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.Work out 3/8 of 96.
- 2.A distance-time graph shows a car travelling at a constant speed, covering 90 km in 2 hours. Work out the car's speed in km/h.
- 3.It takes 8 painters 6 days to paint a fence. Working at the same rate, work out how many days 4 painters would take to paint the same fence.
- 4.The column vector r has top number 2 and bottom number 6. Which of these column vectors is parallel to r?
- 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.Write down what a scatter graph is used to show.
- 7.A quiz has 50 questions. Freya answers 10% of them incorrectly. Work out how many questions she answers incorrectly.
- 8.A parcel delivery company's cost graph shows the following: the cost is a flat £5 for parcels weighing up to 2 kg, and then rises by £2 for each additional kg above 2 kg. Use the graph to work out the weight of a parcel that costs £17.
- 9.Two numbers are in the ratio 3 : 7. Their sum is 60. Work out the positive difference between the two numbers.
- 10.A landscaper marks out two triangular flower beds using stakes and a tape measure. Bed 1 has two edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner with a marked angle of 60° between them. Bed 2 has edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner also marked at 60° between them. The landscaper wants to check the two beds will be exactly the same size and shape using only these three measurements. Which condition proves the two beds are congruent?
- 11.Bag A contains 3 red balls and 2 blue balls. Bag B contains 1 red ball and 3 blue balls. One ball is taken at random from each bag. Work out the probability that both balls are red.
- 12.Two bags of mixed nuts are combined. Bag A has peanuts and cashews in the ratio 2 : 3. Bag B has peanuts and cashews in the ratio 1 : 4. Both bags contain the same total number of nuts. Work out the fraction of the combined mixture that is peanuts.
- 13.Solve 4x + 3 = 19
- 14.A company's profit this year is 130% of last year's profit. Last year's profit was £40,000. Work out this year's profit.
- 15.A carpenter measures two triangular braces. Brace 1 has a 55° angle, a 65° angle, and, opposite the 55° angle, a side of 8 cm. Brace 2 has matching 55° and 65° angles and, opposite its 55° angle, a side of 8 cm. The carpenter says that because the equal 8 cm side is not between the two equal angles in either brace, he cannot be sure the two braces are the same size. Is the carpenter correct?
- 16.Four locations each record a temperature one winter morning. Which of these temperatures is the coldest?
- 17.A sequence has the position-to-term rule: the nth term is 3n. Write down the first four terms of the sequence.
- 18.3 kg of apples cost £6. Work out the cost of 5 kg of the same apples.
- 19.A tin of soup has a mass of 450 g. A bag of potatoes has a mass of 2.6 kg. Work out the total mass, in kilograms.
- 20.y is inversely proportional to x. When x = 5, y = 8. Work out the value of y when x = 10.
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.