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.Write down the fraction, in its simplest form, that is equal to 0.6
- 2.Solve x² − x − 12 = 0.
- 3.Write the ratio 4 : 9 in the form 1 : n.
- 4.A chord divides a circle into two segments of different sizes. Write down the name given to the smaller of the two segments.
- 5.A student is estimating the probability that a spinner lands on red. In her first 85 spins it landed on red 34 times. She then spins it 165 more times, and in those it lands on red 58 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability of red from all 250 spins. Give your answer as a decimal, correct to 3 decimal places.
- 6.A survey of 200 car owners in Bristol records the colour of each car: silver 74, black 52, blue 40 and red 34. Write down which average should be used to describe a typical car in this survey, and give a reason for your answer.
- 7.Work out 35% of 180.
- 8.Write down the coefficient of p in the expression 7 − 4p + 9q.
- 9.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 7, the value of y is 21. Work out the value of x when y = 12.
- 10.How many vertices does a cylinder have?
- 11.A fair spinner has 8 equal sections. 3 of the sections are red. The spinner is spun 240 times. Work out how many times you would expect it to land on red.
- 12.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.
- 13.A point lies on the y-axis. What can be said about the x-coordinate of that point?
- 14.A section of a kitchen wall has an area of 45,000 cm². Work out the area of this section in m².
- 15.A trapezium-shaped garden bed has parallel sides of 2.5 m and 4.5 m, and a perpendicular width of 3 m. A gardener wants to know the area of the bed before ordering topsoil. Work out the area of the garden bed.
- 16.Put these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 3/8, 0.4, 0.35
- 17.The area of a circle is given by the formula A = πr², where r is the radius. Rearrange the formula to make r the subject.
- 18.A market stall sells apples at a fixed price per kilogram. Priya buys 3 kg for £5.40. Write the ratio of the mass in kilograms to the cost in pounds, in its simplest form.
- 19.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
- 20.A graph shows two quantities, x and y, in direct proportion. Write down which statement about the graph must be true.
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.