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 0.00072 in standard form.
- 2.Which expression is equivalent to 7x − 3(2x − 6)?
- 3.A sofa costs £800. Its price is increased by 25%. Work out the new price of the sofa.
- 4.A square tile has sides of length 6 cm. Work out the area of the tile.
- 5.Priya spins a fair spinner with P(red) = 0.3, and separately flips a fair coin with P(heads) = 0.5. Using a tree diagram, work out the probability that she gets red AND heads.
- 6.A pie chart of the favourite hobby of a group of pupils has three sectors: reading 50%, sport 25% and music 25%. Write down, as a fraction in its simplest form, the share of the pie chart taken up by the reading sector.
- 7.A metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
- 8.A table of values is being drawn for the graph of y = x³. Work out the value of y when x = −2.y = x
- 9.The ratio of the number of pages Mia has read to the number of pages Leo has read is 7 : 4. Mia has read 84 pages. Work out how many pages they have read altogether.
- 10.A rectangular photograph is 12 cm long and 5 cm wide. Work out the perimeter of the photograph.
- 11.A frequency tree records how 90 pupils travel to school and whether they were late. The first pair of branches splits the 90 pupils into 50 who walk and 40 who do not walk. On the walking branch, 6 were late and 44 were not. On the other branch, 10 were late and 30 were not. One of the 90 pupils is chosen at random. Work out the probability that the pupil walks to school and was late.
- 12.A jug holds 1.25 litres of water. Ella pours in another 400 ml. Work out the total volume, in litres.
- 13.A lift has a weight limit: it must carry no more than 630 kg. Let w be the total weight, in kg, carried by the lift. Which inequality describes this?
- 14.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
- 15.Write down the exact value of tan 60°.
- 16.Which of these numbers is a common factor of 18 and 24?
- 17.A candle is 30 cm tall and burns down at a steady rate of 1 cm per hour. Write down the function for the height of the candle y, in centimetres, after x hours.
- 18.A cyclist travels d kilometres in t hours. Write down an expression, in terms of d and t, for the cyclist's average speed in km/h.
- 19.Two fair six-sided dice are rolled and their scores are added together. By listing the possible totals systematically, work out how many different totals are possible.
- 20.£2000 is invested in a savings account that pays 5% compound interest each year. Work out the value of the investment at the end of 2 years.
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.