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 these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 0.7, 3/4, 0.72
- 2.A printer starts a job with 480 sheets of paper loaded and prints at a steady rate. The number of sheets left, S, after t minutes is given by S = 480 − 24t. Work out how many minutes it takes for the paper to run out completely.
- 3.8 identical pens cost £6.40 in total. Work out the cost of 5 of the same pens.
- 4.Three angles meet at a single point on one side of a straight line. Two of the angles are 48° and 65°. Work out the third angle.
- 5.A fair six-sided dice is rolled once. Write down the probability that the score is an even number.
- 6.A factory makes a batch of 4,000 circuit boards. It checks a random sample of 50 boards and finds that 4 are faulty. The factory will scrap the whole batch if the estimated number of faulty boards in the batch is more than 250. Should the factory scrap the batch?
- 7.Oliver uses his calculator to work out 25% of 80 and writes down 320. Without using a calculator, work out the correct value of 25% of 80.
- 8.A delivery van's distance-time graph shows the following: it travels 9 km in the first 15 minutes at a steady speed, stops for 45 minutes to unload, then travels a further 21 km in the next 30 minutes, also at a steady speed. Work out the average speed, in km/h, for the whole journey.
- 9.Sam has £24. Tom has £16. Write the amount of money Sam has as a fraction of the amount of money Tom has, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 10.An angle is measured with a protractor as 47°. What type of angle is this?
- 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.In a fruit crate the ratio of oranges to lemons is 5 : 6. What fraction of the fruit in the crate are lemons?
- 13.A lift has a weight limit: it must carry no more than 630 kg. Let w be the total weight, in kg, carried by the lift. Which inequality describes this?
- 14.A statue exerts a downward force of 68.4 N on its base, which has an area of 2.85 m². Work out the pressure that the statue exerts on its base, in N/m².
- 15.A tent's sloping side makes an angle of 45° with the ground. The sloping side is 3√2 m long. Using the exact value of sin 45°, work out the exact height of the tent.
- 16.Which of these units would be most appropriate to use when stating the mass of a small car?
- 17.A cinema sells adult tickets and child tickets. On one evening, 40 tickets are sold in total. There are 8 more adult tickets sold than child tickets. Work out the number of child tickets sold.
- 18.Two mathematically similar polygons have perimeters in the ratio 2 : 5. Write the ratio of their areas in its simplest form.
- 19.A student writes 0.08 as the fraction 8/10, reading the 8 as if it stood in the tenths column and ignoring the zero. Work out the correct fraction that 0.08 is equal to, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 20.A recipe requires flour and butter in the ratio 3 : 2. Write down which of these amounts could be used in the recipe.
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.