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 spinner has 4 colours and a coin has 2 sides. Work out how many different outcomes are possible when the spinner is spun once and the coin is tossed once.
- 2.Expand and simplify 2(a + 6) − 2(a − 7)
- 3.The speed of a car is given by v = d ÷ t. A car travels 180 km in 3 hours. Work out the average speed of the car in km/h.
- 4.Vector A is and vector B is . Write down how vector B compares to vector A.
- 5.A box contains counters that are silver, bronze or copper only. The probability that a counter taken at random is silver is 1/2 and the probability that it is bronze is 1/8. The box contains 64 counters in total. Work out the number of copper counters.
- 6.A café in Preston records the type of drink ordered by 20 customers one morning: tea 8, coffee 7, hot chocolate 4 and juice 1. Write down the modal drink.
- 7.In a choir, 2/9 of the members are boys and the rest are girls. Write down the ratio of girls to boys, in its simplest form.
- 8.A ball is thrown in the air. Its height, h metres, above the ground after t seconds is given in this table: when t = 0, h = 0; when t = 1, h = 15; when t = 2, h = 20; when t = 3, h = 15; when t = 4, h = 0. Use the table to find the two times, in seconds, at which the ball is at ground level.
- 9.A room is drawn on a plan with a scale of 1 : 200. On the plan the room has an area of 12 cm². Work out the real area of the room, in square metres.
- 10.A solid has 6 faces and 8 vertices. Using the formula F + V − E = 2, work out how many edges it has.
- 11.Four students each drop a drawing pin repeatedly to estimate the probability that it lands point-up. Freya makes 20 drops, Malik makes 50 drops, Priya makes 200 drops and Tom makes 80 drops. Which student's relative frequency is likely to give the best estimate of the true probability?
- 12.Work out (5 + 2) × 3²
- 13.Solve 2x² − 32 = 0.
- 14.6 identical printers can print a batch of exam papers in 40 minutes, all working at the same rate. Working at the same rate, work out how many minutes 4 of these printers would take to print the same batch.
- 15.A solid has 5 faces: one square face and four triangular faces, which all meet at a single point above the square. What is the name of this solid?
- 16.Work out an estimate for 397 ÷ 21, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 17.Which expression is equivalent to 0.5(4x + 6) − x?
- 18.£3000 is invested in a savings account that pays 4% compound interest each year. Work out the value of the investment after 2 years.
- 19.Work out ∛(−27) + ∛8
- 20.Four graphs are described below. Each shows one quantity plotted against another. Write down the description of the graph that shows two quantities in direct proportion.
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.