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.A gardener has 42 tulip bulbs and 56 daffodil bulbs. She plants them in rows, with every row containing the same number of tulip bulbs and the same number of daffodil bulbs, and no bulbs left over. Work out the greatest number of rows she can plant.
- 2.Tom is asked to classify the statement 5(2x − 3) = 10x − 15. Which statement about it is correct?
- 3.A charity receives £360 in donations in January and £480 in donations in February. Write the amount received in January as a fraction of the amount received in February, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.A scale drawing of a rectangular lawn uses a scale of 1 : 125. On the drawing, the lawn measures 4 cm by 2.4 cm. Work out the perimeter of the real lawn, in metres.
- 5.A survey of 160 employees at a company recorded whether they cycle to work, using a frequency tree. The first branch splits them into 90 who work full-time and 70 who work part-time. Of the full-time employees, 27 cycle to work. Of the part-time employees, 14 cycle to work. Work out the probability that an employee, chosen at random from the 160, cycles to work. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 6.The mean of the numbers x, 20 and 30 is equal to the mean of the numbers 15 and 25. Work out the value of x.
- 7.Freya uses her calculator to work out 7² and writes down 14. Work out the correct value of 7².
- 8.Grace says that 2(x + 1) and 2x + 2 always have the same value. Work out the value of both expressions when x = 3.
- 9.An oven is preheating. Its temperature, T °C, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the points (2, 60) and (6, 140). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 10.Three angles meet at a single point on one side of a straight line. Two of the angles are 48° and 65°. Work out the third angle.
- 11.A bag contains counters that are red, blue or green only. The probability that a counter taken at random is not red is 0.8. The bag contains 25 counters in total. Work out how many of the counters are red.
- 12.Which one of these statements is true?
- 13.Write down the coefficient of xy in the expression 4x²y − 7xy + 2.
- 14.A charity collects donations from adults and children in the ratio 5:2. Altogether, £238 is collected. Work out how much more the adults donate than the children.
- 15.Point B is at (3, 5). It is reflected in the line y = 2. Work out the coordinates of the image of point B.
- 16.Rice is sold in a 400 g bag for £1.12 and in a 1.5 kg bag for £3.90. Work out how much less the rice in the larger bag costs per kilogram.
- 17.Isla says that the lines y = 2x + 1 and y = −2x + 3 are parallel. Write down the statement that gives the correct answer for the correct reason.y = 2x + 1y = -2x + 3
- 18.Write the ratio 2/3 : 1/2 as a ratio of whole numbers, in its simplest form.
- 19.Work out 2⁵.
- 20.A recipe needs 1.2 kg of flour. Dan has 750 g of flour in his cupboard. Write the mass of flour the recipe needs as a fraction of the mass of flour Dan has. Give your answer 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.