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.A piece of ribbon is 2.4 metres long. Kim cuts 40 cm from it. Work out the length of ribbon left, in millimetres.
- 2.A lift has a weight limit: it must carry no more than 630 kg. Let w be the total weight, in kg, carried by the lift. Which inequality describes this?
- 3.A market stall sells apples at a fixed price per kilogram. Priya buys 3 kg for £5.40. Write the ratio of the mass in kilograms to the cost in pounds, in its simplest form.
- 4.p is the column vector with top number 5 and bottom number 1. q is the column vector with top number −2 and bottom number 3. Work out p − 2q, giving your answer as a column vector in the form (top, bottom).
- 5.Two fair spinners are each numbered 1, 2 and 3. Priya spins both spinners together and records the two numbers as a pair, listing every possible outcome systematically in a grid. Work out the probability that the two numbers are the same.
- 6.A line graph shows the temperature in a greenhouse at the end of each of six hours. The six readings were 10 °C, 14 °C, 18 °C, 22 °C, 26 °C and 30 °C. Describe the trend shown by the line graph.
- 7.Work out the value of 2⁻⁴
- 8.A geometric sequence starts at 4, and each term after that is found by multiplying the term before it by 3. Write down the first four terms of the sequence.
- 9.A material has a density of 2 g/cm³. Work out the mass of 5 cm³ of this material.
- 10.Point C is at (2, 3). It is rotated 90° clockwise about the origin. Work out the coordinates of the image of point C.
- 11.The probability that Oliver's train is delayed on any morning is 0.3. Work out the probability that his train is not delayed.
- 12.Write 45,000 in standard form.
- 13.Work out the distance of the point (−6, 4) from the x-axis.
- 14.Write 2 m : 150 cm : 50 cm as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 15.Lines GH and JK are parallel. A straight line crosses GH at point M and crosses JK at point N. Angle HMN = 71°. Angle HMN and angle MNK are alternate angles. Work out angle MNK.
- 16.Work out 2 × (−3 + 7)
- 17.Priya buys b balloons for a party. Each balloon costs 15p. Write down an expression for the total cost, in pence.
- 18.Write the ratio 4 : 9 in the form 1 : n.
- 19.Amelia eats 5/8 of a bar of chocolate and Oliver eats 3/4 of an identical bar. Write both amounts as eighths and write down the greater of the two fractions.
- 20.In a box of pens, 3/7 of the pens are blue and the rest are black. Write down the ratio of the number of blue pens to the number of black pens, in its simplest form.
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.