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 20 − 8 ÷ 2 + 1
- 2.A sequence begins at 60, and each term after that is found by subtracting 7 from the term before it. Work out the 5th term of the sequence.
- 3.The number of biscuits, b, that each guest at a party receives is inversely proportional to the number of guests, g. Which equation could show this relationship?
- 4.A triangular prism has two triangular end faces and three rectangular faces joining them. How many faces does it have in total?
- 5.A council surveyed 140 households about recycling. 85 of the households are in Zone A. 52 of the Zone A households recycle glass. 21 of the Zone B households do not recycle glass. Work out the probability that a household, chosen at random from the 140, recycles glass. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 6.Harry counted the coins he found on each of six days: 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 30. Write down the outlier.
- 7.Amelia has 49 boxes of apples with 21 apples in each box. Work out an estimate for the total number of apples, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 8.A straight line has equation y = 4x + 3. A second line is parallel to the first line and passes through the point (0, −5). Work out the equation of the second line.y = 4x + 3
- 9.A room is drawn on a plan with a scale of 1 : 200. On the plan the room has an area of 12 cm². Work out the real area of the room, in square metres.
- 10.A church tower is due east of a village. What is the three-figure bearing of the church tower from the village?
- 11.A box contains counters that are silver, bronze or copper only. The probability that a counter taken at random is silver is 1/2 and the probability that it is bronze is 1/8. The box contains 64 counters in total. Work out the number of copper counters.
- 12.In a classroom the ratio of boys to girls is 3 : 4. What fraction of the class are boys?
- 13.To solve 5x − 4 = 2x + 8, Chloe's working is shown. Line 1: 5x − 4 = 2x + 8. Line 2: 3x − 4 = 8. Line 3: 3x = 4. Line 4: x = 4/3. Chloe has made a mistake in her working. Which line contains the mistake?
- 14.In a fruit drink, 3/8 of the total volume is orange juice and the rest is apple juice. Write down the ratio of orange juice to apple juice, in its simplest form.
- 15.A train leaves Leeds at 08:47 and arrives in London at 11:05. Work out how long the journey takes.
- 16.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £45 and then £28 for each hour she works. She is at a house from 09:15 until 12:45. Work out the total charge.
- 17.Oliver buys b pens. Each pen costs £2. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pounds.
- 18.Two mathematically similar jugs have heights 8 cm and 12 cm. The smaller jug holds 200 ml when it is full. Work out how much the larger jug holds when it is full.
- 19.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
- 20.y is inversely proportional to x, and y = 20 ÷ x. Work out the value of y when x = 4.
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.