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.Work out −6 × (−3).
- 2.The diagram shows the graph of a straight line, drawn on a grid numbered from −5 to 5 on both axes. Which equation could represent the line?
- 3.In a class, 50% of the students study French, 30% study Spanish and the rest study German. Write down the ratio of French : Spanish : German students, in its simplest form.
- 4.A market stall sells apples at £2.40 per kilogram. Which of these expressions gives the cost, in pounds, of buying m kilograms of apples?
- 5.At a gym, 45 members are surveyed. 24 use the running machines, 20 use the weights machines, and 9 use both. Work out how many of the 45 members use neither machine.
- 6.The mean of 5 numbers is 8. Work out the total of the 5 numbers.
- 7.A length, L cm, has the error interval 24.5 ≤ L < 25.5. Write down the degree of accuracy to which the length was measured.
- 8.A straight line passes through the points (−1, 2) and (3, 14). Work out the equation of the line.
- 9.y is directly proportional to x. When x = 4, y = 10. Work out the value of y when x = 6.
- 10.Work out the distance between the point (0, 0) and the point (5, 12).
- 11.An ordinary fair dice is rolled once. Set A is the set of even scores and set B is the set of scores greater than 4. Work out the probability that the score rolled is in set A or in set B or in both.
- 12.A weather app records the temperature at three points in one day: 6 °C at noon, −2 °C at midnight, and −7 °C just before dawn. Work out the difference between the highest and lowest of these three temperatures.
- 13.In a shop a shirt costs £x and a pair of trousers costs £(2x + 30). Together the two items cost at least £150. Work out the lowest possible price of the shirt.
- 14.Two mathematically similar flags are made in different sizes. The length scale factor from the smaller flag to the larger flag is 5. Work out the area scale factor from the smaller flag to the larger flag.
- 15.Which of these correctly compares a 'line' with a 'line segment'?
- 16.A charity trek covers 830 miles over roughly 19 days. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the number of miles walked per day.
- 17.The formula for the perimeter of a square is P = 4s, where s is the side length. Make s the subject of the formula.
- 18.Write 1/5 as a percentage.
- 19.Work out 1/2 of 1/4 of 80.
- 20.The number of calories burned, E, by a runner is plotted against the time, m minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the origin and the point (10, 80). Work out the gradient of the line.
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.