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 √(4 × 9)
- 2.Work out the gradient of the straight line with equation 2x + y = 8.
- 3.Work out 25% of 200.
- 4.A written description of a diagram states: 'AB is marked with a single arrow, CD is marked with a single arrow, and EF is marked with a double arrow.' Using the standard convention for marking parallel lines, what can be concluded?
- 5.A fair six-sided dice is rolled once. Work out the probability that the score is an odd number. Give your answer as a decimal.
- 6.A factory makes 4,000 light bulbs a day. In a random sample of 80 of one day's bulbs, 3 were faulty. Work out an estimate for the number of faulty bulbs the factory makes in a day.
- 7.In a chess club, 3/8 of the members are girls and the rest are boys. Write down the ratio of girls to boys.
- 8.A plumber charges a call-out fee plus an hourly rate. The total cost, y in pounds, of a job lasting x hours is given by y = 45x + 60. Work out the total cost of a job that lasts 3 hours.y = 45x + 60
- 9.The ratio of two lengths is 0.6 : 1.5. Write this ratio in its simplest whole-number form.
- 10.A parallelogram has a base of 20 cm and a sloping side of 13 cm. The perpendicular drawn from the top of that sloping side down to the base meets the base 5 cm from the foot of the sloping side, so the perpendicular, the 5 cm and the 13 cm sloping side form a right-angled triangle. Work out the area of the parallelogram.
- 11.A market research company found that, out of 120 shoppers surveyed, 42 preferred paper bags to plastic bags. A supermarket expects 900 shoppers this week. Using this relative frequency, work out how many of the 900 shoppers would be expected to prefer paper bags.
- 12.Work out the value of 2⁻²
- 13.Make x the subject of the formula y = x + 7.y = x + 7
- 14.Write the ratio 5 : 8 in the form 1 : n.
- 15.A solid cube has a volume of 8 cm³. Work out the length of one edge of the cube.
- 16.Work out √144 − 2 × 3 + √25
- 17.Which expression is equivalent to 6x − (2x − 5)?
- 18.A lorry is carrying a load of mass m tonnes. Given that 1 tonne = 1000 kg, write down an expression for the mass of the load in kilograms.
- 19.A piece of ribbon is 2.4 metres long. Kim cuts 40 cm from it. Work out the length of ribbon left, in millimetres.
- 20.A post 2 metres tall casts a shadow 3 metres long. At the same time a nearby tree casts a shadow 12 metres long. Work out the height of the tree.
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.