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.Sara has a red T-shirt, a blue T-shirt and a green T-shirt. She has black shorts and grey shorts. By listing the combinations systematically, work out how many different outfits of one T-shirt and one pair of shorts she can make.
- 2.Expand and simplify (x − 3)²
- 3.A laptop bag has a mass of 2.4 kg. A school bag has a mass of 3.6 kg. Write the mass of the laptop bag as a fraction of the mass of the school bag, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.Write down which quadrant contains the point (−3, 5) when plotted on a coordinate grid.
- 5.At a school fete, each raffle ticket wins a prize, wins a voucher or wins nothing, and no ticket can win more than one of these. The probability that a ticket wins a prize is 0.4 and the probability that it wins a voucher is 0.35. Work out the probability that a ticket wins a prize or a voucher.
- 6.A bar chart shows the highest temperature recorded on each of five days. The temperatures were Monday 20 °C, Tuesday 22 °C, Wednesday 18 °C, Thursday 25 °C and Friday 23 °C. Write down the day on which the temperature was highest.
- 7.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £45 and then £28 for each hour she works. She is at a house from 09:15 until 12:45. Work out the total charge.
- 8.The simultaneous equations y = 3 and 4x − y = 9 are given. Work out the value of x.
- 9.Two quantities are connected by the formula y = 0.8x. Write down the ratio y : x in its simplest form.y = 0.8x
- 10.Write down the number of lines of symmetry a rhombus has.
- 11.Bag A contains 3 red balls and 2 blue balls. Bag B contains 1 red ball and 3 blue balls. One ball is taken at random from each bag. Work out the probability that both balls are red.
- 12.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
- 13.Rosie is asked whether 4(x + 3) = 4x + 12 is an equation or an identity. Which statement is correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 14.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 4, y = 10. Work out the value of y when x = 6.
- 15.A flower bed in the shape of a parallelogram has a base of 3.5 m and a perpendicular height of 2 m. Compost costs £4.80 per m². Work out the total cost of covering the flower bed with compost.
- 16.A jug holds 3 1/3 litres of juice. Each glass holds 2/3 of a litre. Work out how many glasses can be filled from the jug.
- 17.Work out the value of 5y + 9 when y = 0
- 18.A map has a scale of 1 : 50 000. Two villages are 4 cm apart on the map. Work out the real distance between the villages, in kilometres.
- 19.Two lighthouses flash at the start of the same minute. The first lighthouse flashes every 8 minutes and the second flashes every 12 minutes. Work out how many minutes it will be until they next flash together.
- 20.A garden plan is enlarged by a scale factor of 3. A flower bed on the original plan is 5 cm long. Work out the length of the flower bed on the enlarged plan, in centimetres.
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.