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 newspaper reports that 48,000 people attended a festival. The figure is correct to the nearest thousand. Which statement about the number of people who attended must be true?
- 2.Write down the expression that means the same as m² × m × 3.
- 3.A mortar mix is made from sand and cement in the ratio 5 : 3. Write the ratio of sand to the total mix in its simplest form.
- 4.A ramp's sloped surface crosses two horizontal parallel rails. At the top rail, the angle between the ramp and the rail on the right of the ramp is (3x + 10)°. At the bottom rail, the angle between the ramp and the rail on the left of the ramp is (5x − 30)°. Work out the value of x.
- 5.Ellie drops a bottle top and records whether it lands open end up. In her first 20 drops it lands open end up 13 times. She carries on, and after 200 drops in total it has landed open end up 84 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability that the bottle top lands open end up.
- 6.A table shows the time each of four pupils took to run 100 m: Oliver 12 seconds, Grace 15 seconds, Ethan 10 seconds, Freya 14 seconds. Write down the name of the fastest runner and the time taken.
- 7.A square petri dish has an area of 121 mm². A scientist wants to know its side length. Work out the side length of the dish.
- 8.A water butt holds 200 litres and is being drained at a steady 8 litres per minute. Write down the function for the amount of water y, in litres, left after x minutes.
- 9.A cartographer is choosing a scale for a map to show a small park in as much detail as possible. Which of these scales would show the MOST detail — 1 : 500, 1 : 5000, or 1 : 50 000? Give the correct scale and reason.
- 10.After a translation by the vector , a point lands on (4, 1). Write down the coordinates of the point before the translation.
- 11.Spinner A has 4 equal sections, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Spinner B has 3 equal sections, coloured red, red and blue. Both spinners are spun once. Work out the probability of getting an even number on Spinner A and red on Spinner B.
- 12.A charity raises 8 × 10⁶ pounds. This total is shared equally among 2 × 10² local projects. Work out how much each project receives, in standard form.
- 13.The solution set of an inequality is x ≥ 7. Write down the value that does NOT satisfy this inequality.
- 14.A force of 20 N acts on an area of 4 m². Using pressure = force ÷ area, work out the pressure, in pascals.
- 15.A ramp is built from two straight metal supports that rest on the flat ground and meet each other at the top, forming a triangle with the ground. One support meets the ground at 34°. The angle between the two supports where they meet is 71°. Work out the angle between the second support and the ground.
- 16.The density of a type of plastic is 0.9 g/cm³. Work out this density in kg/m³.
- 17.Which of these is an equation, rather than an expression, a formula or an identity?
- 18.A shop's takings were £4500 in May. In June the takings fell by £900. Write the June takings as a fraction of the May takings, in its simplest form.
- 19.Work out 4π + 2π, giving your answer as a multiple of π.
- 20.A straight-line graph shows the cost, C pounds, of hiring a small van for m miles driven. The line passes through the origin and the point (25, 20). 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.