Sample paper · GCSE Foundation · grades 1–5
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)
The real Paper 2 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, 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 a calculator allowed. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 50% / 25% / 25%.
CalculatorGCSE Foundation
GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)
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- 1.A recipe states that a cake needs 200 g of flour, correct to the nearest 25 g. Work out the smallest possible mass of flour, in grams, that could actually be used.
- 2.A taxi company charges a £2.50 booking fee plus £1.80 per mile. A journey costs £15.10 in total. Work out the number of miles travelled.
- 3.A coach travels 210 miles at an average speed of 70 mph. Work out how long the journey takes.
- 4.A patio plan states: 'Side AB of the patio is parallel to side DC, and AB is longer than DC. Sides BC and AD are not parallel to each other and are not equal in length.' The four sides measure AB = 5.1 m, BC = 3.2 m, DC = 2.8 m and AD = 4.5 m. The tiler needs to order edging strip only for the sides that are not parallel to any other side. What total length of edging strip, in metres, should the tiler order?
- 5.A bag contains 3 yellow counters and 2 green counters. Sophie takes one counter at random and does not put it back. She then takes a second counter at random. Work out the probability that the first counter is yellow and the second is green.
- 6.A frequency polygon for the mass, in kg, of 40 parcels at a delivery depot is drawn by plotting one point at the midpoint of each class, joined by straight lines: (5, 6), (15, 10), (25, 16), (35, 6), (45, 2). Every class has a width of 10 kg. Write down the modal class.
- 7.By listing systematically, work out how many two-digit multiples of 5 can be made using the digits 0, 3 and 5, if each digit can be used at most once and the number cannot start with 0.
- 8.Make x the subject of the formula y = 4(x − 6).
- 9.A sum of £150 is divided between Ben and Chloe in the ratio 2:3. Work out Chloe's share.
- 10.Two triangles are similar. The sides of the first triangle are 3 cm, 4 cm and 5 cm. The shortest side of the second triangle is 9 cm. Work out the scale factor from the first triangle to the second.
- 11.A phone network sends automatic text alerts to customers. On average, 1,500 alerts are sent each day, and the probability that a customer replies 'STOP' to an alert is 0.18. Work out how many replies of 'STOP' the network should expect over a 30-day month.
- 12.Work out 2/5 + 1/4, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 13.The point (−4, 7) is moved 4 units to the right and 9 units down. Write down the coordinates of the point it reaches.
- 14.1 litre = 100 centilitres. Work out how many centilitres there are in 6 litres.
- 15.A trapezium has parallel sides of length 6 cm and 10 cm, and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out its area.
- 16.A plane flies 2340 km at an average speed of 780 km/h. It departs at 08:20. Work out the arrival time, using the 24-hour clock.
- 17.The solution to an inequality is n ≤ 5. Write down the largest integer value of n that satisfies this inequality.
- 18.A metal alloy is made from copper and tin in the ratio 9:1. Write the mass of tin as a fraction of the mass of copper, in its simplest form.
- 19.Work out 2 × (−3 + 7)
- 20.At an animal shelter, the ratio of cats to dogs is 2:5. There are 18 more dogs than cats. Work out the number of cats.
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.