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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 1 · Non-calculator · 20 questions

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1.A car travels 180 km using 6 litres of fuel. Work out the car's fuel consumption in kilometres per litre, then work out how many kilometres it can travel on a full tank of 12 litres at this rate.
(a)2160 km
(b)30 km
(c)90 km
(d)360 km
2.Work out the coordinates of the point halfway between (−9, −2) and (−1, −2).
(a)(−10, −2)
(b)(−5, −2)
(c)(−4, −2)
(d)(5, −2)
3.Triangle ABC has a right angle at C. AC = 3 cm and BC = 4 cm. Triangle ABC is mathematically similar to triangle PQR, with angle B corresponding to angle Q. Work out the value of tan(angle Q).
(a)3/4
(b)4/3
(c)3/7
(d)4/7
4.A photograph is 10 cm wide and 15 cm tall. It is enlarged to make a similar poster that is 40 cm wide. The poster costs £0.80 per centimetre of its height to print, based on its full height. Work out the cost of printing the poster.
(a)£3
(b)£15.20
(c)£12
(d)£48
5.At a summer fair, the probability of winning at the hoopla stall is 6/10 and the probability of winning at the coconut shy is 2/10. Work out how many times as likely a player is to win at the hoopla stall as at the coconut shy.
(a)4 times as likely
(b)3 times as likely
(c)12 times as likely
(d)6 times as likely
6.A scatter graph shows the number of days, x, that each of 16 tomato plants was watered and its height, y cm. The line of best fit has equation y = 1.5x + 4. Write down what the 1.5 in this equation tells you about the plants.
y = 1.5x + 4
(a)Watering a plant for 1.5 days made it 1 cm taller
(b)On average a plant grew 1.5 cm taller for each extra day
(c)The tallest plant was 1.5 cm taller than the shortest
(d)On average a plant was 1.5 cm tall before any watering
7.Simplify x⁶ ÷ x²
(a)x¹²
(b)x³
(c)x⁸
(d)x⁴
8.To rearrange y = 2x − 5 to make x the subject, Sam writes: 'Add 5 to both sides to get y + 5 = 2x, then divide both sides by 2 to get x = (y + 5)/2.' Which statement about Sam's method is correct?
y = 2x − 5
(a)Yes, but step 2 should give x = 2(y + 5)
(b)No; it should be x = (y − 5)/2
(c)Yes; x = (y + 5)/2 is right
(d)No; it should be x = y/2 + 5
9.Which of these ratios is already written in its simplest form?
(a)7:14
(b)4:9
(c)10:15
(d)6:8
10.A cylindrical tin has a curved surface, a flat circular base and a flat circular lid. A label is stuck around the curved surface only. How many of the tin's faces are NOT covered by the label?
(a)0
(b)4
(c)2
(d)1
11.Five raffle tickets numbered 1 to 5 are in a bag. Two tickets are drawn one after the other and the first is not put back. Work out the probability that ticket 1 is drawn first and ticket 2 is drawn second.
(a)1/25
(b)1/20
(c)2/5
(d)1/10
12.A concert hall has 300 seats. 20% of the seats are in the balcony. Work out how many of the seats are in the balcony.
(a)15
(b)6
(c)30
(d)60
13.The formula for the perimeter of a square is P = 4s, where s is the side length. Make s the subject of the formula.
(a)s = P − 4
(b)s = P + 4
(c)s = P / 4
(d)s = 4P
14.A straight-line graph shows the distance travelled, d kilometres, against the time taken, t hours, for a cyclist. The line passes through the origin and has a gradient of 18. Write down what the gradient of this line represents.
(a)The distance the cyclist travels in 18 hours
(b)The total distance the cyclist travels, in kilometres
(c)The time the cyclist takes, in hours
(d)The cyclist's speed, in kilometres per hour
15.Point M lies exactly halfway between point A and point B, with A, M and B all on the same straight line. Which term correctly describes point M?
(a)A perpendicular of AB
(b)A plane of AB
(c)The midpoint of AB
(d)The vertex of AB
16.Work out 3.7 × 24.
(a)8.88
(b)88.8
(c)888
(d)87.8
17.The diagram shows the graph of the cost, in pounds, of a taxi journey plotted against the distance travelled, in miles, for journeys of up to 4 miles. The same fixed charge and the same cost per mile apply to longer journeys. Work out the cost of a 6-mile journey.
(a)£24
(b)£14
(c)£12
(d)£8
18.A garden plan is enlarged by a scale factor of 3. A flower bed on the original plan is 5 cm long. Work out the length of the flower bed on the enlarged plan, in centimetres.
(a)45 cm
(b)8 cm
(c)1.7 cm
(d)15 cm
19.A van has a mass of 2,000 kg, correct to 1 significant figure. Using m for the mass of the van in kilograms, write down the error interval for m.
(a)1,500 ≤ m < 2,500
(b)1,000 ≤ m < 3,000
(c)1,950 ≤ m < 2,050
(d)1,500 < m ≤ 2,500
20.Two quantities x and y are in the ratio x : y = 2 : 5, and y = kx for a constant k. Work out the value of k.
(a)5
(b)3
(c)2.5
(d)0.4

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.