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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 1 · Non-calculator · 20 questions

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1.Which of these is written correctly in standard form?
(a)7.5 × 10⁴
(b)12 × 10³
(c)6.2 × 4⁵
(d)0.5 × 10⁴
2.The diagram shows two curves drawn on the same grid. Curve A is the graph of $y = x^{2}$ . Which equation could represent curve B?
(a) $y = (x - 3)^{2}$
(b) $y = x^{2} - 3$
(c) $y = x^{2} + 3 x$
(d) $y = x^{2} + 3$
3.In a car park there are 35 cars and 15 vans. Write the ratio of the number of vans to the number of cars in its simplest form.
(a)3 : 10
(b)7 : 3
(c)3 : 7
(d)15 : 35
4.A fish tank is a cuboid measuring 40 cm long, 25 cm wide and 30 cm high. Water is poured in to a depth of 20 cm. Work out the volume of water in the tank, in litres.
(a)20 litres
(b)20000 litres
(c)0.02 litres
(d)30 litres
5.Priya spins a fair spinner with P(red) = 0.3, and separately flips a fair coin with P(heads) = 0.5. Using a tree diagram, work out the probability that she gets red AND heads.
(a)0.5
(b)0.8
(c)0.15
(d)0.65
6.The number of pets owned by each of 19 pupils in a class is recorded: 0 pets — 7 pupils, 1 pet — 3 pupils, 2 pets — 4 pupils, 3 pets — 5 pupils. Work out the median number of pets.
(a)0
(b)1
(c)3
(d)19
7.Which of these decimals lies between 1/4 and 2/5?
(a)0.45
(b)0.2
(c)0.5
(d)0.3
8.y = 3x − 2. Work out the value of y when x = 4.
y = 3x − 2
(a)6
(b)14
(c)10
(d)12
9.A 5 kg bag of potatoes costs £4.50. Work out the cost per kilogram.
(a)£22.50
(b)£0.50
(c)£0.90
(d)£1.11
10.Triangle ABC has AB = 5 cm, BC = 7 cm and CA = 9 cm. Triangle DEF has DE = 5 cm, EF = 7 cm and FD = 9 cm. Which condition proves the two triangles are congruent?
(a)ASA - two angles and the included side equal
(b)SAS - two sides and the included angle equal
(c)RHS - right angle, hypotenuse and one side equal
(d)SSS - three sides equal
11.A bag contains 2 white counters and 8 black counters. One counter is taken at random from the bag. Work out the probability that the counter is not black.
(a)1/5
(b)1/2
(c)4/5
(d)1/4
12.To estimate the cost of buying 38.7 m of rope at £21.40 per metre, both numbers are first rounded to 1 significant figure. Work out the estimate.
(a)£819
(b)£840
(c)£60
(d)£800
13.A tank already contains some water and is then filled at a constant rate. After 2 minutes it contains 50 litres in total; after 7 minutes it contains 150 litres in total. Work out the rate at which water is added, in litres per minute.
(a)0.05
(b)20
(c)100
(d)25
14.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 7, the value of y is 21. Work out the value of x when y = 12.
(a)4
(b)36
(c)84
(d)9
15.Lines PQ and RS are parallel. A straight line crosses PQ at point X and crosses RS at point Y. Angle PXY = 63°. Angle PXY and angle XYS are co-interior (allied) angles, which add up to 180°. Work out the size of angle XYS.
(a)27°
(b)90°
(c)117°
(d)63°
16.Work out the lowest common multiple of 4 and 6.
(a)12
(b)2
(c)6
(d)24
17.The first five terms of a sequence are 2, 5, 8, 11, 14. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
(a)3n − 1
(b)2n + 3
(c)3n − 2
(d)3n + 2
18.A map has a scale of 2 cm : 5 km. A footpath measures 8 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
(a)3.2 km
(b)20 km
(c)40 km
(d)5 km
19.Is 120 divisible by 5? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes, because 120 ends in 0
(b)No, because 1 + 2 + 0 = 3 is not a multiple of 5
(c)Yes, because 120 is even
(d)No, because 5 does not divide into 12
20.Four graphs are described below. Each shows one quantity plotted against another. Write down the description of the graph that shows two quantities in direct proportion.
(a)A curve that falls steeply and then levels off, never touching either axis
(b)A straight line crossing the vertical axis at 5, rising from left to right
(c)A straight line through the origin, rising from left to right
(d)A horizontal straight line at a height of 3 above the horizontal axis

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.