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 6² − 4².
- 2.The first four terms of a sequence are 9, 14, 19, 24. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 3.Divide 84 in the ratio 3:4. Work out the smaller share.
- 4.All four sides of a rhombus are the same length. One side of a rhombus is 7 cm long. Work out the perimeter of the rhombus.
- 5.A small pack contains 5 cards, numbered 1 to 5. One card is drawn at random from the pack, and a fair coin is flipped. Every outcome is listed as a pair, such as (3, H). Work out how many equally likely outcomes there are in total.
- 6.For each of 30 fires in one county, the number of fire engines sent and the cost of the damage were recorded. The scatter graph of the data shows strong positive correlation. A newspaper prints the headline "Sending more fire engines causes more damage". Is the newspaper right? Give a reason for your answer.
- 7.Work out an estimate for 89 + 52, by rounding each number to the nearest 10.
- 8.A triangle has vertices at (1, 1), (1, 5) and (6, 1). Work out the area of the triangle.
- 9.A concert hall has 54 seats in total, of which 24 are reserved and the rest are free. Write the number of free seats as a fraction of the number of reserved seats. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 10.A stained-glass window panel is designed as a kite. Two adjacent sides are each 25 cm, and the other two adjacent sides are each 40 cm. A frame is fitted around the whole panel. The frame costs £2.50 per metre, sold only in whole metres. Work out the total cost of the frame.
- 11.Two fair coins are thrown together 400 times. Work out how many of the 400 throws you would expect to give one head and one tail.
- 12.A window display has red baubles, gold baubles and green baubles in the ratio 4 : 5 : 6. What fraction of the baubles are not green?
- 13.The graph of y = x² − 7x + 2 crosses the x-axis at two points. One root, read from the graph, is approximately x = 0.30. Using the fact that the sum of the two roots of x² − 7x + 2 = 0 is 7, estimate the other root, correct to 2 decimal places.y = x² − 7x + 2
- 14.A plan is drawn to a scale of 1 : 25. A real fence is 10 m long. Work out the length of the fence on the plan, in centimetres.
- 15.A rectangular name card has a perimeter of 30 cm. The card is 9 cm long. Work out the width of the card.
- 16.A metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
- 17.Ben writes n + 4 ≤ 9. Which statement describes what Ben has written? Give a reason for your answer.
- 18.300 g of a salt solution of concentration 10% is poured into 200 g of a salt solution of concentration 25%. Work out the concentration of salt in the mixture.
- 19.Write 45,000 in standard form.
- 20.Priya is paid £58.50 for working 7.5 hours on a Saturday. Work out her rate of pay, in £ per hour.
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.