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.Which expression means the same as 3 × a × b?
- 3.3 pencils cost £1.20. Work out the cost of 7 pencils.
- 4.A triangle has vertices A(0, 0), B(10, 0) and C(5, 12). Work out the area of the triangle.
- 5.A market research company found that, out of 120 shoppers surveyed, 42 preferred paper bags to plastic bags. A supermarket expects 900 shoppers this week. Using this relative frequency, work out how many of the 900 shoppers would be expected to prefer paper bags.
- 6.A café owner in Brighton records the midday temperature, x °C, and the number of hot chocolates sold, y, on 12 days. The temperatures recorded run from 4 °C to 18 °C, and the line of best fit is y = −3x + 74. The forecast for tomorrow gives a midday temperature of 12 °C. Work out the number the line of best fit predicts, and write down how much confidence the owner can have in it.y = -3x + 74
- 7.Is 120 divisible by 5? Give a reason for your answer.
- 8.Solve x² = 81.
- 9.Two quantities are connected by the formula y = 0.8x. Write down the ratio y : x in its simplest form.y = 0.8x
- 10.e is the column vector with top number 5 and bottom number k. f is the column vector with top number 15 and bottom number 6. Given that f is 3 times e, work out the value of k.
- 11.A fair six-sided dice is rolled once. Write down the probability that the score is an even number.
- 12.Work out (4 × 10⁻³) × (2 × 10⁵). Give your answer in standard form.
- 13.Which of these is an expression?
- 14.A recipe for pastry uses flour and butter in the ratio 3:2. A baker has 180 g of butter and wants to make pastry using all of it. Work out the total mass of pastry the baker can make.
- 15.Put sin 30°, tan 30° and cos 30° in order of size, starting with the smallest.
- 16.In a classroom the ratio of boys to girls is 3 : 4. What fraction of the class are boys?
- 17.Write down the coordinates of the point where the line y = 2x + 4 crosses the y-axis.y = 2x + 4
- 18.A map has a scale of 2 cm : 5 km. A footpath measures 8 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
- 19.Freya types 4² + 3² into her calculator and writes down 49. Work out the correct value of 4² + 3².
- 20.After a 20% discount, a jacket costs £48. Work out the original price of the jacket.
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.