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 population of a planet is 8 × 10⁹. Write this population as an ordinary number.
- 2.The area of a circle is given by the formula A = πr², where r is the radius. Rearrange the formula to make r the subject.
- 3.The speed of a car is given by v = d ÷ t. A car travels 180 km in 3 hours. Work out the average speed of the car in km/h.
- 4.A recipe uses 0.75 kg of sugar. Work out how many grams of sugar this is.
- 5.A fair spinner has 10 equal sections, numbered 1 to 10. The spinner is spun 150 times. Work out how many times you would expect it to land on a number greater than 7.
- 6.Two classes at a school in Coventry sit the same maths test, out of 20 marks. Class A has a mean mark of 14 and a range of 6. Class B has a mean mark of 14 and a range of 14. Write a sentence comparing the two classes, using the mean and the range.
- 7.Grace drinks 1/3 of a bottle of water in the morning and another 1/3 of the same bottle in the afternoon. Work out what fraction of the bottle she has drunk altogether.
- 8.Write down the coordinates of the point that is 4 units to the left of the origin and 7 units up.
- 9.A baker uses 450 g of flour and 300 g of butter in a batch of pastry. Write the mass of butter as a fraction of the total mass of flour and butter, in its simplest form.
- 10.The interior angles of a pentagon are 100°, 110°, 120°, x° and x°. Work out the size of each of the two angles marked x°.
- 11.A garden centre recorded 240 plant sales using a frequency tree. The first stage splits the sales into three types: shrubs, bedding plants and trees. 96 sales were shrubs, 114 were bedding plants and the rest were trees. Work out the probability that a sale chosen at random from these 240 was a tree.
- 12.Two fair six-sided dice are rolled and their scores are added together. By listing the possible totals systematically, work out how many different totals are possible.
- 13.Solve 4(x − 3) = 2x + 6.
- 14.A metal alloy is made from copper and tin in the ratio 9:1. Write the mass of tin as a fraction of the mass of copper, in its simplest form.
- 15.Write down the term for the distance all the way around the edge of a circle.
- 16.Write these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 0.7, 3/4, 0.72
- 17.Make x the subject of the formula y = (x − 4)/5.
- 18.A car travels 90 km using 6 litres of petrol. Work out how far the car can travel, at the same rate, using 9 litres of petrol.
- 19.Work out (−2/5) × (−10/3). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 20.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
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.