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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.A photography studio offers 4 backdrops and 3 outfits for a portrait session. The plain grey backdrop, one of the 4 backdrops, cannot be used with the formal suit outfit, one of the 3 outfits. Work out how many different backdrop-and-outfit combinations are possible.
- 2.Simplify (5x² + 3x − 2) − (2x² − x + 5)
- 3.Ollie says that the ratio 6 : 15 is equivalent to the ratio 2 : 5. Is he correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 4.A pop-up canopy has two sloping supports that meet at the top. Each support makes an angle of 30° with the ground and is 6 m long. Using the exact value of cos 30°, work out the total width of the canopy's base.
- 5.At a fair, a game costs £2 to play. The probability of winning the game is 0.15, and each win pays out £10. Amir plays the game 200 times. Work out how much money Amir should expect to lose in total.
- 6.A scatter graph of the number of ice creams sold at a seaside kiosk in Bournemouth and the number of sunburn cases treated at a nearby pharmacy, recorded on the same 30 days, shows strong positive correlation. Which statement about this correlation is correct?
- 7.Work out (−6) + (−4) × 3
- 8.A pattern is made from tiles. Pattern 1 has 7 tiles, pattern 2 has 11 tiles, pattern 3 has 15 tiles, and pattern 4 has 19 tiles, with each new pattern having 4 more tiles than the one before it. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the number of tiles in pattern n.
- 9.2.4 kg of cheese costs £36. Work out the cost of 1.5 kg of the same cheese.
- 10.A triangular prism has two triangular end faces and three rectangular faces joining them. How many faces does it have in total?
- 11.At a gym, 45 members are surveyed. 24 use the running machines, 20 use the weights machines, and 9 use both. Work out how many of the 45 members use neither machine.
- 12.Write the fraction 9/25 as a decimal.
- 13.A conversion graph shows that 5 miles is equivalent to 8 kilometres. Use this to work out how many kilometres are equivalent to 20 miles.
- 14.The amount of fuel left in a car's tank, F litres, is plotted against the distance travelled, d miles, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 45) and (150, 15). Work out the gradient of the line and say what it tells you.
- 15.The diagram shows a prism resting on a table. Which shape is its front elevation, the view looking at it from directly in front?
- 16.In a box of counters the ratio of red counters to blue counters is 4 : 5. What fraction of the counters are blue?
- 17.The diagram shows the graph of a quadratic function. Write down the values of x where the graph crosses the x-axis.
- 18.40% of a number is 12 more than 25% of the same number. Work out the number.
- 19.2/3 of an amount of money is £30. Work out the amount.
- 20.In a fruit drink, 3/8 of the total volume is orange juice and the rest is apple juice. Write down the ratio of orange juice to apple juice, 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.