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.Work out the value of 2⁻²
- 2.A square has vertices at (−2, 3), (−2, −3) and (4, −3). Write down the coordinates of the fourth vertex.
- 3.A recipe needs 1.2 kg of flour. Dan has 750 g of flour in his cupboard. Write the mass of flour the recipe needs as a fraction of the mass of flour Dan has. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.In triangle XYZ, the side opposite vertex X is labelled using the standard lowercase-letter convention. Which label is correct?
- 5.A basketball player takes two free throws, and the throws are independent. The probability of scoring on each throw is 0.6, and the probability of missing is 0.4. Work out the probability that she scores exactly one of the two throws.
- 6.A bar chart shows the number of books borrowed from a school library on each of five days. The bar heights are: Monday 12, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 9, Thursday 15 and Friday 21. Work out the total number of books borrowed over the five days.
- 7.A charity bake sale sells 187 cakes at £2.95 each. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the total amount raised.
- 8.The simultaneous equations 2x + 3y = 12 and x − y = 1 are given. Work out the value of y.
- 9.A section of a kitchen wall has an area of 45,000 cm². Work out the area of this section in m².
- 10.A rectangle has vertices A(1, 1), B(4, 1), C(4, 5) and D(1, 5). Work out the perimeter of the rectangle.
- 11.Isla travels to school by bus, by bike, on foot or by car, and never by more than one of these on the same day. The probability that she travels by bus is 0.2, the probability that she travels by bike is 0.3 and the probability that she travels on foot is 0.1. Work out the probability that she travels to school by bus, by bike or on foot.
- 12.Sam compares 0.6 and 5/8 by comparing the digit 6 with the digit 5, and says that 0.6 is the larger number. Convert 5/8 to a decimal to find the correct larger value.
- 13.A geometric sequence begins 162, 54, 18, 6, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
- 14.A map has a scale of 1 : 1000. A road is 300 m long in real life. Work out the length of the road on the map, in centimetres.
- 15.A jug holds 750 ml of water. Work out what fraction of a litre this is.
- 16.A restaurant offers a lunch deal of one starter from 5 options, one main from 6 options and one dessert from 3 options. Work out how many different lunch deals are possible.
- 17.Which of these is an equation, rather than an expression, a formula or an identity?
- 18.y is inversely proportional to x, so y = k ÷ x. When x = 5, the value of y is 8. Work out the value of k.
- 19.A coach journey has a 55 minute first leg, a 20 minute break and a 40 minute second leg. The coach leaves at 13:25. Work out the arrival time, using the 24-hour clock.
- 20.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.
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.