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 the total cost of 3 pens at 45p each and one notebook at £2.35. Give your answer in pounds.
- 2.Factorise fully 12x² + 18x.
- 3.x is 2/3 of y. Write the ratio x : y in its simplest form.
- 4.A ship sails 12 km on a bearing of 070° from a harbour to a buoy. It then sails a further 9 km, still on a bearing of 070°, from the buoy to a lighthouse. How far is the lighthouse from the harbour, in kilometres?
- 5.Two events are independent. The first has probability 2/5 and the second has probability 1/3. Work out the probability that both events happen.
- 6.A pie chart of the favourite hobby of a group of pupils has three sectors: reading 50%, sport 25% and music 25%. Write down, as a fraction in its simplest form, the share of the pie chart taken up by the reading sector.
- 7.A paint mix is made from white paint and blue paint in the ratio 5 : 3. Priya uses 1.2 litres of blue paint and the matching amount of white paint. Work out the total volume of the mix.
- 8.Which of these equations describes a vertical line?
- 9.A laptop priced at £520 is first increased by 15%, and then the new price is decreased by 20%. Work out the final price of the laptop.
- 10.Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic conditions used to prove two triangles are congruent?
- 11.A biased spinner is spun 200 times. It lands on red 70 times, on blue 50 times, and on green 80 times. Using these results, work out the expected number of times the spinner does NOT land on red, in 500 spins of the same spinner.
- 12.Which one of these statements is true?
- 13.A straight line passes through the points (1, 3) and (2, 5). Work out the equation of the line.
- 14.A journey takes 4 hours at an average speed of 60 km/h. The time taken is inversely proportional to the average speed. Work out how long the same journey takes at an average speed of 80 km/h.
- 15.A quadrilateral has all four sides equal in length and all four interior angles equal to 90°. Its diagonals are equal in length and bisect each other at right angles. Which quadrilateral matches this description exactly?
- 16.Write 90 as a product of its prime factors.
- 17.Two expressions are 6(x − 1) and 6x − 6. A student says these are equivalent for every value of x. Is the student correct?
- 18.A fruit bowl contains 9 apples and 21 oranges. Write down the ratio of apples to oranges in its simplest form.
- 19.A rectangular tile measures 45 cm by 0.6 m. Work out its area, in square centimetres.
- 20.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
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.