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 space probe is 7.5 × 10⁸ km from Earth. Write this distance as an ordinary number.
- 2.Work out the value of 2x² when x = −3
- 3.Two numbers are in the ratio 2 : 3. The smaller number is 8. Work out the larger number.
- 4.Triangle PQR and triangle XYZ have angle P = angle X, angle Q = angle Y and angle R = angle Z, with no side lengths given for either triangle. Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between the two triangles?
- 5.Harry plays a game in which he flips a fair coin and rolls an ordinary fair dice. He wins a prize only if the coin shows heads and the dice shows a 6. Work out the probability that Harry wins a prize.
- 6.A bar chart shows the highest temperature recorded on each of five days. The temperatures were Monday 20 °C, Tuesday 22 °C, Wednesday 18 °C, Thursday 25 °C and Friday 23 °C. Write down the day on which the temperature was highest.
- 7.A florist has 60 red roses and 84 white roses. She wants to make identical bunches using all the flowers, with the greatest possible number of bunches. Work out how many red roses will be in each bunch.
- 8.Priya buys b balloons for a party. Each balloon costs 15p. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pence.
- 9.At a youth club the ratio of juniors to seniors is 3:5. There are 40 members altogether. Work out how many seniors there are.
- 10.Which of the following is the correct definition of a regular polygon?
- 11.A fair spinner has 8 equal sections. 3 of the sections are red. The spinner is spun 240 times. Work out how many times you would expect it to land on red.
- 12.A bag holds 50 counters. 2/5 of them are red and the rest are blue. 5 red counters are then taken out of the bag. Work out the new ratio of red counters to blue counters. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 13.Which of these is an identity?
- 14.Order these three values from smallest to largest: 3/8, 0.43, 41%.
- 15.A solid is a single cube. Its plan view (from above), front elevation (from the front) and side elevation (from the side) are drawn separately. What shape is each of these three views?
- 16.3.4 × 10⁵ is written as an ordinary number. Work out this number.
- 17.Write down the expression that means the same as 3 × y × y.
- 18.A map has a scale of 1 : 100 000. Two railway stations are 8 km apart in real life. Work out the distance between the stations on the map, in centimetres.
- 19.A number, y, is equal to 8.2 when rounded to 1 decimal place. Write down the error interval for y.
- 20.A cleaning solution is made by mixing disinfectant and water in the ratio 1 : 9. Priti wants to make 6 litres of the solution in total. Work out how much disinfectant she needs.
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.