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.Write down the reciprocal of 5/8
- 2.A distance-time graph shows a car travelling at a constant speed, covering 90 km in 2 hours. Work out the car's speed in km/h.
- 3.Sam has £24. Tom has £16. Write the amount of money Sam has as a fraction of the amount of money Tom has, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.The three angles of a triangle are 10°, 58° and 112°. Write down the name that describes this triangle.
- 5.A basketball player takes two free throws, and the throws are independent. The probability of scoring on each throw is 0.6, and the probability of missing is 0.4. Work out the probability that she scores exactly one of the two throws.
- 6.A scatter graph of the number of hours, x, that pupils revised against their test score, y, has the line of best fit y = 2.5x + 15. Amelia wants a score of at least 80. Work out the least whole number of hours of revision the line of best fit suggests she needs.y = 2.5x + 15
- 7.Work out the highest common factor of 15 and 25.
- 8.Make x the subject of the formula y = 4x − 3.y = 4x − 3
- 9.The ratio of the number of pages Mia has read to the number of pages Leo has read is 7 : 4. Mia has read 84 pages. Work out how many pages they have read altogether.
- 10.A rectangular bookmark measures 2 cm by 25 cm. Work out the area of the bookmark.
- 11.A frequency tree records how 90 pupils travel to school and whether they were late. The first pair of branches splits the 90 pupils into 50 who walk and 40 who do not walk. On the walking branch, 6 were late and 44 were not. On the other branch, 10 were late and 30 were not. One of the 90 pupils is chosen at random. Work out the probability that the pupil walks to school and was late.
- 12.Is 120 divisible by 5? Give a reason for your answer.
- 13.Grace says that 2(x + 1) and 2x + 2 always have the same value. Work out the value of both expressions when x = 3.
- 14.300 g of a salt solution of concentration 10% is poured into 200 g of a salt solution of concentration 25%. Work out the concentration of salt in the mixture.
- 15.A square tile has sides of length 6 cm. Work out the area of the tile.
- 16.Work out −(−3)⁴ + (−3)³
- 17.Solve the simultaneous equations 5x − 2y = 16 and 3x + 2y = 16. Work out the value of x.
- 18.Write 3 hours 45 minutes as a decimal number of hours.
- 19.In a science experiment, the temperature of a liquid is recorded as 18.6 °C, correct to the nearest 0.2 °C. Write down the error interval for the actual temperature, T °C.
- 20.In a mix of mortar the ratio of the mass of sand to the mass of cement is 5 : 2. Write the mass of cement as a fraction of the total mass of the mix.
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.