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.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
- 2.Solve 2x − 2 = 2
- 3.A machine fills bottles at a constant rate. It fills 18 bottles in 3 minutes. Working at the same rate, work out how many bottles the machine fills in 8 minutes.
- 4.An angle is measured with a protractor as 47°. What type of angle is this?
- 5.A spinner is spun 50 times. It lands on green 18 times. Work out the relative frequency of landing on green.
- 6.A stem-and-leaf diagram, described in words, shows the ages of 9 people at a family party. The stem is the tens digit: stem 1 has leaves 4 and 8; stem 2 has leaves 0, 3, 5 and 9; stem 3 has leaves 1 and 6; stem 4 has leaf 2. Work out the median age.
- 7.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −9 ___ −4
- 8.ABCD is a parallelogram. A has coordinates (−3, 1), B has coordinates (2, 1) and C has coordinates (4, 4). Work out the coordinates of D.
- 9.A material has a density of 2 g/cm³. Work out the mass of 5 cm³ of this material.
- 10.Lines AB and CD cross at a point, forming four right angles where they meet. Which notation correctly describes the relationship between AB and CD?
- 11.A bag contains 5 red counters and 5 green counters. Three counters are taken out one at a time and are not put back. Work out the probability that all three counters are red.
- 12.Jack buys 3 books, each costing £4.25, and pays with a £20 note. Work out how much change he receives.
- 13.A cinema sells adult tickets for £10 and child tickets for £6. A family group buys 9 tickets in total, spending £74. Work out how many adult tickets were bought.
- 14.Write the ratio 3/4 : 1/2 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 15.A vertical line passes through the point (5, 2). Write down the equation of this line.
- 16.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.
- 17.Given that (x + 2)(x − 7) = 0, write down the two solutions of x.
- 18.Two mathematically similar cylinders have heights in the ratio 3 : 4. Write the ratio of their volumes in its simplest form.
- 19.Freya types 4² + 3² into her calculator and writes down 49. Work out the correct value of 4² + 3².
- 20.£96 is shared between Ben, Cara and Dev in the ratio 2:3:7. Work out how much Cara receives.
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.