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.Write down the value of 3⁰
- 2.A student says that 5(x + 2) is equivalent to 5x + 2. Which statement explains why the student is wrong?
- 3.A car is bought for £17,500. Its value decreases by 12% in the first year, and by a further 10% of its reduced value in the second year. Work out the value of the car at the end of the second year, giving your answer to the nearest pound.
- 4.A triangular flag has a base of 40 cm and a perpendicular height of 25 cm. Work out its area.
- 5.A bag contains 45 sweets. 18 of the sweets are lemon flavour and the rest are orange. A sweet is taken at random, its flavour is recorded, and it is put back in the bag. This is repeated 200 times. Work out how many times you would expect an orange sweet to be taken.
- 6.Amelia's mean mark over four tests is 29. Her first three marks are 31, 26 and 26. Work out her fourth mark.
- 7.Work out (3 × 10²) × (2 × 10⁵). Give your answer in standard form.
- 8.A plumber charges a £35 call-out fee plus £20 for each hour worked, h. On a certain job the total charge was £115. Work out how many hours the plumber worked.
- 9.Two mathematically similar flags are made in different sizes. The length scale factor from the smaller flag to the larger flag is 5. Work out the area scale factor from the smaller flag to the larger flag.
- 10.A stained-glass window panel is designed as a kite. Two adjacent sides are each 25 cm, and the other two adjacent sides are each 40 cm. A frame is fitted around the whole panel. The frame costs £2.50 per metre, sold only in whole metres. Work out the total cost of the frame.
- 11.The probability that the Hughes family go away during the summer holidays is 3/7. Work out the probability that they do not go away during the summer holidays.
- 12.A bag holds 50 counters. 2/5 of them are red and the rest are blue. 5 red counters are then taken out of the bag. Work out the new ratio of red counters to blue counters. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 13.A geometric sequence begins 162, 54, 18, 6, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
- 14.A straight-line graph shows the cost, C pounds, of hiring a small van for m miles driven. The line passes through the origin and the point (25, 20). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 15.A diameter divides a circle into two equal halves. Write down the special name given to each of these two halves.
- 16.Write these decimals in order, starting with the smallest: 0.6, 0.55, 0.601, 0.5, 0.56
- 17.A ramp rises 3 m over a horizontal distance of 12 m. Work out the gradient of the ramp.
- 18.5 decorators paint 3 rooms in 6 hours. All the decorators work at the same rate. Work out how long it takes 10 decorators to paint 5 rooms.
- 19.Work out an estimate for 89 + 52, by rounding each number to the nearest 10.
- 20.An Ordnance Survey map has a scale of 1 : 50 000. A cycle route measures 9.4 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the route, in kilometres.
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.