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.£60 is shared between Amir, Bo and Chen in the ratio 1:2:3. Work out the fraction of the £60 that Amir and Bo receive together.
- 2.x = 5. Work out the value of 3x² − 4.
- 3.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 3x. Work out the value of y when x = 4.y = 3x
- 4.A parallelogram has an area of 54 cm² and a base of 9 cm. Work out its perpendicular height.
- 5.Four students each drop a drawing pin repeatedly to estimate the probability that it lands point-up. Freya makes 20 drops, Malik makes 50 drops, Priya makes 200 drops and Tom makes 80 drops. Which student's relative frequency is likely to give the best estimate of the true probability?
- 6.A bar chart shows the highest temperature recorded on each of five days. The temperatures were Monday 20 °C, Tuesday 22 °C, Wednesday 18 °C, Thursday 25 °C and Friday 23 °C. Write down the day on which the temperature was highest.
- 7.Which one of these statements about negative numbers is true?
- 8.A rectangular field has length (3a + 2) metres and width (a − 1) metres. Write a simplified expression for the perimeter of the field.
- 9.There are 84 passengers on a double-decker bus. 35 of the passengers are adults and the rest are children. Write the number of adults as a fraction of the number of children. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 10.A trapezium has parallel sides of 5 cm and 11 cm, and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out the area of the trapezium.
- 11.A survey asked 80 people to name their favourite drink. The table shows the results: Tea 20 people, Coffee 32 people, Juice 16 people, Water 12 people. Work out the percentage of people whose favourite drink was Coffee.
- 12.A quarter-circle has a radius of 6 cm. Work out the exact perimeter of the quarter-circle, giving your answer in terms of π.
- 13.A rectangular sheep pen has perimeter P, length l and width w, connected by the formula P = 2l + 2w. A farmer has 60 m of fencing for the perimeter and sets the width at 8 m. Work out the length of the pen.
- 14.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 8, y = 20. Work out the value of y when x = 12.
- 15.In triangle ABC and triangle DEF, the angle at A and the angle at D are both 40°, and the angle at B and the angle at E are both 70°. No side lengths are given. Write down whether the two triangles must be similar, with the reason.
- 16.A tank contains 120 litres of water. Water is drained out at a rate of 8 litres per minute for 6 minutes, and then a hose adds 15 litres. Work out how much water is left in the tank.
- 17.A straight line passes through the points (0, 4) and (1, 9). Write down the gradient of the line.
- 18.A scale drawing of a playground is drawn to a scale of 1 : 300. A slide measures 4 cm on the drawing. Work out the real length of the slide, in centimetres.
- 19.Work out (5 + 2) × 3²
- 20.A car uses 6 litres of petrol to travel 90 km. Write the ratio of the distance travelled in km to the amount of petrol used in litres, 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.