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 highest common factor of 15 and 25.
- 2.A student says that (x + 4)² is equivalent to x² + 16. For which value of x do the two expressions give the SAME result, making it look (misleadingly) like the student could be right?
- 3.A straight line passes through the points (1, 20) and (5, 8). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 4.A rectangular gate is braced with a diagonal strut. The gate is 1.2 m wide and 0.9 m tall. Work out the exact length of the diagonal strut.
- 5.A bag contains 45 sweets. 18 of the sweets are lemon flavour and the rest are orange. A sweet is taken at random, its flavour is recorded, and it is put back in the bag. This is repeated 200 times. Work out how many times you would expect an orange sweet to be taken.
- 6.Amelia's mean mark over four tests is 29. Her first three marks are 31, 26 and 26. Work out her fourth mark.
- 7.A circle has a radius of 3 cm. Which of these is the exact area of the circle?
- 8.A sequence has the position-to-term rule n² + 1, where n is the position number. Work out how much bigger the 5th term is than the 4th term.
- 9.Two mathematically similar water bottles have a volume scale factor of 8 from the smaller bottle to the larger bottle. Work out the surface area scale factor from the smaller bottle to the larger bottle.
- 10.Triangle ABC is drawn. The interior angle bisectors from vertices A and B are constructed and meet at point I inside the triangle. Which statement about point I must be true?
- 11.A bag contains 4 red counters and 6 blue counters. A counter is taken at random, its colour noted, and it is put back in the bag before a second counter is taken at random. Work out the probability that the two counters are different colours. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.A square petri dish has an area of 121 mm². A scientist wants to know its side length. Work out the side length of the dish.
- 13.The first four terms of a sequence are 6, 13, 20, 27. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 14.£96 is shared between Ben, Cara and Dev in the ratio 2:3:7. Work out how much Cara receives.
- 15.A radar station is at the origin of a grid, where each unit represents 1 km. A boat is detected at the point (7, 24). Work out the boat's distance from the station, then work out how many hours it will take the boat to reach the station travelling directly towards it at 5 km per hour.
- 16.Which of these decimals lies between 1/4 and 2/5?
- 17.Which of these equations is equivalent to 5x − 2 = 3x + 8?
- 18.Two straight-line graphs represent y = 2x and y = 5x. For the same value of x, where x ≠ 0, write down the ratio of the y-value on the first graph to the y-value on the second graph, in its simplest form.y = 2xy = 5x
- 19.A jug holds 1.25 litres of water. Ella pours in another 400 ml. Work out the total volume, in litres.
- 20.Three friends share a raffle prize of £360 in the ratio 2:3:4. Work out the share of the friend whose part of the ratio is 3.
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.