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.Round 0.0759 to 2 decimal places.
(a)0.08
(b)0.07
(c)0.076
(d)0.1
2.The formula for the area of a trapezium is A = (a + b)h / 2, where a and b are the parallel side lengths and h is the height. Make h the subject of the formula.
(a)h = 2A / a + b
(b)h = (a + b) / (2A)
(c)h = A / (a + b)
(d)h = 2A / (a + b)
3.A plan is drawn to a scale of 1 : 25. A real fence is 10 m long. Work out the length of the fence on the plan, in centimetres.
(a)0.4 cm
(b)4 cm
(c)25000 cm
(d)40 cm
4.A triangle has a base of 8 cm and a perpendicular height of 5 cm. Work out its area.
(a)40 cm²
(b)80 cm²
(c)20 cm²
(d)13 cm²
5.On the probability scale from 0 to 1, which word best describes an event with probability 0.9?
(a)unlikely
(b)likely
(c)certain
(d)evens
6.A scatter graph of taxi journeys in Bristol shows the distance, x miles, and the fare, y pounds. The line of best fit is y = 2x + 3.50. Work out the estimated fare for a journey of 6 miles, using the line of best fit.
y = 2x + 3.5
(a)£13.00
(b)£19.00
(c)£12.00
(d)£15.50
7.A carpenter has a plank of wood 4.8 m long. She cuts off 3 pieces, each 0.9 m long, to make shelves. Work out the length of wood remaining.
(a)7.5 m
(b)2.1 m
(c)3.0 m
(d)2.7 m
8.A runner's journey is shown on a distance-time graph: she runs 8 km in the first hour, rests for 30 minutes with no distance gained, then runs a further 4 km in the next 30 minutes. Work out her average speed for the whole journey, in kilometres per hour.
(a)12 km/h
(b)8 km/h
(c)6 km/h
(d)4 km/h
9.A laptop bag has a mass of 2.4 kg. A school bag has a mass of 3.6 kg. Write the mass of the laptop bag as a fraction of the mass of the school bag, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)2/3
(b)2/5
(c)1/3
(d)3/2
10.A shop stacks tins in a display block. The front elevation of the block is 4 tins wide and 3 tins high. The side elevation shows the block is 2 tins deep. Every position in the block is filled. How many tins are used in total?
(a)24
(b)6
(c)12
(d)9
11.A spinner is divided into sectors of 144°, 90° and 126°, coloured purple, orange and grey in that order. The spinner is spun 300 times. Work out how many times you would expect it to land on purple.
(a)100
(b)120
(c)75
(d)43
12.A tin of beans has a mass of 650 g. A bag of rice has a mass of 1.35 kg. Work out the total mass, in kilograms.
(a)651.35 kg
(b)0.70 kg
(c)2.00 kg
(d)7.85 kg
13.A number machine multiplies its input by 5. Work out the output when the input is −1.
(a)−5
(b)5
(c)4
(d)−6
14.Given that a is 40% of b, write the ratio a : b in its simplest form.
(a)2 : 3
(b)2 : 5
(c)3 : 2
(d)5 : 2
15.A cyclist's journey from her house to the shop is represented by the column vector with top number 2 and bottom number 5, where each unit is 1 km east and 1 km north. She then cycles from the shop to the park, represented by the column vector with top number 4 and bottom number −3. What single column vector represents her journey from her house directly to the park?
(a)(2, −8)
(b)(6, 2)
(c)(6, 8)
(d)(−2, 8)
16.Round 0.006482 to 2 significant figures.
(a)0.01
(b)0.00648
(c)0.0065
(d)0.006
17.The formula for converting a temperature in Fahrenheit, F, to Celsius, C, is C = 5(F − 32) ÷ 9. Work out C, to 1 decimal place, when F = 98.6.
(a)119.9
(b)54.8
(c)66.6
(d)37.0
18.In a class, 50% of the students study French, 30% study Spanish and the rest study German. Write down the ratio of French : Spanish : German students, in its simplest form.
(a)5:3:1
(b)3:5:2
(c)50:30:20
(d)5:3:2
19.Work out ((−3) + 5) × (−4) − (−6) ÷ 2
(a)−11
(b)−1
(c)−5
(d)11
20.A tin of beans has a mass of 400 g. A tin of soup has a mass of 500 g. Write the mass of the tin of beans as a fraction of the mass of the tin of soup, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)1/5
(b)4/5
(c)5/9
(d)5/4

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.