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.In a fruit basket the ratio of bananas to oranges is 2 : 5. What fraction of the fruit are oranges?
- 2.Solve the simultaneous equations x + y = 1 and 2x + y = 5.
- 3.Rice costs £3.20 per kg. Work out the cost of the rice in pence per 100 g.
- 4.A ladder rests against a wall, making an angle of 60° with the ground. The ladder is 2 m long. Using the exact value of sin 60°, work out how high up the wall the ladder reaches, giving your answer in centimetres.
- 5.Grace rolls two ordinary fair dice at the same time and works out the total of the two scores. Work out the probability that the total is greater than 10.
- 6.Four pairs of variables are listed below. Write down the pair that you would expect to show no correlation.
- 7.In a photo album the ratio of colour photos to black-and-white photos is 9 : 4. Work out the number of black-and-white photos as a fraction of the number of colour photos.
- 8.A sequence has the position-to-term rule: the term is the position number multiplied by itself. Its first five terms are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25. Work out the 8th term.
- 9.A pump fills a paddling pool at a rate of 130 litres per hour. Work out the rate in litres per minute, to 2 decimal places.
- 10.A television cable runs in a straight line from the edge of a flat roof 20 m above the ground to a bracket on a wall 5 m above the ground. The horizontal distance between the roof edge and the bracket is 15 m. Work out the length of the cable. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
- 11.A quality inspector tests 145 light bulbs and finds that 33 are faulty. Work out the relative frequency of a bulb being faulty, as a percentage correct to 1 decimal place.
- 12.The number 24 can be written as 2³ × 3, and the number 60 can be written as 2² × 3 × 5. Work out the lowest common multiple of 24 and 60.
- 13.Which of these statements is an equation with exactly one solution?
- 14.A concrete mix is made from gravel and cement in the ratio 5 : 1 by mass. The mass of cement is c kg and the total mass of the mix is m kg. Write down a formula for m in terms of c.
- 15.Two straight lines cross at a point. Which statement about a pair of vertically opposite angles is always true?
- 16.A laptop costs £720. A carrying case for it costs 1/9 of the price of the laptop. Work out the cost of the carrying case.
- 17.A taxi charges a £3 fixed fee plus £2 for each mile travelled. Write an expression, in pounds, for the total cost of a journey of n miles.
- 18.Work out 50% of 60.
- 19.Put these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 3/8, 0.4, 0.35
- 20.Butter costs £2.40 per kg. Work out the cost of the butter in pence per 100 g.
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.