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.An allotment is divided into two plots in the ratio 2:3. The larger plot has an area of 18 m². Work out the fraction of the total area taken up by the smaller plot.
- 2.Which of these statements is an identity?
- 3.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 7x. Work out the value of x when y = 35.y = 7x
- 4.A triangular flag has a base of 40 cm and a perpendicular height of 25 cm. Work out its area.
- 5.A jar contains counters that are pink, gold or grey only. The probability that a counter taken at random is pink is 0.2 and the probability that it is gold is 0.45. The jar contains 60 counters in total. Work out the number of grey counters.
- 6.The daily high temperatures, in °C, in Leeds over five days were 14, 16, 18, 19 and 23. In York over the same five days they were 15, 17, 17, 18 and 18. Write a sentence comparing Leeds and York using both the median and the range.
- 7.In a box of counters the ratio of red counters to blue counters is 4 : 5. What fraction of the counters are blue?
- 8.Line C passes through (0, 0) and (4, 2). Line D passes through (0, 0) and (2, 2). Write down which of the two lines is the steeper.
- 9.A straight-line graph shows the cost, C pounds, of hiring a bike for h hours. The line passes through the points (1, 12) and (4, 27). Which of these statements about the line is true?
- 10.How many edges does a cube have?
- 11.A survey asks 40 people whether they own a cat, a dog, both, or neither. 12 people own only a cat, 15 own only a dog, 5 own both, and 8 own neither. Work out the probability that a randomly chosen person owns a cat or a dog (or both). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.Work out (2 × 10³) × (3 × 10⁴). Give your answer in standard form.
- 13.Expand 2(x + 12)
- 14.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.
- 15.Shape S has a vertex at (9, 6). It is enlarged by a scale factor of 1/3, centre the origin. Work out the coordinates of the image of this vertex.
- 16.A cinema has 21 rows of seats with 29 seats in each row. Work out an estimate for the number of people the cinema can hold, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 17.Which expression means the same as 3 × a × b?
- 18.A map has a scale of 1 : 25 000. A footpath measures 6 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
- 19.Write 5,000,000 in standard form.
- 20.To make orange paint, red and yellow paint are mixed in the ratio 6:15. Write the amount of red paint as a fraction of the amount of yellow paint, in its simplest form.
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.