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.Maya buys 4 plants at £3.20 each and a bag of compost for £6.75. She pays with a £20 note. Work out her change.
- 2.Solve 5x² − 15x = 0.
- 3.Write £3.60 : £2.40 as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 4.A shop stacks tins in a display block. The front elevation of the block is 4 tins wide and 3 tins high. The side elevation shows the block is 2 tins deep. Every position in the block is filled. How many tins are used in total?
- 5.A table shows how two Year 10 classes did in a spelling test. In class A, 18 out of 24 pupils passed. In class B, 21 out of 30 pupils passed. Which class had the greater proportion of pupils passing?
- 6.On a scatter graph of the age of a car, in years, and its value, in pounds, the points fall from left to right. Write down the type of correlation shown.
- 7.In standard form, 2,000 is written as 2 × 10ⁿ. Write down the value of n.
- 8.Which expression means 'triple c, then add double d'?
- 9.Isla and her brother share £60 in the ratio 1:2. Work out Isla's share.
- 10.At a point on a straight line, two angles are formed. One of them is 63°. Work out the size of the other angle.
- 11.Four bags each contain counters, some of which are winning counters. The probability of taking a winning counter is 5/12 from the red bag, 3/8 from the blue bag, 7/24 from the green bag and 1/3 from the yellow bag. Work out which bag has the smallest probability of giving a winning counter.
- 12.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.
- 13.A square tile has an area of 144 cm². Work out the side length of the tile.
- 14.To make a shade of green paint, the amount of yellow paint used is always 0.75 times the amount of blue paint used. Write the amount of blue paint as a fraction of the amount of yellow paint, in its simplest form.
- 15.A solid has 6 faces and 8 vertices. Using the formula F + V − E = 2, work out how many edges it has.
- 16.Write 200 as a product of its prime factors, using index notation.
- 17.The formula y = x² + 1 gives y in terms of x. Work out the value of y when x = −2.y = x² + 1
- 18.The amount of fuel left in a car's tank, F litres, is plotted against the distance travelled, d miles, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 45) and (150, 15). Work out the gradient of the line and say what it tells you.
- 19.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −2/3 ___ −5/6
- 20.A colony of bacteria has 400 bacteria. The number increases by 15% each hour. Work out the number of bacteria after 1 hour.
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.