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 works out 7 × 99 by writing 99 as 100 − 1. Use her method to work out 7 × 99.
- 2.ABCD is a parallelogram. A has coordinates (−3, 1), B has coordinates (2, 1) and C has coordinates (4, 4). Work out the coordinates of D.
- 3.A metal has a density of 7.8 g/cm³. Work out the density of the metal in kg/m³.
- 4.A rhombus has all four sides equal in length. Write down how many pairs of parallel sides a rhombus has.
- 5.Priya spins a fair spinner with P(red) = 0.3, and separately flips a fair coin with P(heads) = 0.5. Using a tree diagram, work out the probability that she gets red AND heads.
- 6.In a scatter graph of the age, in years, and the wingspan, in cm, of 20 birds of the same species, all the points lie close to a rising line of best fit except one, which lies a long way below the line. That bird was later found to have a damaged wing. Give a reason why this point should not be used when drawing the line of best fit.
- 7.Work out (−6) + (−4) × 3
- 8.Which expression means 'triple c, then add double d'?
- 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 translation is described by the column vector . Write down a description of this translation in words, stating the horizontal and vertical movement.
- 11.A bag contains one red counter and one blue counter. Josh takes a counter, notes its colour, puts it back, then takes a counter again. He draws a tree diagram to show every possible pair of colours. Work out how many outcomes are on his tree diagram.
- 12.Work out the highest common factor of 20 and 32.
- 13.Make x the subject of the formula y = 4x − 3.y = 4x − 3
- 14.Isla says that the ratio 4:6 is equivalent to the ratio 6:9. Is she correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 15.Two angles lie on a straight line. One angle is 37°. Work out the size of the other angle.
- 16.Meera says that 0.7 ÷ 0.1 = 0.07. Work out the correct value of 0.7 ÷ 0.1.
- 17.Leo is three times as old as his brother. His brother is x years old. Write down an expression for Leo's age.
- 18.The ratio of the number of red beads to blue beads in a bracelet is 3 : 7. There are 21 blue beads. Work out the number of red beads.
- 19.Work out 1 − 1/2 − 1/4 − 1/8 − 1/16. Give your answer as a fraction.
- 20.Two quantities x and y are in direct proportion. When x = 8, the value of y is 20. Work out the value of y when x = 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.