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.Work out the lowest common multiple of 9 and 15.
- 2.Solve 4x − (2x − 6) = 18
- 3.Butter costs £2.40 per kg. Work out the cost of the butter in pence per 100 g.
- 4.A translation is described by the column vector . Write down a description of this translation in words, stating the horizontal and vertical movement.
- 5.Two cards are dealt one after the other from an ordinary pack of 52 playing cards. The first card is not put back before the second is dealt. The pack contains 4 aces. Work out the probability that neither card is an ace. Give your answer as a product of two fractions.
- 6.Seven pupils were asked how many books they had read last month. Their answers were 3, 5, 5, 7, 8, 5, 3. Write down the mode.
- 7.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?
- 8.The volume of a cuboid is given by the formula V = lwh. Work out V, in cm³, when l = 2, w = 3 and h = 6.
- 9.Priya invests £750 in a savings account that pays simple interest. After 3 years, the account contains £840. Work out the annual rate of simple interest.
- 10.A rectangular name card has a perimeter of 30 cm. The card is 9 cm long. Work out the width of the card.
- 11.The probability that a plant grown from a seed packet germinates is 7/10. Work out the probability that it does not germinate.
- 12.Work out 5/6 × 2/9, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 13.A currency conversion graph shows that £4 is equivalent to 5 US dollars. Use this to work out how many US dollars are equivalent to £24.
- 14.A 750 g box of cereal costs £2.70. A 500 g box of the same cereal costs £1.95. Work out which box is better value, and its cost per 100 g.
- 15.The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is 1980°. Work out the number of sides of the polygon.
- 16.Work out an estimate for 2.9² + 3.1², by rounding each number to the nearest whole number.
- 17.The diagram shows the graph of a quadratic function. Which equation could it represent?
- 18.A force of 20 N acts on an area of 4 m². Using pressure = force ÷ area, work out the pressure, in pascals.
- 19.Amelia estimates 48 × 21 by working out 50 × 20 = 1,000. Work out whether her estimate is an under-estimate or an over-estimate, and by how much.
- 20.An acid solution has a concentration of 20%. The solution contains 40 g of acid, and the rest of the solution is water. Work out the mass of water in the solution.
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.