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

VersionsA only A + B A + B + Csame questions, different order

AnswersQuestions only With answer key Key only

New sheet

GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 2 · Calculator · 20 questions

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.A fabric is dyed blue and yellow in the ratio 3 : 5. A tailor uses 1.5 m of blue fabric and the matching amount of yellow fabric needed for the ratio. Work out the total length of fabric used.
(a)2.5 m
(b)4 m
(c)1.5 m
(d)2.4 m
2.Work out the value of 5m² + 3m when m = −2.4
(a)36
(b)29.4
(c)21.6
(d)−36
3.£96 is shared between Ben, Cara and Dev in the ratio 2:3:7. Work out how much Cara receives.
(a)£16
(b)£56
(c)£28.80
(d)£24
4.A line segment joins A(1, 1) and B(4, 7). Write down the sign of the gradient of this line.
(a)zero
(b)negative
(c)cannot be determined
(d)positive
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?
(a)She is right; 4 sixes beats the expected 2
(b)She is wrong; 12 rolls is too few to judge
(c)She is wrong; 4 sixes in 12 rolls cancels down to 1 in 6
(d)She is right; a fair dice gives each score twice
6.A survey of 25 pupils in Derby records how many siblings each has: 0 siblings — 6 pupils, 1 sibling — 10 pupils, 2 siblings — 6 pupils, 3 siblings — 3 pupils. Calculate the mean number of siblings.
(a)1.24
(b)31
(c)1
(d)6.25
7.Work out 3/4 − 5/12 exactly, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)1/3
(b)−1/6
(c)1/4
(d)7/6
8.A cafe sells coffees at £c each and pastries at £p each. Three coffees and two pastries cost £9.60. Two coffees and two pastries cost £7.60. Work out the price of one coffee.
(a)£0.20
(b)£2.00
(c)£3.20
(d)£1.80
9.A spring's extension is directly proportional to the force applied to it. A force of 5 N produces an extension of 12 mm. Work out the extension produced by a force of 20 N.
(a)32 mm
(b)3 mm
(c)48 mm
(d)36 mm
10.Two straight lines cross at a point. Which statement about a pair of vertically opposite angles is always true?
(a)They are always equal to 90° each
(b)They always add up to 360°
(c)They always add up to 180°
(d)They are always equal to each other
11.A biased spinner is spun 200 times. It lands on red 70 times, on blue 50 times, and on green 80 times. Using these results, work out the expected number of times the spinner does NOT land on red, in 500 spins of the same spinner.
(a)130
(b)175
(c)325
(d)250
12.Light travels at 2.998 × 10⁸ metres per second. A distant object in space is 3.1 × 10¹⁵ metres from Earth. Work out an estimate for the number of seconds light takes to travel from the object to Earth, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)9 × 10²³ seconds
(b)3 × 10⁷ seconds
(c)1 × 10⁻⁷ seconds
(d)1 × 10⁷ seconds
13.A straight line has equation y = 4x + 3. A second line is parallel to the first line and passes through the point (0, −5). Work out the equation of the second line.
y = 4x + 3
(a)y = 3x − 5
(b)y = 4x + 5
(c)y = 4x − 5
(d)y = −4x − 5
14.The ratio of Josh's savings to Mia's savings is 4:7. Mia has £39 more than Josh. Work out Josh's savings.
(a)£39
(b)£52
(c)£91
(d)£13
15.A triangle has vertices X, Y and Z, with a right angle at Y. Side XY is twice as long as side YZ. Which of the following correctly describes this triangle?
(a)A right-angled isosceles triangle
(b)A right-angled triangle
(c)An isosceles triangle
(d)An equilateral triangle
16.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
(a)3⁷
(b)3³
(c)3⁻³
(d)3¹⁰
17.A phone company works out a monthly bill, £B, using the formula B = 18 + 0.05t, where £18 is the fixed monthly charge and t is the number of extra text messages sent beyond the free allowance, each charged at 5p. Farida's bill for one month is £24.50. Work out the number of extra text messages, t, she sent.
(a)130
(b)13
(c)65
(d)490
18.A shop sells rope by the metre. 3 m costs £7.50 and 5 m costs £11.00. Does this data show that the cost is directly proportional to the length of rope bought? Choose the correct verdict and reason.
(a)No — the cost per metre differs: £2.50/m vs £2.20/m
(b)Yes — because both amounts increase as length increases
(c)No — because 5 m costs more than 3 m in total
(d)Yes — the cost per metre is £2.50 in both cases
19.Freya types 4² + 3² into her calculator and writes down 49. Work out the correct value of 4² + 3².
(a)14
(b)25
(c)49
(d)12
20.A laptop costs £800 when new. Its value decreases by 25% of its value at the start of each year. Work out how much value the laptop loses in the second year.
(a)£150
(b)£450
(c)£350
(d)£200

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.