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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

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

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1.A flight departs at 21:35 and lands at 06:10 the following morning. Work out the total flight time.
(a)9 hours 35 minutes
(b)7 hours 35 minutes
(c)8 hours 35 minutes
(d)15 hours 25 minutes
2.A student is asked whether 3(x − 4) = 3x − 4 is an identity. Which statement gives the correct verdict and reason?
(a)It is an identity, because both sides begin with the term 3x, so they must be equivalent.
(b)It is not even an ordinary equation with a solution: expanding the left-hand side gives 3x − 12, and 3x − 12 = 3x − 4 would require −12 = −4, which is never true.
(c)It is not an identity, because the student forgot to multiply the 4 by 3 on both sides of the equation.
(d)It is not an identity, because the student needs to substitute a specific value of x before comparing the two sides.
3.The price of a cycling helmet rises from £80 to £116. Work out the percentage increase.
(a)45%
(b)145%
(c)36%
(d)31%
4.Work out the distance between the point (0, 0) and the point (5, 12).
(a)12
(b)13
(c)17
(d)7
5.180 people entered a fun run. A frequency tree splits them into 108 adults and the rest children. It then splits each of those groups into those who finished and those who did not. 99 of the adults finished, and 153 of the 180 people finished altogether. Work out how many children did not finish.
(a)9
(b)54
(c)27
(d)18
6.Harry counted the coins he found on each of six days: 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 30. Write down the outlier.
(a)30
(b)8.5
(c)11
(d)5
7.Work out (2/3)² + (1/2)². Give your answer as a fraction.
(a)7/3
(b)49/36
(c)25/36
(d)5/13
8.Solve 3(2x − 1) = 27
(a)4
(b)5
(c)4.5
(d)4 2/3
9.A concrete block exerts a force of 45 N on the ground through a base with an area of 0.05 m². Work out the pressure on the ground, in N/m².
(a)9 N/m²
(b)900 N/m²
(c)45.05 N/m²
(d)2.25 N/m²
10.A cake recipe takes 135 minutes from start to finish. Write this time as hours and minutes.
(a)1 hour 15 minutes
(b)1 hour 35 minutes
(c)2 hours 15 minutes
(d)2 hours 25 minutes
11.A fair coin is flipped and a fair three-sided spinner, labelled X, Y and Z, is spun. Every outcome is listed as a pair, such as (H, X). Work out the probability that the outcome is a head and Z.
(a)1/2
(b)1/6
(c)1/3
(d)1/5
12.Write '3.2 million' as a number in figures.
(a)320,000
(b)3,002,000
(c)32,000,000
(d)3,200,000
13.A parcel delivery company's cost graph shows the following: the cost is a flat £5 for parcels weighing up to 2 kg, and then rises by £2 for each additional kg above 2 kg. Use the graph to work out the weight of a parcel that costs £17.
(a)8.5 kg
(b)8 kg
(c)6 kg
(d)7.5 kg
14.A recipe for 6 muffins needs 150 g of flour. Aisha wants to make 15 muffins using the same recipe. Work out how much flour she needs.
(a)375 g
(b)60 g
(c)150 g
(d)300 g
15.Work out the exact value of sin 30° + cos 60°.
(a)0
(b)√3
(c)1
(d)1/2
16.Oliver drives 95 km at an average speed of 50 km/h. Work out an estimate for the time the journey takes, by rounding the distance to the nearest 100 km.
(a)1 hour 54 minutes
(b)30 minutes
(c)1 hour
(d)2 hours
17.A straight line has equation y = 4 − 3x. Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)4
(b)−4
(c)3
(d)−3
18.A block of wood has a mass of 60 g and a volume of 100 cm³. Work out the density of the block, in g/cm³.
(a)6000 g/cm³
(b)1.67 g/cm³
(c)40 g/cm³
(d)0.6 g/cm³
19.A recipe uses 160 g of flour. Sam wants to increase the amount by 1/4. Work out the new amount of flour.
(a)200 g
(b)128 g
(c)240 g
(d)40 g
20.A bag of potatoes has a mass of 3 kg. A bag of carrots has a mass of 5 kg. Write the mass of the potatoes as a fraction of the mass of the carrots.
(a)3/5
(b)5/3
(c)2/5
(d)3/8

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.