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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

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

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1.A jar of jam costs £2.35. Tom buys 3 jars. He says the total cost is more than £7. Work out the exact total cost, and state whether Tom's claim is correct.
(a)£6.95 — Tom is incorrect
(b)£7.20 — Tom is correct
(c)£7.05 — Tom is correct
(d)£7.05 — Tom is incorrect
2.Work out the distance of the point (−6, 4) from the x-axis.
(a)10
(b)−6
(c)4
(d)6
3.Freya buys three items whose prices are in the ratio 2:3:5. Altogether she pays £400. Work out the price of the most expensive item.
(a)£120
(b)£80
(c)£40
(d)£200
4.A drone starts at the point (2, −3) on a coordinate grid. It flies by the vector $(4 6)$ and then by the vector $(- 9 - 1)$ . Write down the column vector that would take the drone straight back to its starting point.
(a) $(- 5 - 5)$
(b) $(5 - 5)$
(c) $(- 5 5)$
(d) $(- 13 - 7)$
5.An ordinary pack of 52 playing cards contains 13 hearts. One card is taken at random from the pack. Work out the probability that the card is not a heart. Give your answer as a percentage.
(a)39%
(b)50%
(c)25%
(d)75%
6.For each of 30 fires in one county, the number of fire engines sent and the cost of the damage were recorded. The scatter graph of the data shows strong positive correlation. A newspaper prints the headline "Sending more fire engines causes more damage". Is the newspaper right? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)No, the size of the fire affects both of the quantities
(b)Yes, the points lie close to the line of best fit
(c)Yes, strong positive correlation shows one causes the other
(d)No, the correlation on the scatter graph is negative
7.Simplify (y³)⁴, giving your answer as a single power of y.
(a)y¹²
(b)12y
(c)y⁷
(d)y⁸¹
8.Make x the subject of the formula y = 5x + 3.
y = 5x + 3
(a)x = (y + 3)/5
(b)x = (y − 3)/5
(c)x = y/5 − 3
(d)x = 5(y − 3)
9.A map has a scale of 1 : 40 000. A cycle path measures 7.5 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the cycle path, in kilometres.
(a)30 km
(b)3 km
(c)0.3 km
(d)3000 km
10.In triangle XYZ, the side opposite vertex X is labelled using the standard lowercase-letter convention. Which label is correct?
(a)y
(b)z
(c)x
(d)X
11.A four-colour spinner (red, blue, green, yellow) is spun repeatedly, and the relative frequency of landing on green is recorded as the number of spins increases: after 20 spins it is 0.350; after 200 spins it is 0.290; after 2000 spins it is 0.251. Using the result from 2000 spins as the best estimate of the probability, work out the number of times the spinner would be expected to land on green in a further 3000 spins.
(a)753
(b)870
(c)1050
(d)750
12.A student always writes the digits after the decimal point over a denominator of 100, whatever the number of decimal places. Using this wrong rule, they convert 0.9 to a fraction. Work out the correct fraction that 0.9 is equal to, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)1/9
(b)9/100
(c)9/10
(d)9
13.A rule turns each input into an output. An input of 0 gives an output of −1, an input of 1 gives an output of 1, and an input of 2 gives an output of 3. Work out the rule, writing the input as x and the output as y.
(a)y = x − 1
(b)y = 2x − 1
(c)y = 3x − 1
(d)y = 2x + 1
14.A cleaning solution is made by mixing disinfectant and water in the ratio 1 : 9. Priti wants to make 6 litres of the solution in total. Work out how much disinfectant she needs.
(a)0.6 litres
(b)5.4 litres
(c)0.667 litres
(d)6 litres
15.Two straight paths cross at a junction in a park. One of the angles between them, measured with a protractor, is 76°. What is the size of the angle immediately next to it on a straight line?
(a)14
(b)104
(c)76
(d)90
16.Insert one pair of brackets into 2 + 3 × 5 − 1 so that the calculation is equal to 24. Which calculation is correct?
(a)(2 + 3 × 5) − 1
(b)(2 + 3) × 5 − 1
(c)2 + 3 × (5 − 1)
(d)(2 + 3) × (5 − 1)
17.Solve 3x − 5 = 4.
(a)9
(b)−1/3
(c)6
(d)3
18.3 kg of apples cost £6. Work out the cost of 5 kg of the same apples.
(a)£3.60
(b)£10
(c)£11
(d)£30
19.A bus leaves the station at 09:47 and arrives at its destination at 11:23. Work out the journey time.
(a)1 hour 24 minutes
(b)2 hours 24 minutes
(c)2 hours 36 minutes
(d)1 hour 36 minutes
20.The number of euros, e, received is directly proportional to the number of pounds, p, exchanged. Exchanging £40 gives 46 euros. Work out how many euros are received for £65, giving your answer to the nearest euro.
(a)57
(b)75
(c)74
(d)71

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.