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.In a box of chocolates 5/8 are milk chocolates and the rest are dark chocolates. Work out the number of dark chocolates as a fraction of the number of milk chocolates.
- 2.A quadratic curve has a root at x = −2 and its turning point has x-coordinate 3. Work out the curve's other root, using the symmetry of the graph.
- 3.In one batch of shortbread, a bakery uses 240 g of butter and 160 g of sugar. Another batch, made in the same ratio, uses 90 g of sugar. Work out how much butter is needed for the second batch.
- 4.A bead starts at position (2, −1) on a grid, in centimetres. It is moved by the column vector u, with top number 3 and bottom number 5, and then moved by the column vector v, with top number −7 and bottom number 2. Work out the coordinates of the bead's final position.
- 5.The probability that a pupil chosen at random has a nut allergy is 1/10. There are 30 pupils in a class. Work out how many of the 30 pupils would be expected to have a nut allergy.
- 6.A sports centre in Ipswich has 2,000 members. It wants to know what its members think of its opening hours, so it asks a random sample of 100 of them. Write down what the population is in this survey.
- 7.3/5 of the students in a year group walk to school. 90 students walk to school. Work out the total number of students in the year group.
- 8.Solve the simultaneous equations 2x + y = 7 and x + 2y = 8.
- 9.A water tank has a capacity of 500 litres. It currently holds 350 litres of water. Write the amount of empty space in the tank as a fraction of the tank's capacity. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 10.A line segment joins two points on the circumference of a circle, without necessarily passing through the centre. Write down the general term for this line segment.
- 11.On the probability scale from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain), evens is exactly halfway. An event is 3/10 more likely than evens. Work out the probability of that event, giving your answer as a decimal.
- 12.In a class, 1/3 of the pupils are girls. There are 12 girls in the class. Work out how many pupils are in the class.
- 13.The formula for converting a temperature from degrees Celsius, C, to degrees Fahrenheit, F, is F = 1.8C + 32. Work out F when C = 20, and identify what kind of mathematical statement F = 1.8C + 32 is.
- 14.In a class, 50% of the students study French, 30% study Spanish and the rest study German. Write down the ratio of French : Spanish : German students, in its simplest form.
- 15.Two similar triangles have lengths in the ratio 5 : 8. A side of the smaller triangle is 6.5 cm. Work out the length of the corresponding side of the larger triangle.
- 16.A charity bake sale sells 187 cakes at £2.95 each. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the total amount raised.
- 17.Work out the value of 3b − 4 when b = 6
- 18.5 decorators paint 3 rooms in 6 hours. All the decorators work at the same rate. Work out how long it takes 10 decorators to paint 5 rooms.
- 19.Grace works out 7 × 99 by writing 99 as 100 − 1. Use her method to work out 7 × 99.
- 20.A cordial drink is made by mixing cordial concentrate and water in the ratio 1 : 6. Freya says that a 700 ml jug of this drink contains 100 ml of concentrate. Is she 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.