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 shop buys boxes of pens for £4 each. It sells each box on to a school for £3 more than it paid, and charges an extra £2 delivery fee for the whole order. A school orders 5 boxes. Work out the total cost of the order.
- 2.The simple interest, £I, earned on a savings account is given by the formula I = PRT/100, where P is the amount invested in pounds, R is the interest rate per year and T is the time in years. Rearrange the formula to make P the subject.
- 3.A kettle uses 2.1 kWh of energy. A toaster uses 0.9 kWh of energy. Write the energy used by the kettle as a fraction of the energy used by the toaster, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.A line segment is measured with a ruler and found to be 6.5 cm long. What is this length in millimetres?
- 5.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled. Work out the probability that both dice show the same score.
- 6.A council in Leeds wants to know what local people think about letting shops stay open later in the evening. It rings landline telephone numbers between 10 am and 2 pm on a Tuesday. Write down which group is most likely to be under-represented in the sample, and give a reason for your answer.
- 7.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
- 8.The formula for the circumference of a circle is C = 2πr, where r is the radius. Make r the subject of the formula.
- 9.y is directly proportional to x, so y = kx. When x = 2, the value of y is 10. Work out the value of k.
- 10.Lines AB and CD cross at a point, forming four right angles where they meet. Which notation correctly describes the relationship between AB and CD?
- 11.A fair spinner has 8 equal sections. 3 of the sections are red. The spinner is spun 240 times. Work out how many times you would expect it to land on red.
- 12.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: −0.6, 0.45, −0.15, 0.5, −0.09
- 13.Solve x² − x − 12 = 0.
- 14.A film runs for 2.25 hours. Work out the length of the film in minutes.
- 15.A rectangular gate is braced with a diagonal strut. The gate is 1.2 m wide and 0.9 m tall. Work out the exact length of the diagonal strut.
- 16.Work out an estimate for 588 ÷ 31, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 17.The simultaneous equations y = 3 and 4x − y = 9 are given. Work out the value of x.
- 18.A laptop priced at £520 is first increased by 15%, and then the new price is decreased by 20%. Work out the final price of the laptop.
- 19.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −2/3 ___ −5/6
- 20.Isla and her brother share £60 in the ratio 1:2. Work out Isla's share.
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.