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.Amelia estimates 48 × 21 by working out 50 × 20 = 1,000. Work out whether her estimate is an under-estimate or an over-estimate, and by how much.
- 2.A graph shows the total monthly cost of a mobile phone tariff against the number of minutes of calls. The line starts at £12 and stays level until 200 minutes, then rises by 5p for each further minute of calls. Use the graph to work out the total cost of a month in which 250 minutes of calls are made.
- 3.In a mix of mortar the ratio of the mass of sand to the mass of cement is 5 : 2. Write the mass of cement as a fraction of the total mass of the mix.
- 4.A tent is shaped like a triangular prism: two triangular end faces and three rectangular faces. One of the rectangular faces lies flat on the ground as the groundsheet. How many of the tent's faces are above the ground, not touching the ground?
- 5.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.
- 6.Harry counted the coins he found on each of six days: 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 30. Write down the outlier.
- 7.Write 5,000,000 in standard form.
- 8.A delivery van's distance-time graph shows the following: it travels 9 km in the first 15 minutes at a steady speed, stops for 45 minutes to unload, then travels a further 21 km in the next 30 minutes, also at a steady speed. Work out the average speed, in km/h, for the whole journey.
- 9.An amount of money is shared in the ratio 1:2:3. The largest share is £90 more than the smallest share. Work out the total amount that was shared.
- 10.In parallelogram ABCD the vertices are labelled in order round the shape, so angle A and angle B are at the two ends of the same side. Angle A is 70°. Work out the size of angle B.
- 11.Harry plays a game in which he flips a fair coin and rolls an ordinary fair dice. He wins a prize only if the coin shows heads and the dice shows a 6. Work out the probability that Harry wins a prize.
- 12.A garden path is measured by Jon as 12 m, correct to the nearest metre, and by Mia as 12.6 m, correct to the nearest 0.1 m. Which statement about the two measurements is correct?
- 13.Grace says that 2(x + 1) and 2x + 2 always have the same value. Work out the value of both expressions when x = 3.
- 14.Sam has £24. Tom has £16. Write the amount of money Sam has as a fraction of the amount of money Tom has, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.A recipe uses 1.25 kg of flour. Work out how many grams of flour this is.
- 16.Insert one pair of brackets into 2 + 3 × 5 − 1 so that the calculation is equal to 24. Which calculation is correct?
- 17.Write down the coefficient of p in the expression 7 − 4p + 9q.
- 18.A straight line passes through the points (1, 20) and (5, 8). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 19.Work out 2 × 3 × 5 + 1 and decide whether the result is a prime number.
- 20.The ratio of the number of red beads to blue beads in a bracelet is 3 : 7. There are 21 blue beads. Work out the number of red beads.
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.