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.In a music collection, the ratio of pop albums to rock albums is 5 : 3. Work out the number of rock albums as a fraction of the number of pop albums.
- 2.An arithmetic sequence has first term 40 and common difference −6. Work out the 9th term of the sequence.
- 3.Ollie says that the ratio 6 : 15 is equivalent to the ratio 2 : 5. Is he correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 4.A quadrilateral has exactly two lines of symmetry, its two pairs of opposite angles are equal, and its diagonals are not equal in length. Write down the name of this quadrilateral.
- 5.A six-sided dice is rolled 12 times. It lands on a six 4 times. Erin says that the dice must be biased. Which of these is the best comment on Erin's statement?
- 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.Write these three numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 7/20, 0.3, 32%
- 8.y = x + 10. Work out the value of y when x = 0.y = x + 10
- 9.A car travels for 3 hours at an average speed of 80 km/h and then for 1 hour at an average speed of 40 km/h. Work out the average speed for the whole journey.
- 10.A scale model of a bridge is built so that 2 cm on the model represents 5 m of the real bridge. The real bridge is 45 m long. Work out the length of the model bridge, in centimetres.
- 11.A bag contains 5 yellow marbles and 3 blue marbles. Noah takes a marble at random, notes its colour and puts it back in the bag. He then takes a second marble at random. Work out the probability that the first marble is yellow and the second marble is blue.
- 12.A jumper is reduced by 15% in a sale to a price of £42.50. Work out the original price.
- 13.A colony of bacteria doubles in number every hour. At 9am there are 5 bacteria in the colony. Work out how many bacteria there will be at 12 noon.
- 14.The number of pupils who walk to school is 3 times the number who cycle. Write the ratio of the number who cycle to the number who walk, in its simplest form.
- 15.Shape S has a vertex at (9, 6). It is enlarged by a scale factor of 1/3, centre the origin. Work out the coordinates of the image of this vertex.
- 16.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.
- 17.Line C passes through (0, 0) and (4, 2). Line D passes through (0, 0) and (2, 2). Write down which of the two lines is the steeper.
- 18.Two mathematically similar triangular flags have areas in the ratio 4 : 25. The height of the smaller flag is 6 cm. Work out the height of the larger flag.
- 19.Work out (5 + 2) × 3²
- 20.Two mathematically similar circles have radii 4 cm and 20 cm. Write the ratio of the area of the smaller circle to the area of the larger circle in its simplest form.
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.