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 supermarket sells apples at £1.85 per kg. Anna buys 3.6 kg of apples. Estimate the cost by rounding each number to 1 significant figure before multiplying. Work out Anna's estimate.
- 2.A cyclist's journey is shown on a distance–time graph. The graph is a straight line from (0 minutes, 0 km) to (40 minutes, 12 km). Work out her speed in kilometres per hour.
- 3.A 5 kg bag of potatoes costs £4.50. Work out the cost per kilogram.
- 4.m is the column vector with top number 3 and bottom number −4. Which of these column vectors is a scalar multiple of m?
- 5.A spinner lands on one of four colours: amber, black, cyan or damson. The probability it lands on amber is 0.18, on black is 0.22 and on cyan is 0.24. Work out the probability that it lands on amber or damson.
- 6.In a scatter graph of the age, in years, and the wingspan, in cm, of 20 birds of the same species, all the points lie close to a rising line of best fit except one, which lies a long way below the line. That bird was later found to have a damaged wing. Give a reason why this point should not be used when drawing the line of best fit.
- 7.Which statement about the number 51 is correct?
- 8.A straight line has gradient 3 and passes through the point (1, 4). Work out the equation of the line.
- 9.Two mathematically similar oil drums have a length scale factor of 3 from the smaller drum to the larger drum. Work out the volume scale factor from the smaller drum to the larger drum.
- 10.In triangle ABC, point D lies on side AB and point E lies on side AC, so that DE is parallel to BC. AD = 3 cm, DB = 6 cm and DE = 4 cm. Work out the length of BC.
- 11.A survey asks 40 people whether they own a cat, a dog, both, or neither. 12 people own only a cat, 15 own only a dog, 5 own both, and 8 own neither. Work out the probability that a randomly chosen person owns a cat or a dog (or both). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.Write 0.325 as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 13.A square has vertices at (−2, 3), (−2, −3) and (4, −3). Write down the coordinates of the fourth vertex.
- 14.In a car park there are 35 cars and 15 vans. Write the ratio of the number of vans to the number of cars in its simplest form.
- 15.How many edges does a cube have?
- 16.Work out 35% of 180.
- 17.A straight line passes through the points (1, 3) and (2, 5). Work out the equation of the line.
- 18.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
- 19.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
- 20.A recipe for 6 muffins needs 150 g of flour. Aisha wants to make 15 muffins using the same recipe. Work out how much flour she needs.
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.