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.A pair of trainers is priced at £80 online. The shop takes 25% off the price and then adds £10 for next-day delivery. Work out the total cost.
(a)£65
(b)£67.50
(c)£60
(d)£70
2.A number machine adds 5 to its input. Work out the output when the input is 0.
(a)5
(b)−5
(c)0
(d)6
3.5 tins of soup cost £8 in total. Work out the multiplier that changes the number of tins into the total cost in pounds.
(a)0.625
(b)40
(c)1.6
(d)3
4.Triangle ABC has AB = 9 cm, BC = 6 cm and angle A = 35°. Triangle DEF has DE = 9 cm, EF = 6 cm and angle D = 35°. Which of the following correctly identifies the condition shown here?
(a)SSA - not sufficient to prove congruence
(b)ASA - two angles and the included side equal
(c)SAS - two sides and the included angle equal
(d)AAS - two angles and a non-included side equal
5.180 people entered a fun run. A frequency tree splits them into 108 adults and the rest children. It then splits each of those groups into those who finished and those who did not. 99 of the adults finished, and 153 of the 180 people finished altogether. Work out how many children did not finish.
(a)9
(b)54
(c)27
(d)18
6.A school has 1,000 pupils. A student wants to estimate how many of them walk to school, so she asks 8 pupils in her own class. She says her sample is large enough to give a reliable estimate for the whole school. Is she right? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes — any sample size is equally reliable.
(b)No — because the sample was not taken online.
(c)No — 8 from one class is too small to represent the school.
(d)Yes — because 8 is more than half of her class.
7.A measuring jug shows a volume of 340 ml, correct to the nearest 20 ml. Work out the smallest possible volume in the jug.
(a)330 ml
(b)320 ml
(c)335 ml
(d)350 ml
8.Kai writes the expression 8 − 3x + 5x² and says it has three terms. Ryan says it only has two terms because a number on its own is not a term. Work out the correct number of terms in the expression.
(a)1
(b)3
(c)2
(d)5
9.A map has a scale of 1:25000. A road on the map is 6 cm long. Work out the real-life length of the road, giving your answer in kilometres.
(a)1500 km
(b)1.5 km
(c)15 km
(d)0.15 km
10.A submarine travels due south. What is the three-figure bearing for this direction?
(a)270
(b)090
(c)018
(d)180
11.A student is estimating the probability that a spinner lands on red. In her first 85 spins it landed on red 34 times. She then spins it 165 more times, and in those it lands on red 58 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability of red from all 250 spins. Give your answer as a decimal, correct to 3 decimal places.
(a)0.368
(b)0.352
(c)0.400
(d)0.376
12.A tin of soup has a mass of 450 g. A bag of potatoes has a mass of 2.6 kg. Work out the total mass, in kilograms.
(a)7.1 kg
(b)2.645 kg
(c)3.05 kg
(d)452.6 kg
13.The diagram shows the graph of a quadratic function. Write down the values of x where the graph crosses the x-axis.
(a)−2 and 2
(b)0 and 2
(c)−4 and 4
(d)−2 and 3
14.To make a shade of green paint, the amount of yellow paint used is always 0.75 times the amount of blue paint used. Write the amount of blue paint as a fraction of the amount of yellow paint, in its simplest form.
(a)40/3
(b)1/4
(c)3/4
(d)4/3
15.ABCD is an isosceles trapezium. The sides AB and DC are parallel, and the two sloping sides AD and BC are equal in length. Angle D is 112°. Work out the size of angle B.
(a)112°
(b)68°
(c)248°
(d)90°
16.A concrete mix is made from cement and sand in the ratio 3 : 5 by mass. A builder mixes 96 kg of concrete. Work out the mass of cement in the mix.
(a)36 kg
(b)60 kg
(c)12 kg
(d)57.6 kg
17.A straight line passes through the points (1, 3) and (2, 5). Work out the equation of the line.
(a)y = x + 2
(b)y = 2x − 1
(c)y = 2x + 1
(d)y = 2x + 3
18.A straight-line graph shows the distance travelled, d kilometres, against the time taken, t hours, for a cyclist. The line passes through the origin and has a gradient of 18. Write down what the gradient of this line represents.
(a)The distance the cyclist travels in 18 hours
(b)The total distance the cyclist travels, in kilometres
(c)The time the cyclist takes, in hours
(d)The cyclist's speed, in kilometres per hour
19.A grain of fine sand has a mass of 0.001 grams. Write this mass in standard form.
(a)1 × 10³
(b)0.1 × 10⁻²
(c)1 × 10⁻⁴
(d)1 × 10⁻³
20.A cookery class lasts 45 minutes. A double lesson at school lasts 2 hours. Write the length of the cookery class as a fraction of the length of the double lesson. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)3/8
(b)45/2
(c)8/3
(d)9/40

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.