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 digital timer truncates every time to 1 decimal place. It shows a swimmer's time for one length as 12.3 seconds. Using t for the swimmer's actual time in seconds, write down the error interval for t.
- 2.Work out the value of 3a − 2b when a = 5 and b = 4
- 3.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
- 4.The point (5, −2) is reflected in the x-axis. Work out the coordinates of the image point.
- 5.Kwame flips a fair coin three times and writes down what it lands on each time. Work out the probability that it lands on heads all three times.
- 6.A pie chart shows the favourite sport of the 40 pupils in a class: football 50%, netball 25%, tennis 15% and swimming 10%. Work out how many pupils chose football.
- 7.A cinema has 21 rows of seats with 29 seats in each row. Work out an estimate for the number of people the cinema can hold, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 8.Which of these equations is true for every value of x, making it an identity rather than an equation with just one solution?
- 9.A car travels 150 km in 3 hours at a constant speed. Work out the average speed of the car, in km/h.
- 10.A trapezium has parallel sides of length 6 cm and 10 cm, and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out its area.
- 11.A = {factors of 12} and B = {factors of 18}. Work out n(A ∩ B), the number of elements in both sets.
- 12.Work out 3π − π, giving your answer as a multiple of π.
- 13.y = 5x − 1. Work out the value of y when x = 3.y = 5x − 1
- 14.The rent on a flat increases by 10% one year and by a further 10% the following year. Work out the overall percentage increase over the two years.
- 15.A garden water trough is a prism whose cross-section is a right-angled triangle with base 40 cm and height 30 cm. The trough is 120 cm long. Work out the volume of water needed to fill the trough completely.
- 16.Which of these numbers lies between −8 and −5 on a number line?
- 17.A straight line passes through the points (0, 4) and (1, 9). Write down the gradient of the line.
- 18.A coach journey of 240 km takes 3 hours. For this fixed distance the average speed needed is inversely proportional to the time taken. Work out the average speed needed to complete the same journey in 2 hours.
- 19.A metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
- 20.A novel has 312 pages. A comic has 48 pages. Write the number of pages in the novel as a fraction of the number of pages in the comic, giving your answer 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.