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.A charity raffle sells 240 tickets at £1.85 each. 40% of the money raised is given to a local hospital. Work out how much money the hospital receives.
- 2.The formula for converting a distance in miles, m, to kilometres, k, is k = 8m ÷ 5. Work out k when m = 10.
- 3.An oven is preheating. Its temperature, T °C, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the points (2, 60) and (6, 140). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 4.A garden designer describes a flower bed as a shape with four straight sides: exactly one pair of sides is parallel, those two parallel sides are different lengths, and the other two sides are equal in length to each other but not parallel to each other. Which shape should the designer draw?
- 5.On the probability scale from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain), evens is exactly halfway. An event is 3/10 more likely than evens. Work out the probability of that event, giving your answer as a decimal.
- 6.Work out the median of these six numbers: 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 47
- 7.In a class, 1/3 of the pupils are girls. There are 12 girls in the class. Work out how many pupils are in the class.
- 8.A sequence has nth term 3n + 4. Two terms are missing from the list of its first five terms: 7, 10, _, 16, _. Work out the missing 3rd and 5th terms added together.
- 9.A force of 250 N acts on an area of 0.5 m². Using pressure = force ÷ area, work out the pressure, in pascals.
- 10.A sector of a circle has an angle of 90° and an area of 78.5 cm². Using π = 3.14, work out the radius of the circle.
- 11.A box contains counters that are silver, bronze or copper only. The probability that a counter taken at random is silver is 1/2 and the probability that it is bronze is 1/8. The box contains 64 counters in total. Work out the number of copper counters.
- 12.A florist has 60 red roses and 84 white roses. She wants to make identical bunches using all the flowers, with the greatest possible number of bunches. Work out how many red roses will be in each bunch.
- 13.A geometric sequence begins 80, 40, 20, 10, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
- 14.A recipe requires flour and butter in the ratio 3 : 2. Write down which of these amounts could be used in the recipe.
- 15.Two of the angles in a triangle are 50° and 70°. Work out the size of the third angle.
- 16.Work out the value of √64.
- 17.Which of these equations gives a graph with two separate curved branches — one where x and y are both positive, and one where x and y are both negative?
- 18.Square P has sides of length 3 cm. Square Q has sides of length 12 cm. Write the ratio of the area of square P to the area of square Q in its simplest form.
- 19.A train leaves Leeds at 14:35. The journey takes 1 hour 50 minutes. Work out the time the train arrives. Give your answer using the 24-hour clock.
- 20.A watering can holds 4500 cm³ of water. Given that 1 litre = 1000 cm³, work out the capacity of the watering can in litres.
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.