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.A shortbread recipe uses flour and butter in the ratio 5 : 2. Yuki changes the recipe by doubling the amount of butter but keeping the amount of flour the same. Work out the fraction of the new mixture that is butter.
- 2.The solution set of an inequality is x ≥ 7. Write down the value that does NOT satisfy this inequality.
- 3.Isla says that the ratio 4:6 is equivalent to the ratio 6:9. Is she correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 4.Write down the exact value of cos 45°.
- 5.A bag contains 3 red beads and 7 blue beads. A bead is taken out at random and not put back. A second bead is then taken out at random. Work out the probability that the first bead is red and the second bead is also red.
- 6.The mean of 5 numbers is 8. Work out the total of the 5 numbers.
- 7.A country has an area of 25,000,000 hectares. Write this area in standard form.
- 8.Write down the expression that means the same as 'subtract 5 from n, then divide the result by 2'.
- 9.Simplify the ratio 45 : 30 : 75 to its simplest form.
- 10.Triangle ABC has AB = 10 cm, BC = 7 cm and angle A = 40°. Triangle DEF has DE = 10 cm, EF = 7 cm and angle D = 40°. Sam says the two triangles are congruent by SAS. Which statement about Sam's claim is correct?
- 11.A market stall sells umbrellas. Over the last 250 days, it rained on 70 of them. Using this as an estimate of the probability of rain, work out how many rainy days would be expected in the next 365 days.
- 12.The population of a planet is 8 × 10⁹. Write this population as an ordinary number.
- 13.Solve x² − 2x − 24 = 0.
- 14.y is directly proportional to x, so y = kx. When x = 2, the value of y is 10. Work out the value of k.
- 15.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 10 cm. One of its other angles is 45°. Work out the exact length of one of the two shorter sides.
- 16.Which of these decimals lies between 1/4 and 2/5?
- 17.Amelia is buying books. Each book costs £5 and she has at most £30 to spend. Write down an inequality for x, the number of books she can buy.
- 18.A car uses 6 litres of petrol to travel 90 km. Write the ratio of the distance travelled in km to the amount of petrol used in litres, in its simplest form.
- 19.Write 0.35 as a fraction in its lowest terms.
- 20.Tap A fills a swimming pool in 6 hours. Tap B pours water twice as fast as tap A. The time taken to fill the pool is inversely proportional to the rate of flow. Work out how long tap B takes to fill the pool.
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.