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.Using only 20p coins and 10p coins, and at least one of each, work out how many different ways there are to make exactly 60p. List the possibilities systematically.
- 2.Work out the values of x and y that satisfy both x + y = 10 and x − y = 4.
- 3.At an animal shelter, the ratio of cats to dogs is 2:5. There are 18 more dogs than cats. Work out the number of cats.
- 4.A builder props a straight plank against a vertical wall to reach a window ledge. The foot of the plank is 2.1 m from the base of the wall, and the plank is 3.5 m long. Work out how high up the wall the plank reaches.
- 5.In a game, Zara says the probability of scoring is 3/8, the probability of missing is 5/12 and the probability of a rebound is 1/6, and that these are the only three outcomes. Is Zara correct that her three probabilities are valid?
- 6.A garden centre records its total sales, in pounds, at the end of each of the twelve months of one year, to see how sales change over time. Write down the most suitable type of chart to show this time series data.
- 7.Write 260,000 in standard form.
- 8.Solve 2x + 1 = 9
- 9.A shop sells fruit juice concentrate that must be diluted with water in the ratio 2 : 5 (concentrate : water) to make squash. Priya has 8 litres of concentrate. Work out how much water she needs to keep the same ratio.
- 10.A water tank is a cube with edges of length 2 m. Work out how many cubic centimetres the tank holds when it is full.
- 11.A garden centre recorded 240 plant sales using a frequency tree. The first stage splits the sales into three types: shrubs, bedding plants and trees. 96 sales were shrubs, 114 were bedding plants and the rest were trees. Work out the probability that a sale chosen at random from these 240 was a tree.
- 12.Insert one pair of brackets into 2 + 3 × 5 − 1 so that the calculation is equal to 24. Which calculation is correct?
- 13.Which of these is a formula?
- 14.Triangle ABC is mathematically similar to triangle PQR, with AB corresponding to PQ and BC corresponding to QR. AB = 6 cm, BC = 8 cm and PQ = 12 cm. Work out the length of QR.
- 15.A hiker starts by walking on a bearing of 245°. She turns clockwise through 50°, then turns clockwise through a further 15°, and continues walking in a straight line. What bearing is she now walking on?
- 16.Work out (5 + 2) × 3²
- 17.Write down the expression that means the same as m² × m × 3.
- 18.1 litre = 100 centilitres. Work out how many centilitres there are in 6 litres.
- 19.A supermarket sells apples at £1.85 per kg. Anna buys 3.6 kg of apples. Estimate the cost by rounding each number to 1 significant figure before multiplying. Work out Anna's estimate.
- 20.Last week Priya worked 5 shifts of 7 hours. This week she worked 4 shifts of 8 hours. Write the number of hours she worked last week as a fraction of the number of hours she worked this week.
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.