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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.Work out the reciprocal of (2 + 3)
- 2.Work out the value of 5a + 2 when a = 3
- 3.£5000 is invested in an account paying 4% compound interest each year. Work out the total interest earned after 3 years.
- 4.A cake recipe takes 135 minutes from start to finish. Write this time as hours and minutes.
- 5.One card is taken at random from an ordinary pack of 52 playing cards. 26 of the cards are red. Work out the probability that the card is red. Give your answer as a percentage.
- 6.A scatter graph of the number of ice creams sold at a seaside kiosk in Bournemouth and the number of sunburn cases treated at a nearby pharmacy, recorded on the same 30 days, shows strong positive correlation. Which statement about this correlation is correct?
- 7.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
- 8.The equation 3(2x − 1) = 4x + 9 is rearranged by expanding the brackets. Which of these is the correctly expanded equation?
- 9.A straight-line graph shows the number of pages printed, p, plotted against the time in minutes, t, since a printer started a print job. The line passes through the points (2, 30) and (5, 90). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 10.Write down which one of these quadrilaterals always has diagonals that are equal in length and that cross at right angles.
- 11.The probability that a machine completes a task successfully is 0.85. Work out the probability that the machine does not complete the task successfully.
- 12.Sam compares 0.6 and 5/8 by comparing the digit 6 with the digit 5, and says that 0.6 is the larger number. Convert 5/8 to a decimal to find the correct larger value.
- 13.The formula y = x² + 1 gives y in terms of x. Work out the value of y when x = −2.y = x² + 1
- 14.A window cleaner charges a call-out fee plus an amount per window. The total charge, C pounds, is shown on a straight-line graph against the number of windows cleaned, w. The line passes through the points (2, 14) and (6, 26). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 15.A locus consists of all the points that are the same perpendicular distance from two parallel lines 6 cm apart. Describe this locus.
- 16.Write 0.00072 in standard form.
- 17.Which of these is an equation, rather than an expression, a formula or an identity?
- 18.Divide 84 in the ratio 3:4. Work out the smaller share.
- 19.A car manufacturer offers a car in 6 colours and 4 trim levels. Two colour-and-trim combinations are not available: red with sport trim, and white with sport trim. Work out how many different colour-and-trim combinations are available.
- 20.A map has a scale of 1 : 25 000. A footpath measures 6 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
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.