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 shop assistant says that 7.2 × 3.9 = 56.16. Work out an estimate for 7.2 × 3.9, by rounding each number to the nearest whole number, to show that the assistant’s answer cannot be correct.
- 2.Write down the coefficient of xy in the expression 4x²y − 7xy + 2.
- 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.
- 4.In a kite, one pair of opposite angles are equal in size. In kite WXYZ, angle X = 40° and angle Z = 100° are the two angles that are NOT equal to each other. The other two angles, W and Y, are equal to each other. Work out the size of angle W.
- 5.A weather station records whether it rains each day for 40 days: it rains on 9 of the days and does not rain on the rest. A local forecaster claims that the probability of rain on any day is 0.3. Work out the relative frequency of rain from the recorded data.
- 6.Isla wants to find out the favourite television programme of the pupils at her school. She asks only her own close group of friends. Write down what is wrong with her sample.
- 7.4ˣ = 64. Work out the value of x.
- 8.The first five terms of a sequence are 2, 5, 8, 11, 14. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 9.Write 0.25 as a percentage.
- 10.A triangular prism has two triangular faces and three rectangular faces. How many vertices does a triangular prism have?
- 11.A sorting office processes 2,000 letters addressed to one postcode area in a week. The probability that a letter is a bill is 0.15. Work out how many of the letters you would expect to be bills.
- 12.Work out 3π − π, giving your answer as a multiple of π.
- 13.Priya says that x = 6 is the solution of the equation 4x + 8 = 24. Priya is wrong. Work out the correct value of x.
- 14.Write £3.60 : £2.40 as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 15.A fish tank is a cuboid measuring 40 cm long, 25 cm wide and 30 cm high. Water is poured in to a depth of 20 cm. Work out the volume of water in the tank, in litres.
- 16.In a car park the ratio of vans to cars is 2 : 7. Work out the number of vans as a fraction of the number of cars.
- 17.There are 30 students in a Year 10 maths class. There are 2 more boys than girls. Work out the number of boys and the number of girls.
- 18.x is 2/3 of y. Write the ratio x : y in its simplest form.
- 19.A recipe uses 160 g of flour. Sam wants to increase the amount by 1/4. Work out the new amount of flour.
- 20.A fruit squash is made by mixing squash and water. In a jug, 2/9 of the total volume is squash. A caterer makes up 4.5 litres of the squash mixture. Work out how many litres of squash are in the mixture.
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.