 26. Work out her fourth mark.
- 7.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.
- 8.The point A lies on the x-axis. Which statement about A must be true?
- 9.A necklace is made using gold beads and silver beads in the ratio 7:3. There are 40 more gold beads than silver beads. Work out the total number of beads in the necklace.
- 10.A circle has circumference 31.4 cm. Using π = 3.14, work out the radius of the circle.
- 11.A spinner can land on red, blue, green or yellow, and it cannot land on more than one colour. The probability that it lands on red is 0.05 and the probability that it lands on yellow is 0.35. The probability that it lands on blue is twice the probability that it lands on green. Work out the probability that it lands on green.
- 12.Write down the reciprocal of 0.2
- 13.Solve 4x + 3 = 19
- 14.40% of a number is 12 more than 25% of the same number. Work out the number.
- 15.Triangle ABC has AB = 5 cm and BC = 7 cm. Triangle DEF has DE = 5 cm and EF = 7 cm. Which extra fact would prove the triangles are congruent by SAS?
- 16.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.
- 17.Which of these equations is equivalent to 5x − 2 = 3x + 8?
- 18.x × y is used to test whether two quantities are in inverse proportion. For the pairs x = 4, y = 15 and x = 6, y = 10, which statement is correct?
- 19.Four students work out 6 + 2 × 3. Which student has worked it out correctly?
- 20.A shop buys a bike for £150 and sells it, making a profit of £45. Write the selling price as a fraction of the cost price, giving your answer in its simplest form.
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.