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.Work out √144
(a)72
(b)36
(c)12
(d)14
2.The formula for the volume of a cuboid is V = lwh, where l is the length, w is the width and h is the height. Make h the subject of the formula.
(a)h = Vlw
(b)h = V − lw
(c)h = V / (lw)
(d)h = lw / V
3.A room plan is drawn to a scale of 1 : 50. A wall in the room is 4 m long in real life. Work out the length of the wall on the plan, in centimetres.
(a)80 cm
(b)20000 cm
(c)0.08 cm
(d)8 cm
4.A textbook contains the instruction 'Draw AB' and, on the next line, the statement 'AB = 5 cm'. Which statement about the notation AB is correct?
(a)The length must be written as |AB|, not AB
(b)A different symbol is needed for the length
(c)AB means the segment or its length, shown by context
(d)AB can only mean the segment, never a length
5.A spinner has equal sections, and the probability that it lands on blue in a single spin is 1/4. It is spun twice, and the two spins are independent. Work out the probability that it lands on blue on both spins.
(a)1/16
(b)1/2
(c)1/4
(d)1/8
6.A dual bar chart shows the number of hours of rain recorded in Leeds and in Bristol on each of four days. Leeds: Monday 3 hours, Tuesday 5 hours, Wednesday 2 hours, Thursday 4 hours. Bristol: Monday 4 hours, Tuesday 4 hours, Wednesday 6 hours, Thursday 2 hours. Work out the greatest amount, in hours, by which Bristol's rainfall exceeded Leeds's rainfall on a single day.
(a)1
(b)4
(c)2
(d)6
7.Round 4,685 to the nearest 100.
(a)5,000
(b)4,700
(c)4,600
(d)4,690
8.Solve (2x + 1)/3 = 5
(a)7
(b)14
(c)8
(d)2
9.In a car park there are 35 cars and 15 vans. Write the ratio of the number of vans to the number of cars in its simplest form.
(a)3 : 10
(b)7 : 3
(c)3 : 7
(d)15 : 35
10.For two triangles to be proved congruent using SAS, which two facts must be true about both triangles?
(a)Two sides equal, with the angle between them equal
(b)Two angles equal, with the side between them equal
(c)All three pairs of sides equal
(d)Two sides equal, and any one angle equal
11.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled. Work out the probability that both dice show the same score.
(a)1/3
(b)1/6
(c)1/36
(d)1/2
12.Which statement about the number 51 is correct?
(a)51 is prime, because it is not divisible by 2, 3 or 5.
(b)51 is not prime, because it is divisible by 2.
(c)51 is prime, because it is an odd number.
(d)51 is not prime, because 51 = 3 × 17.
13.A car park charges by the hour. Parking for 1 hour costs £5, 2 hours costs £9, 3 hours costs £13 and 4 hours costs £17, with the cost increasing by the same amount for each extra hour. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the cost, in pounds, of parking for n hours.
(a)4n + 1
(b)4n + 5
(c)4n − 3
(d)n + 4
14.A sunflower is 140 cm tall. A tomato plant is 80 cm tall. Write the height of the tomato plant as a fraction of the height of the sunflower, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)7/4
(b)3/7
(c)4/11
(d)4/7
15.A ship's radio can be heard up to 30 km from the ship. A lighthouse's light can be seen up to 20 km from the lighthouse. The ship and the lighthouse are 40 km apart along the coast. Describe the region where BOTH the radio can be heard AND the light can be seen.
(a)the lens-shaped region where the two circles overlap
(b)the whole smaller circle, since it fits inside the larger one
(c)no overlap — 30 km and 20 km don't add to 40 km
(d)a straight strip, exactly halfway between the two
16.A café offers 3 types of soup and 4 types of bread roll. Work out how many different combinations of one soup and one bread roll are possible.
(a)3
(b)12
(c)7
(d)4
17.The nth term of a sequence is 2n² + 1. Work out the 4th term of the sequence.
(a)33
(b)65
(c)32
(d)17
18.A recipe needs 1.2 kg of flour. Dan has 750 g of flour in his cupboard. Write the mass of flour the recipe needs as a fraction of the mass of flour Dan has. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)4/25
(b)8/13
(c)5/8
(d)8/5
19.A three-digit code is made using the digits 1, 2 and 3, and each digit may be used more than once. Work out how many different three-digit codes can be made.
(a)9
(b)3
(c)27
(d)6
20.£5000 is invested in an account paying 4% compound interest each year. Work out the total interest earned after 3 years.
(a)£600.00
(b)£408.00
(c)£624.32
(d)£5624.32

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.