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 an estimate for 2.9² + 3.1², by rounding each number to the nearest whole number.
- 2.Solve the simultaneous equations 3x + 2y = 16 and x + y = 7. Work out the value of y.
- 3.5 tins of soup cost £8 in total. Work out the multiplier that changes the number of tins into the total cost in pounds.
- 4.A sector of a circle has radius 15 cm and angle 216°. Using π = 3.14, work out the arc length of the sector.
- 5.Four pupils each flip the same coin a number of times and record the results. Sam flips it 40 times and gets 24 heads. Priti flips it 25 times and gets 10 heads. Leo flips it 20 times and gets 9 heads. Fatima flips it 15 times and gets 6 heads. Combine all four pupils' results to estimate the probability that the coin lands on heads.
- 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.A cycle route is 350 m long. A footpath runs alongside it for 3/7 of that length. Work out the length of the footpath.
- 8.For the equation 2x + 3 = 11, and the inequality 2x + 3 > 11, which statement correctly compares their solutions?
- 9.Write 400 g : 1.5 kg as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 10.A solid has 5 faces, 9 edges and 6 vertices. Two of its faces are triangles and the other three are rectangles. Which solid is it?
- 11.Leo flips a fair coin twice. He makes a list of every possible result of the two flips, writing down what the first flip lands on and then what the second flip lands on. Work out how many of the results in his list contain at least one tail.
- 12.A coach journey has a 55 minute first leg, a 20 minute break and a 40 minute second leg. The coach leaves at 13:25. Work out the arrival time, using the 24-hour clock.
- 13.A geometric sequence has first term 5, and each term after that is 3 times the term before it. Work out the first term of the sequence that is greater than 1000.
- 14.A cookery class lasts 45 minutes. A double lesson at school lasts 2 hours. Write the length of the cookery class as a fraction of the length of the double lesson. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 15.A jug holds 750 ml of water. Work out what fraction of a litre this is.
- 16.Work out −(−3)⁴ + (−3)³
- 17.There are 50 adults on a coach to the Lake District. Every adult is either a man or a woman. There are 10 more men than women. Work out the number of men.
- 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.Round 24,681 to the nearest 1,000.
- 20.A rectangle has its height and its width in the ratio 3:2. The height of the rectangle is 18 cm. Work out the width of the rectangle.
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.