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 charity raises money from a raffle and a cake sale in the ratio 5 : 3. Altogether the charity raises £320. Work out how much money the cake sale raised.
- 2.Work out the coordinates of the point where the graph of y = 2x − 6 crosses the x-axis.y = 2x − 6
- 3.The price of a games console is reduced by 10%. In a later sale the reduced price is reduced by 10% again. Work out the overall percentage decrease.
- 4.A parallelogram has an area of 96 cm² and a base of 8 cm. Work out the perpendicular height of the parallelogram.
- 5.180 gardeners at an allotment were asked whether they grow vegetables organically. 100 of the gardeners are on the north plots. 64 of the north-plot gardeners grow organically. 30 of the south-plot gardeners do not grow organically. Work out how many south-plot gardeners grow organically.
- 6.A scatter graph plots the number of years, x, that 20 employees have worked at a company against their salary, y. All the plotted points lie between x = 1 and x = 15. Write down the word used to describe an estimate for y made using a value of x that lies between 1 and 15.
- 7.Work out the highest common factor of 12 and 18.
- 8.Which of these equations gives a graph shaped like a U, symmetrical about a vertical line?
- 9.Two cars travel at constant speeds. Car A travels 150 km in 3 hours. Car B travels 180 km in 4 hours. Which car is faster, and what is its speed?
- 10.Two similar ponds have perimeters in the ratio 4 : 11. The perimeter of the larger pond is 88 m. Work out the perimeter of the smaller pond.
- 11.A tree diagram shows two rounds of a game, played independently. On each round, the probability of losing is 0.7 and the probability of winning is 0.3. Work out the probability of losing both rounds.
- 12.Write these decimals in order, starting with the smallest: 0.6, 0.55, 0.601, 0.5, 0.56
- 13.The point P has coordinates (0, 12). Write down the axis that P lies on and the y-coordinate of P.
- 14.Priya is paid £58.50 for working 7.5 hours on a Saturday. Work out her rate of pay, in £ per hour.
- 15.The bearing of a harbour B from a ferry's position A is 260°. What is the bearing of A from B?
- 16.In a box of chocolates 5/8 are milk chocolates and the rest are dark chocolates. Work out the number of dark chocolates as a fraction of the number of milk chocolates.
- 17.An arithmetic sequence has first term 40 and common difference −6. Work out the 9th term of the sequence.
- 18.A plan of a garden is drawn to a scale of 1 : 200. A path measures 3 cm on the plan. Work out the real length of the path, in centimetres.
- 19.A number, n, is equal to 3.7 when rounded to 1 decimal place. Write down the error interval for n.
- 20.Write the ratio 20 : 30 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.