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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.The thickness of a sheet of card is 0.02384 cm. Write this thickness correct to 2 significant figures.
- 2.To rearrange y = 2x − 5 to make x the subject, Sam writes: 'Add 5 to both sides to get y + 5 = 2x, then divide both sides by 2 to get x = (y + 5)/2.' Which statement about Sam's method is correct?y = 2x − 5
- 3.A charity shop and a school share collection-box money in the ratio 5 : 8. The charity shop receives £47.50. Work out how much the school receives.
- 4.A radar station is at the origin of a grid, where each unit represents 1 km. A boat is detected at the point (7, 24). Work out the boat's distance from the station, then work out how many hours it will take the boat to reach the station travelling directly towards it at 5 km per hour.
- 5.An ordinary fair dice is rolled twice. Work out the probability of getting at least one 5.
- 6.A school has 1,500 pupils. The head teacher takes a random sample of 150 of them from the school register and asks how long they spend on homework. Rory says the sample is too small for the result to mean anything. Is Rory right? Give a reason for your answer.
- 7.A bus leaves the station at 09:47 and arrives at its destination at 11:23. Work out the journey time.
- 8.A plumber charges a £35 call-out fee plus £20 for each hour worked, h. On a certain job the total charge was £115. Work out how many hours the plumber worked.
- 9.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.
- 10.Angle ABC is 130°. The line BF divides angle ABC into two equal parts. Work out the size of angle FBC.
- 11.A = {factors of 12} and B = {factors of 18}. Work out n(A ∩ B), the number of elements in both sets.
- 12.Work out 20 − 8 ÷ 2 + 1
- 13.Write down the expression that means the same as m² × m × 3.
- 14.A charity receives £360 in donations in January and £480 in donations in February. Write the amount received in January as a fraction of the amount received in February, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.A scale drawing of a bridge uses a scale of 1 : 25. A support beam on the drawing measures 4.4 cm. What is the real length of the beam, in metres?
- 16.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.
- 17.Write down the expression that means the same as p + p + p + q.
- 18.The value of a motorbike falls by 12% each year. The motorbike is worth £3200 now. Write down the calculation that gives its value after 3 years.
- 19.A restaurant adds a service charge of 15% to a bill of £120. Work out the service charge.
- 20.A taxi journey of m miles costs C pounds, where C = 2.5m + 3. A driver says the ratio C : m is the same for every journey. Is the driver correct? Give a reason for your answer.
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.