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 down the decimal that is equal to 3/5.
- 2.A taxi charges a fixed fee of £3 plus £2 for every mile travelled. The journey is m miles. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pounds.
- 3.A metal has a density of 7.8 g/cm³. Work out the density of the metal in kg/m³.
- 4.A market stall sells apples at £2.40 per kilogram. Which of these expressions gives the cost, in pounds, of buying m kilograms of apples?
- 5.In a class of 32 pupils, 19 study geography and 15 study history. 8 study both subjects. Work out n(G ∪ H), the number of pupils who study geography or history or both.
- 6.Two classes sat the same test. The 30 pupils in Class A had a mean mark of 72. The 20 pupils in Class B had a mean mark of 82. Work out the mean mark of all 50 pupils.
- 7.Leah measures the length of her classroom with a tape measure marked in centimetres. She writes the length down as 7.3157 m. Give a reason why this is not an appropriate degree of accuracy.
- 8.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?
- 9.8 identical pens cost £6.40 in total. Work out the cost of 5 of the same pens.
- 10.A hiker walks on a bearing of 065°. She then turns clockwise through 90° and continues walking in a straight line. What bearing is she now walking on?
- 11.An ordinary six-sided dice, numbered 1 to 6, is rolled 30 times and lands on a 6 seven times. Ravi says the theoretical probability of rolling a 6 and the relative frequency of rolling a 6 in this trial are the same number. Is Ravi right?
- 12.Work out an estimate for 79.3 − 24.6, by rounding each number to the nearest whole number.
- 13.A theatre's front row has 18 seats. Each row behind has 4 more seats than the row in front. Which row has exactly 62 seats?
- 14.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
- 15.Two identical ladders lean against the same vertical wall from opposite sides, each making an angle of 58.2° with the ground. The two ladders and the ground form a triangle. Work out the size of the angle between the two ladders at the top, where they meet.
- 16.A car manufacturer offers a car in 6 colours and 4 trim levels. Two colour-and-trim combinations are not available: red with sport trim, and white with sport trim. Work out how many different colour-and-trim combinations are available.
- 17.A rectangle is x cm wide and twice as long as it is wide, so its area A cm² is given by A = 2x². Work out A when x = 3.
- 18.Simplify the ratio 12 : 18 : 30 to its simplest form.
- 19.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: 6/11 ___ 4/11
- 20.A section of a kitchen wall has an area of 45,000 cm². Work out the area of this section in m².
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.