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 −4.5 + 2.8.
- 2.Work out the value of 3a − 2b when a = 5 and b = 4
- 3.y is directly proportional to x. If the value of x is trebled (multiplied by 3), what happens to the value of y?
- 4.Lines AB and CD cross at a point, forming four right angles where they meet. Which notation correctly describes the relationship between AB and CD?
- 5.A clinic recorded 300 booked appointments using a frequency tree. The first branch splits them into 210 adult appointments and the rest child appointments. Of the adult appointments, 189 were attended and the rest were missed. Of the child appointments, 81 were attended. Work out the probability that a booked appointment, chosen at random from the 300, was missed. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 6.Grace asked 12 children how many brothers and sisters they have. Her results, in order, were 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6. Work out the median number of brothers and sisters.
- 7.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
- 8.Solve the simultaneous equations 2x + y = 7 and x + 2y = 8.
- 9.A printer's ink cartridge level, I millilitres, is plotted against the number of pages printed, p, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 24) and (300, 9). The printer has now printed 300 pages. Work out how many more pages it can print before the cartridge is empty.
- 10.A square has sides of length 7 cm. Work out its area.
- 11.A spinner has equal sections, and the probability that it lands on blue in a single spin is 1/4. It is spun twice, and the two spins are independent. Work out the probability that it lands on blue on both spins.
- 12.Work out the reciprocal of (2 + 3)
- 13.The point D has coordinates (3, −8). Write down the distance of D from the y-axis.
- 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 builder lays a low wall made from identical bricks. The diagram shows the plan of the wall's footprint on a grid, where each square is one brick. The wall is built up to a height of 4 bricks everywhere. Work out the total number of bricks used.
- 16.Work out the highest common factor of 20 and 32.
- 17.Which of these is a formula, rather than an expression, an equation, or an identity?
- 18.The density of a type of wood is 0.8 g/cm³. Work out the mass of a piece of this wood with a volume of 150 cm³.
- 19.A shelf is 60 cm long, correct to the nearest 10 cm. Write down the upper bound for the length of the shelf, in centimetres.
- 20.A journey to school takes 12 minutes. A journey to the gym takes 20 minutes. Write the time for the journey to school as a fraction of the time for the journey to the gym, giving your answer 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.