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 minibus can carry 16 passengers. A school is taking 179 pupils on a trip. By rounding 179 to the nearest 10, work out an estimate for the number of minibuses needed, given that the school cannot hire part of a minibus.
- 2.A taxi charges a £3 fixed fee plus £2 for each mile travelled. Write an expression, in pounds, for the total cost of a journey of n miles.
- 3.Jamal invests £600 in a savings account paying 3% simple interest per year. Work out the total amount in the account after 4 years.
- 4.Two straight lines cross at a point. To find the points that are the same distance from both lines, which construction should be used?
- 5.The probability that Priya scores with a netball shot is 3/4. She takes two shots, and the shots are independent. Work out the probability that she scores with her first shot but misses her second shot.
- 6.The mean of five test scores is 68. Four of the scores are 55, 62, 74 and 80. Work out the fifth score.
- 7.Write 0.325 as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 8.Which expression is equivalent to 0.5(4x + 6) − x?
- 9.A coach travels the 54 miles from London to Brighton in 1 hour 30 minutes. Work out the average speed of the coach, in mph.
- 10.Triangle DEF is isosceles, with DE = DF. Angle E = 58°. Work out angle F.
- 11.A bag contains 3 yellow counters and 2 green counters. Sophie takes one counter at random and does not put it back. She then takes a second counter at random. Work out the probability that the first counter is yellow and the second is green.
- 12.A water tank holds 80 litres when full. It currently contains 60 litres. Work out what fraction of the tank is empty.
- 13.To solve 6x − 4 = 2x + 20, Yusuf's first step is to subtract 2x from both sides. Work out what equation this gives.
- 14.A section of a kitchen wall has an area of 45,000 cm². Work out the area of this section in m².
- 15.In this question, a curved surface counts as a face. How many faces does a cone have?
- 16.A circle has a radius of 3 cm. Which of these is the exact area of the circle?
- 17.A rectangle has length (2x + 5) cm and width (x − 2) cm. Work out an expression, in terms of x, for the perimeter of the rectangle. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 18.Two straight-line graphs represent y = 2x and y = 5x. For the same value of x, where x ≠ 0, write down the ratio of the y-value on the first graph to the y-value on the second graph, in its simplest form.y = 2xy = 5x
- 19.A machine fills bags of sugar and shows the mass of each bag to the nearest 10 g. A checker rejects any bag whose actual mass is less than 996 g. One bag shows a mass of 1,000 g on the machine. Decide whether this bag could be rejected, and give a reason for your answer.
- 20.Write 350 ml : 1.4 l as a ratio 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.