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 45,000 in standard form.
- 2.A number machine multiplies its input by 3 and then adds 7. The output is 1. Work out the input.
- 3.A charity collects donations from adults and children in the ratio 5:2. Altogether, £238 is collected. Work out how much more the adults donate than the children.
- 4.Four angles meet at a point. Three of them measure 82°, 105° and 96°. Work out the size of the fourth angle.
- 5.Kwame flips a fair coin three times and writes down what it lands on each time. Work out the probability that it lands on heads all three times.
- 6.A scatter graph shows the number of hours of sunshine, x, and the number of visitors, y, at an outdoor swimming pool in Torquay on each of 15 days. The line of best fit passes through the points (5, 150) and (15, 350). Work out the estimated number of visitors on a day with 8 hours of sunshine, using the line of best fit.
- 7.A charity shop buys a coat for £24 and sells it for a profit that is 3/8 of the buying price. Work out the selling price.
- 8.Solve the inequality 3x + 6 ≤ 0.
- 9.A footpath is drawn 3 cm long on a map with a scale of 1 : 50 000. Work out the real length of the footpath, in metres.
- 10.A regular polygon has 12 sides. Work out the size of one exterior angle of the polygon.
- 11.Two fair five-sided dice, numbered 1 to 5, are rolled. Work out the probability that the two scores differ by at least 2.
- 12.Which of these numbers rounds to 0.048 when rounded to 2 significant figures?
- 13.A geometric sequence starts at 3, and each term after that is found by multiplying the term before it by 2. Write down the first four terms.
- 14.Simplify the ratio 45 : 30 : 75 to its simplest form.
- 15.A regular polygon has 5 lines of symmetry. What is the order of rotational symmetry of this polygon?
- 16.A café offers sandwiches with one filling from 5 choices and one type of bread from 4 choices. Cheese and mustard, which is one of the 5 fillings, is not available on gluten-free bread, which is one of the 4 breads. Work out how many different sandwiches are possible.
- 17.Aisha saves money each week. In week 1 she has saved £15 in total, in week 2 she has saved £23 in total, in week 3 she has saved £31 in total and in week 4 she has saved £39 in total, with the total increasing by the same amount each week. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the total amount she has saved, in pounds, after week n.
- 18.A map has a scale of 1 : 1000. A road is 300 m long in real life. Work out the length of the road on the map, in centimetres.
- 19.The number of pages in a book is 240, correct to the nearest 10 pages. Write down the error interval for the actual number of pages, n.
- 20.A recipe for 4 people needs 300 g of rice. Work out how much rice is needed for 6 people, assuming the amount is in direct proportion to the number of people.
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.