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

VersionsA only A + B A + B + Csame questions, different order

AnswersQuestions only With answer key Key only

New sheet

GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

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

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.A cycle route is 350 m long. A footpath runs alongside it for 3/7 of that length. Work out the length of the footpath.
(a)200 m
(b)1050 m
(c)150 m
(d)50 m
2.The graph of y = x² − 7x + 2 crosses the x-axis at two points. One root, read from the graph, is approximately x = 0.30. Using the fact that the sum of the two roots of x² − 7x + 2 = 0 is 7, estimate the other root, correct to 2 decimal places.
y = x² − 7x + 2
(a)x ≈ 6.70
(b)x ≈ 6.30
(c)x ≈ 7.30
(d)x ≈ 0.70
3.Two cars leave the same point at the same time and travel in opposite directions. One travels at 80 km/h and the other at 60 km/h. Work out how long it takes until the cars are 350 km apart.
(a)5 hours
(b)2.5 hours
(c)17.5 hours
(d)4.375 hours
4.A raised garden bed is a prism whose cross-section is a triangle with a base of 1.2 m and a perpendicular height of 0.8 m. The bed is 3 m long. Work out the volume of soil needed to fill it, in m³.
(a)3.6 m³
(b)2.88 m³
(c)1.44 m³
(d)0.48 m³
5.A frequency tree records 320 calls to a helpline. The calls first split into calls about billing and calls about technical support. Of the technical support calls, the probability that a call was resolved on the first contact is 0.75. If 180 technical support calls were resolved on the first contact, work out how many calls were about billing.
(a)185
(b)140
(c)80
(d)240
6.A recruitment agency in Manchester compares the weekly pay, in pounds, of seven employees at two branches. Branch A: £480, £495, £500, £505, £510, £515, £1,200. Branch B: £480, £490, £500, £510, £520, £530, £540. An advert for the agency claims 'Branch A pays more on average.' Decide whether this claim is fairly supported, using an appropriate average, and choose the correct conclusion.
(a)Yes — highest wage £1,200 at A vs £540 at B.
(b)Yes — mean £600.71 at A vs £510 at B.
(c)No — median £505 at A vs £510 at B.
(d)Yes — median £515 at A vs £510 at B.
7.A supermarket sells apples at £1.85 per kg. Anna buys 3.6 kg of apples. Estimate the cost by rounding each number to 1 significant figure before multiplying. Work out Anna's estimate.
(a)£6.66
(b)£8
(c)£7.60
(d)£7.40
8.A sequence begins at 7. Each term after the first is found by adding 6 to the term before it. Work out the 6th term of the sequence.
(a)43
(b)37
(c)25
(d)31
9.A mortar mix is made from sand and cement in the ratio 5 : 3. Write the ratio of sand to the total mix in its simplest form.
(a)8:5
(b)5:8
(c)3:8
(d)5:3
10.A diameter divides a circle into two equal halves. Write down the special name given to each of these two halves.
(a)Sector
(b)Semicircle
(c)Segment
(d)Arc
11.A fair six-sided dice is rolled 150 times. The table shows how many times each number came up: 1 came up 22 times, 2 came up 27 times, 3 came up 24 times, 4 came up 34 times, 5 came up 21 times and 6 came up 22 times. The theoretical probability of each number is 1/6. Which number is most over-represented compared with its theoretical probability?
(a)3
(b)4
(c)2
(d)6
12.Round 4,685 to the nearest 100.
(a)5,000
(b)4,700
(c)4,600
(d)4,690
13.Solve (3x + 2)/5 = (x + 4)/3
(a)x = 3.5
(b)x = 4.5
(c)x = 10
(d)x = 1
14.A river 120 km long is drawn as a line 6 cm long on a map. Work out the scale of the map.
(a)1 : 2 000 000
(b)1 : 200 000
(c)1 : 12 000 000
(d)1 : 20 000
15.A hexagon has interior angles of 130°, 142°, 125°, 150°, 135° and x°. Work out the value of x.
(a)142°
(b)40°
(c)38°
(d)398°
16.Work out 3³ + 2⁴.
(a)35
(b)25
(c)43
(d)432
17.The first four terms of a sequence are 4, 6, 8, 10. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
(a)2n + 4
(b)2n
(c)2n + 2
(d)2n − 2
18.Two mathematically similar tins have heights 8 cm and 12 cm. Jayden says that the volume of the larger tin is 1.5 times the volume of the smaller tin. Give a reason why Jayden is incorrect, and work out the correct volume scale factor.
(a)3.375
(b)2.25
(c)4.5
(d)1.5
19.Work out the value of $1 0^{- 3}$ .
(a)1000
(b)−1000
(c)0.001
(d)−0.001
20.A laptop costs £800 when new. Its value decreases by 25% of its value at the start of each year. Work out how much value the laptop loses in the second year.
(a)£150
(b)£450
(c)£350
(d)£200

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.