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

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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.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: 6/11 ___ 4/11
(a)≤
(b)<
(c)>
(d)=
2.A rectangle has length (2x + 5) cm and width (x − 2) cm. Work out an expression, in terms of x, for the perimeter of the rectangle. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)4x² + 2x − 20
(b)6x + 6
(c)6x + 14
(d)3x + 3
3.An oven is preheating. Its temperature, T °C, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the points (2, 60) and (6, 140). Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)−20
(b)30
(c)40
(d)20
4.A solid cube has a volume of 8 cm³. Work out the length of one edge of the cube.
(a)4 cm
(b)2 cm
(c)2.83 cm
(d)8 cm
5.The probability that a spinner lands on blue is 2/5. Write this probability as a percentage.
(a)20%
(b)40%
(c)2%
(d)4%
6.A school posts a questionnaire about school dinners to the families of all 200 pupils. Only 30 families send theirs back, and 27 of those 30 say they are unhappy with school dinners. Give a reason why this result may not represent all 200 families.
(a)Postal surveys always have low response rates.
(b)The 27 unhappy replies show most families are unhappy.
(c)The families who replied were picked at random by the school.
(d)Only families with strong feelings bothered to reply.
7.The length of a pencil is 8.4 cm, correct to 1 decimal place. Using L for the length of the pencil in centimetres, write down the error interval for L.
(a)8.35 ≤ L < 8.45
(b)8.4 ≤ L < 8.5
(c)8.3 ≤ L < 8.5
(d)8.35 < L ≤ 8.45
8.Which of these is an inequality?
(a)P = 2n + 7
(b)2n + 7 = 15
(c)2n + 7
(d)2n + 7 > 15
9.A jug holds 3 litres of a drink that is 60% fruit juice. 1 litre of water is added to the jug. Work out the percentage of the new mixture that is fruit juice.
(a)60%
(b)75%
(c)45%
(d)15%
10.The column vector $(2 - 6)$ describes a translation. Write down the movement it represents.
(a)6 left, 2 up
(b)6 left, 2 down
(c)2 left, 6 up
(d)6 right, 2 up
11.A fair six-sided dice is rolled once. Write down the probability that the score is an even number.
(a)1/6
(b)1/2
(c)2/3
(d)1/3
12.A company sells 4 × 10³ items per day, each priced at £2.50. It operates for 3 × 10² days a year. Work out the company's total revenue for the year. Give your answer in standard form.
(a)1.2 × 10⁶
(b)3 × 10⁷
(c)3 × 10⁶
(d)1.03 × 10⁴
13.A market stall's cost of hiring n tables is modelled by two formulas: Formula A: C = 3(2n + 5); Formula B: C = 6n + 15, where C is in pounds. A stallholder says the two formulas always give the same cost. Work out the cost given by each formula when n = 4, and use your results to decide whether the stallholder is correct.
(a)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but the stallholder is wrong because the two formulas use a different number of terms.
(b)Formula A gives £29 and Formula B gives £39, so the stallholder is wrong.
(c)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but this is only true when n = 4, so the stallholder is wrong.
(d)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, and since 3(2n + 5) expands to 6n + 15 for every value of n, the stallholder is correct.
14.A water tank has a capacity of 500 litres. It currently holds 350 litres of water. Write the amount of empty space in the tank as a fraction of the tank's capacity. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)3/7
(b)3/10
(c)1/2
(d)7/10
15.Two straight paths cross at a junction in a park. One of the angles between them, measured with a protractor, is 76°. What is the size of the angle immediately next to it on a straight line?
(a)14
(b)104
(c)76
(d)90
16.Write these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 0.7, 3/4, 0.72
(a)3/4, 0.72, 0.7
(b)3/4, 0.7, 0.72
(c)0.7, 0.72, 3/4
(d)0.72, 3/4, 0.7
17.Solve the simultaneous equations 3x + 2y = 16 and x + y = 7. Work out the value of y.
(a)2
(b)5
(c)9
(d)−5
18.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.
(a)24 m
(b)4 m
(c)8 m
(d)18 m
19.A metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
(a)0.11 g/cm³
(b)9 g/cm³
(c)480 g/cm³
(d)32400 g/cm³
20.A garden plan is enlarged by a scale factor of 3. A flower bed on the original plan is 5 cm long. Work out the length of the flower bed on the enlarged plan, in centimetres.
(a)45 cm
(b)8 cm
(c)1.7 cm
(d)15 cm

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.