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.A train leaves Leeds at 14:35. The journey takes 1 hour 50 minutes. Work out the time the train arrives. Give your answer using the 24-hour clock.
- 2.Which of these is a term, rather than a whole expression, an equation, or a formula?
- 3.Write £3.60 : £2.40 as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 4.A perpendicular bisector is drawn through the midpoint of a line segment AB. Which set of points does this construction show?
- 5.A two-way table records how 80 students travel to school. 45 of the students are boys and the rest are girls. 27 of the boys walk to school. Work out the probability, as a fraction, that a student chosen at random from the boys walks to school.
- 6.An estate agent in Leeds lists the prices of the five houses sold on one street last year: £170,000, £150,000, £580,000, £140,000 and £160,000. A newspaper wants to print one figure for a typical price on this street. Work out the mean and the median, and write down which figure the newspaper should print.
- 7.Work out the value of .
- 8.Write down the expression that means the same as 'subtract 5 from n, then divide the result by 2'.
- 9.A rope of length A is 1.5 times as long as a rope of length B. Write the ratio A : B in its simplest form.
- 10.Point A is at (2, 3). It is translated by the vector (4, −1) to give point A′. Work out the coordinates of A′.
- 11.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?
- 12.Work out √(4 × 9)
- 13.Priya buys b balloons for a party. Each balloon costs 15p. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pence.
- 14.A mortar mix is made from sand and cement in the ratio 5 : 3. Write the ratio of sand to the total mix in its simplest form.
- 15.A translation is described by the column vector . Write down a description of this translation in words, stating the horizontal and vertical movement.
- 16.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.
- 17.A table shows y = x² − 6x + 5 at these points (x, y): (0, 5), (1, 0), (2, −3), (3, −4), (4, −3), (5, 0), (6, 5). Using the symmetry shown, write down the x-coordinate of the turning point.y = x² − 6x + 5
- 18.A hosepipe fills a paddling pool at a constant rate. The volume of water in the pool increases by 15 litres every 3 minutes. Write down the gradient of the graph of volume against time.
- 19.Last year a company made a profit of £5,200,000. Write this amount in standard form.
- 20.Leah puts £4000 into a savings account paying 3% compound interest each year. At the end of 2 years she takes out all of the money and spends £1500 of it on a laptop. Work out how much of the money she has left.
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.