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.Work out the value of 6² − 4³.
- 2.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £30 plus £25 per hour worked. Work out the total charge for a job that takes 3 hours.
- 3.Two hikers' journeys are shown on separate distance-time graphs. Hiker A's graph has gradient 4.5 km/h. Hiker B's graph has gradient 3.2 km/h. Work out how much faster Hiker A walks than Hiker B, in km/h.
- 4.A trapezium has parallel sides of 5.6 cm and 8.4 cm, and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out the area of the trapezium.
- 5.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled. Work out the probability that both dice show the same score.
- 6.A scatter graph plots the shoe size and the spelling test score of 25 pupils. The points are scattered with no pattern across the graph. Write down the type of correlation shown.
- 7.Write 200 as a product of its prime factors, using index notation.
- 8.Which expression means 'add 3 to n, then multiply the result by 4'?
- 9.A laptop is bought for £600. Its value decreases by 20% after 1 year. Work out the value of the laptop after 1 year.
- 10.A garden plan is drawn to a scale of 1 cm : 1.8 m. A path on the plan measures 4.5 cm. What is the real length of the path, in metres, to 1 decimal place?
- 11.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled, one after the other. Work out the probability that the first dice shows a 6 and the second dice shows an even number.
- 12.Two lighthouses flash at the start of the same minute. The first lighthouse flashes every 8 minutes and the second flashes every 12 minutes. Work out how many minutes it will be until they next flash together.
- 13.The graph of y = x² − 5x + 6 crosses the x-axis at two points. By factorising, work out the x-coordinates of these two points.y = x² − 5x + 6
- 14.A map has a scale of 1 : 20 000. A different map of the same area has a scale of 1 : 80 000. A lake's shoreline is drawn 5 cm long on the first map. Work out the length of the same shoreline on the second map, in centimetres.
- 15.Two metal window frames are checked before installation. Frame A has edges of 40 cm and 65 cm, with a marked angle of 35° at the far end of the 65 cm edge, away from where the two given edges meet. Frame B has matching edges of 40 cm and 65 cm, with a matching 35° angle in the same position. The fitter wants to know if these measurements alone guarantee the two frames are congruent. What should the fitter be told?
- 16.A pizza is cut into 12 equal slices. Ben eats 5 slices and Mia eats 3 slices. What fraction of the pizza is left, giving your answer in its simplest form?
- 17.Which of these is an inequality?
- 18.A shop sells identical pens. The total cost, C pence, of n pens is given by C = 12n. Write the ratio n : C in its simplest form.
- 19.Work out 1 − 1/2 − 1/4 − 1/8 − 1/16. Give your answer as a fraction.
- 20.x is 2/3 of y. Write the ratio x : y in its simplest form.
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.