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.Write 0.005 in standard form.
- 2.A charity's fundraising total, T pounds, over d days follows T = (d − 3)(30 − d) for 3 ≤ d ≤ 30, where T = 0 marks the start and end of the campaign. Work out how many days the campaign runs for, from start to end.
- 3.A bag contains 7 red counters and 15 blue counters. Write down the ratio of red counters to blue counters in its simplest form.
- 4.A trapezium has parallel sides of 16 cm and 24 cm, and a perpendicular height of 7 cm. Work out the area of the trapezium.
- 5.Spinner A has 4 equal sections, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Spinner B has 3 equal sections, coloured red, red and blue. Both spinners are spun once. Work out the probability of getting an even number on Spinner A and red on Spinner B.
- 6.Work out the median of these five numbers: 2, 4, 7, 12, 26
- 7.A bus leaves the station at 09:47 and arrives at its destination at 11:23. Work out the journey time.
- 8.Write down the y-intercept of the line with equation y = 3x + 8.y = 3x + 8
- 9.A company's profit this year is 130% of last year's profit. Last year's profit was £40,000. Work out this year's profit.
- 10.Two triangles are proved congruent using the ASA condition. What can be concluded about the two remaining pairs of corresponding sides that were not part of the original ASA facts?
- 11.A spinner has three equal sections, coloured red, blue and green. It is spun twice, and each outcome is listed as an ordered pair of colours, such as (red, blue). Work out how many outcomes are in the full list.
- 12.A sponsored walk is 36 km long. Aisha has completed 8/12 of the walk. Work out how far she has walked.
- 13.A printer starts a job with 480 sheets of paper loaded and prints at a steady rate. The number of sheets left, S, after t minutes is given by S = 480 − 24t. Work out how many minutes it takes for the paper to run out completely.
- 14.Rice costs £3.20 per kg. Work out the cost of the rice in pence per 100 g.
- 15.A tangent to a circle with centre O touches the circle at point P, where OP = 5 cm. Point Q lies on the tangent so that PQ = 12 cm. Using the fact that a tangent is perpendicular to the radius at the point of contact, work out the length OQ.
- 16.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: 0.45 ___ 0.5
- 17.The volume of a cuboid is given by the formula V = lwh. Work out V, in cm³, when l = 2, w = 3 and h = 6.
- 18.A fruit squash is made by mixing squash and water. In a jug, 2/9 of the total volume is squash. A caterer makes up 4.5 litres of the squash mixture. Work out how many litres of squash are in the mixture.
- 19.A bag of flour is labelled 1.5 kg, correct to the nearest 0.1 kg. The true mass of the flour is m kg. Which inequality gives all the possible values of m?
- 20.The ratio of y to x is always 3 : 4. Write down which equation could represent this relationship.
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.