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.Write down a prime number between 30 and 40.
- 2.Tom buys 2 notebooks and 6 pencils on Monday, priced at p pence each for a notebook and q pence each for a pencil. On Tuesday he buys 3 more notebooks and 1 more pencil. Write a simplified expression, in pence, for the total amount Tom has spent on notebooks and pencils.
- 3.A recipe uses flour and sugar in the ratio 4 : 1 by mass. The mass of sugar is s grams and the mass of flour is f grams. Write down a formula for f in terms of s.
- 4.An ice cream is made from a cone of radius 3 cm and height 10 cm, topped with a hemisphere of the same radius sitting exactly on top of the cone. Work out the total volume of the ice cream. Use π = 3.14. Give your answer to the nearest whole number. Volume of a cone = 1/3 × πr²h. Volume of a sphere = 4/3 × πr³.
- 5.A jar contains counters that are pink, gold or grey only. The probability that a counter taken at random is pink is 0.2 and the probability that it is gold is 0.45. The jar contains 60 counters in total. Work out the number of grey counters.
- 6.A dual bar chart shows the number of hours of rain recorded in Leeds and in Bristol on each of four days. Leeds: Monday 3 hours, Tuesday 5 hours, Wednesday 2 hours, Thursday 4 hours. Bristol: Monday 4 hours, Tuesday 4 hours, Wednesday 6 hours, Thursday 2 hours. Work out the greatest amount, in hours, by which Bristol's rainfall exceeded Leeds's rainfall on a single day.
- 7.Work out (−3) × 4 + 2 × (−5)
- 8.p = 4. Work out the value of 2p³.
- 9.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 7x. Work out the value of x when y = 35.y = 7x
- 10.A solid has a plan view that is a circle, and a front elevation that is a triangle. Which solid is this?
- 11.In a game, Zara says the probability of scoring is 3/8, the probability of missing is 5/12 and the probability of a rebound is 1/6, and that these are the only three outcomes. Is Zara correct that her three probabilities are valid?
- 12.A café offers 3 types of soup and 4 types of bread roll. Work out how many different combinations of one soup and one bread roll are possible.
- 13.Write down the first four terms of the sequence with nth term 6n − 5.
- 14.Two numbers a and b are in the ratio a : b = 3 : 4. Given that a = 15, work out the value of b.
- 15.A line segment joins two points on the circumference of a circle, without necessarily passing through the centre. Write down the general term for this line segment.
- 16.In a youth club the number of girls is 2/3 of the number of boys. What fraction of the members of the club are girls?
- 17.Ben writes n + 4 ≤ 9. Which statement describes what Ben has written? Give a reason for your answer.
- 18.y is always the same multiple of x. When x = 6, y = 15. Work out the value of y when x = 10.
- 19.The number of pages in a book is 240, correct to the nearest 10 pages. Write down the error interval for the actual number of pages, n.
- 20.A laptop is bought for £600. Its value decreases by 20% after 1 year. Work out the value of the laptop after 1 year.
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.