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 plane flies 2340 km at an average speed of 780 km/h. It departs at 08:20. Work out the arrival time, using the 24-hour clock.
- 2.Solve 4x − (2x − 6) = 18
- 3.A 750 g box of cereal costs £2.70. A 500 g box of the same cereal costs £1.95. Work out which box is better value, and its cost per 100 g.
- 4.A ship sails 12 km on a bearing of 070° from a harbour to a buoy. It then sails a further 9 km, still on a bearing of 070°, from the buoy to a lighthouse. How far is the lighthouse from the harbour, in kilometres?
- 5.A bag contains counters that are red, blue or green only. The probability that a counter taken at random is not red is 0.8. The bag contains 25 counters in total. Work out how many of the counters are red.
- 6.A vertical line chart shows the number of goals scored by a football team in each of its 20 matches: 0 goals in 4 matches, 1 goal in 7 matches, 2 goals in 6 matches and 3 goals in 3 matches. Write down the modal number of goals.
- 7.Work out (2 × 10³) × (3 × 10⁴). Give your answer in standard form.
- 8.Solve x² + 3x − 10 = 0.
- 9.A cartographer is choosing a scale for a map to show a small park in as much detail as possible. Which of these scales would show the MOST detail — 1 : 500, 1 : 5000, or 1 : 50 000? Give the correct scale and reason.
- 10.The point A(2, 5) is translated to the point B(7, 3). Write down the column vector that describes this translation.
- 11.A spinner has three equal sections, coloured red, blue and green. It is spun twice, and each outcome is listed as an ordered pair of colours, such as (red, blue). Work out how many outcomes are in the full list.
- 12.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: 0.45 ___ 0.5
- 13.The line y = 3x + 6 meets the x-axis at one point. Work out the coordinates of that point.y = 3x + 6
- 14.Two numbers are in the ratio 3 : 7. Their sum is 60. Work out the positive difference between the two numbers.
- 15.Two straight lines cross at a point. Which statement about a pair of vertically opposite angles is always true?
- 16.A charity trek covers 830 miles over roughly 19 days. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the number of miles walked per day.
- 17.The first four terms of a sequence are 6, 13, 20, 27. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 18.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 4, y = 10. Work out the value of y when x = 6.
- 19.Four students work out 6 + 2 × 3. Which student has worked it out correctly?
- 20.A recipe uses flour, sugar and butter in the ratio 8 : 3 : 5. Write the ratio of flour to the rest of the mixture (sugar and butter combined) 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.