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.At midday the temperature in the Lake District was 3 °C. By midnight it had fallen to −6 °C. Work out the fall in temperature.
- 2.Four sequences are shown below. Sequence P: 4, 8, 16, 32, ... Sequence Q: 4, 8, 12, 16, ... Sequence R: 4, 7, 12, 19, ... Sequence S: 4, 9, 16, 25, ... Work out which of the sequences P, Q, R and S is geometric.
- 3.A recipe for 6 muffins needs 150 g of flour. Aisha wants to make 15 muffins using the same recipe. Work out how much flour she needs.
- 4.The diagram shows a solid made from two cuboids joined together. Which shape is the front elevation of this solid?
- 5.Two games at a school fete are played independently. The probability of winning game X is 3/8. The probability of winning game Y is 0.4. Which statement correctly compares the two games?
- 6.On a scatter graph of the age of a car, in years, and its value, in pounds, the points fall from left to right. Write down the type of correlation shown.
- 7.In a choir, 2/9 of the members are boys and the rest are girls. Write down the ratio of girls to boys, in its simplest form.
- 8.Which expression is equivalent to 6x − (2x − 5)?
- 9.A parcel has a mass of 2400 g. Given that 1 kg = 1000 g, work out the mass of the parcel in kilograms.
- 10.A straight line is drawn from the centre of a circle to a point on the circle. Write down the name of this line.
- 11.A fair coin is flipped and a fair five-sided spinner, labelled 1 to 5, is spun. All the outcomes are listed as pairs, such as (H, 3). Work out the probability that the outcome is a tail and an odd number.
- 12.A necklace is made from red beads and gold beads in the ratio 7 : 3. What fraction of the beads are gold?
- 13.A point lies on the y-axis. What can be said about the x-coordinate of that point?
- 14.A shop's number of online orders is proportional to its number of in-store orders. Last month there were 45 in-store orders and 180 online orders. Write the ratio of online orders to in-store orders, in its simplest form.
- 15.The angle between north and a cycle path is 40°, but it is measured anticlockwise from north. What is the three-figure bearing of the cycle path?
- 16.During one night on a mountain, four hikers each recorded the temperature they felt: Ben −6 °C, Priya −2 °C, Sam −9 °C, Alex 1 °C. Work out the difference between the coldest and the warmest of these four temperatures.
- 17.A pizza shop charges a fixed delivery fee of £3, plus £9 for each pizza ordered. Write down the function for the total cost y, in pounds, of ordering x pizzas.
- 18.There are 84 passengers on a double-decker bus. 35 of the passengers are adults and the rest are children. Write the number of adults as a fraction of the number of children. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 19.A measuring jug shows a volume of 340 ml, correct to the nearest 20 ml. Work out the smallest possible volume in the jug.
- 20.A bag contains red counters and blue counters in the ratio 5:3. There are 56 counters in the bag altogether. Work out how many counters are blue.
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.