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 shelf is 60 cm long, correct to the nearest 10 cm. Write down the upper bound for the length of the shelf, in centimetres.
- 2.A hall is set out in rows of chairs for an assembly. Row 1 has 50 chairs, row 2 has 45 chairs, row 3 has 40 chairs, and row 4 has 35 chairs, with each row after the first having 5 fewer chairs than the one before. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the number of chairs in row n.
- 3.Given that a is 40% of b, write the ratio a : b in its simplest form.
- 4.A survey team measures the angle between two fences with a protractor and gets a reading of 254°. What type of angle is this?
- 5.In a class of 32 pupils, 19 study geography and 15 study history. 8 study both subjects. Work out n(G ∪ H), the number of pupils who study geography or history or both.
- 6.The mean of the four numbers 10, 15, 20 and x is 18. Work out the value of x.
- 7.A choir has sopranos, altos and tenors in the ratio 6 : 4 : 5. What fraction of the choir is not tenors?
- 8.Solve the inequality 6.3x + 1.8 ≤ 40. Hence write down the greatest number with exactly one decimal place that satisfies the inequality.
- 9.Maya is paid £105.30 for working 9 hours. Work out her rate of pay, in £ per hour.
- 10.Two straight lines cross at a point. Which statement about a pair of vertically opposite angles is always true?
- 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.Which of these is equal to 5³?
- 13.A colony of bacteria doubles in number every hour. At 9am there are 5 bacteria in the colony. Work out how many bacteria there will be at 12 noon.
- 14.A mobile phone tariff is shown on a straight-line graph with the monthly cost, C pounds, on the vertical axis and the amount of data used, g gigabytes, on the horizontal axis. The line passes through (0, 10) and (8, 26). Work out the gradient and say what it represents.
- 15.A line segment is measured with a ruler and found to be 6.5 cm long. What is this length in millimetres?
- 16.Work out 1 1/2 ÷ 3/4 exactly, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 17.In the expression 5x² − 3x + 7, which of these is a single term of the expression?
- 18.A shop sells fruit juice concentrate that must be diluted with water in the ratio 2 : 5 (concentrate : water) to make squash. Priya has 8 litres of concentrate. Work out how much water she needs to keep the same ratio.
- 19.Work out 250 ÷ 1000.
- 20.A spring's extension is directly proportional to the force applied to it. A force of 5 N produces an extension of 12 mm. Work out the extension produced by a force of 20 N.
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.