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.After a price increase of 10%, a laptop costs £330. Work out the original price.
- 2.Which expression is equivalent to 3(2x − 5) + 4x?
- 3.In a bag, the ratio of green counters to yellow counters is 3 : 8. There are 24 yellow counters. A student says, 'There must be 9 green counters.' Is the student correct? Choose the correct verdict and reason.
- 4.A rectangular garden gate is 3 m wide and 4 m high. A straight brace runs from one corner of the gate to the opposite corner. Work out the length of the brace.
- 5.At a quiz night, each team's result is a win, a draw or a loss, and no team can have more than one of these results. The probability that a team wins is 42% and the probability that a team draws is 18.5%. Work out the probability, as a percentage, that a team does not win and does not draw.
- 6.The mean of the four numbers 10, 15, 20 and x is 18. Work out the value of x.
- 7.Work out 2 × (−3 + 7)
- 8.Work out the equation of the straight line through the points (−2, 1) and (0, 7).
- 9.Write the ratio 0.75 : 2 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 10.a is the column vector with top number 3 and bottom number −2. b is the column vector with top number −1 and bottom number 5. Work out 2a + b, giving your answer as a column vector in the form (top, bottom).
- 11.The probability that a machine completes a task successfully is 0.85. Work out the probability that the machine does not complete the task successfully.
- 12.Write down the symbol that makes this statement true: −9 ___ −4
- 13.Look at the statement 2x + 5 = 17. Considering whether it is an expression, an equation, a formula, or an identity, which classification is correct?
- 14.A sunflower is 140 cm tall. A tomato plant is 80 cm tall. Write the height of the tomato plant as a fraction of the height of the sunflower, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.A trapezium has parallel sides of length 6 cm and 10 cm, and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out its area.
- 16.Work out ((−3) + 5) × (−4) − (−6) ÷ 2
- 17.Meera writes the statement 3(x + 4) = 3x + 12. Which of these correctly describes what she has written, with a reason?
- 18.A fruit bowl contains 9 apples and 21 oranges. Write down the ratio of apples to oranges in its simplest form.
- 19.At a book fair the ratio of fiction books to non-fiction books is 4 : 5. Of the non-fiction books, 3/5 are about history. Work out the fraction of all the books at the fair that are history books.
- 20.3 pencils cost £1.20. Work out the cost of 7 pencils.
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.