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 photography studio offers 4 backdrops and 3 outfits for a portrait session. The plain grey backdrop, one of the 4 backdrops, cannot be used with the formal suit outfit, one of the 3 outfits. Work out how many different backdrop-and-outfit combinations are possible.
- 2.Write down the expression that means the same as m² × m × 3.
- 3.A cyclist rides 19.3 km in 47 minutes. Work out her average speed, in km/h, to 1 decimal place.
- 4.Two straight lines AB and CD cross at point O. Angle AOC = 74°. Work out angle AOD.
- 5.Two fair coins are thrown together 400 times. Work out how many of the 400 throws you would expect to give one head and one tail.
- 6.A sector of a pie chart stands for 25% of the data. Work out the angle at the centre of that sector.
- 7.A cake recipe needs 3/4 of a kilogram of sugar. Aisha wants to make half the recipe. Work out how much sugar she needs, giving your answer as a fraction of a kilogram in its simplest form.
- 8.Simplify k + k + k + k + k.
- 9.The number of calories burned, E, by a runner is plotted against the time, m minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the origin and the point (10, 80). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 10.A treasure map has a scale of 1 cm to 4 m. A path from the start to a rock is drawn as two straight sections, measuring 3 cm and 2.5 cm. Work out the total real distance from the start to the rock, in metres.
- 11.A frequency tree records how 90 pupils travel to school and whether they were late. The first pair of branches splits the 90 pupils into 50 who walk and 40 who do not walk. On the walking branch, 6 were late and 44 were not. On the other branch, 10 were late and 30 were not. One of the 90 pupils is chosen at random. Work out the probability that the pupil walks to school and was late.
- 12.A measuring jug shows a volume of 340 ml, correct to the nearest 20 ml. Work out the smallest possible volume in the jug.
- 13.Which of these numbers is a cube number?
- 14.40% of a number is 12 more than 25% of the same number. Work out the number.
- 15.A student says the reverse of the translation vector is . Write down the correct reverse translation vector.
- 16.Write the fraction 9/25 as a decimal.
- 17.Two expressions are 4(x + 3) and 4x + 3. A student checks whether they are equivalent by substituting x = 2. Which statement correctly interprets the result?
- 18.A laptop bag has a mass of 2.4 kg. A school bag has a mass of 3.6 kg. Write the mass of the laptop bag as a fraction of the mass of the school bag, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 19.£60 is shared between Amir, Bo and Chen in the ratio 1:2:3. Work out the fraction of the £60 that Amir and Bo receive together.
- 20.£1 is worth 1.25 US dollars. Write the ratio of pounds to dollars in its simplest form, using whole numbers.
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.