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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 2 · Calculator · 20 questions

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1.3.4 × 10⁵ is written as an ordinary number. Work out this number.
(a)3,400,000
(b)34,000
(c)0.000034
(d)340,000
2.A car's fuel tank contains 50 litres when it starts a journey. After travelling for 2 hours, it contains 38 litres, and fuel is used at a constant rate. Work out the rate at which fuel is used, in litres per hour.
(a)44
(b)19
(c)6
(d)12
3.Write 3/4 as a percentage.
(a)133%
(b)34%
(c)0.75%
(d)75%
4.Four angles meet at a point. Three of them measure 82°, 105° and 96°. Work out the size of the fourth angle.
(a)159
(b)283
(c)182
(d)77
5.Kwame flips a fair coin three times and writes down what it lands on each time. Work out the probability that it lands on heads all three times.
(a)1/6
(b)1/2
(c)1/4
(d)1/8
6.The daily high temperatures, in °C, in Leeds over five days were 14, 16, 18, 19 and 23. In York over the same five days they were 15, 17, 17, 18 and 18. Write a sentence comparing Leeds and York using both the median and the range.
(a)Leeds has a higher median and a greater range than York.
(b)York has a higher median but a smaller range than Leeds.
(c)Leeds has a higher median but a smaller range than York.
(d)York has a higher median and a greater range than Leeds.
7.Simplify 5⁻² × 5⁴, giving your answer as a single power of 5.
(a)5⁻⁶
(b)5²
(c)5⁻⁸
(d)5⁶
8.The graph of y = mx + 6 passes through the point (−2, 0). Work out the value of m.
(a)−3
(b)−2
(c)3
(d)6
9.A block of wood has a mass of 60 g and a volume of 100 cm³. Work out the density of the block, in g/cm³.
(a)6000 g/cm³
(b)1.67 g/cm³
(c)40 g/cm³
(d)0.6 g/cm³
10.A water tank is a cube with edges of length 2 m. Work out how many cubic centimetres the tank holds when it is full.
(a)8,000,000 cm³
(b)8,000 cm³
(c)8 cm³
(d)80,000 cm³
11.Five raffle tickets numbered 1 to 5 are in a bag. Two tickets are drawn one after the other and the first is not put back. Work out the probability that ticket 1 is drawn first and ticket 2 is drawn second.
(a)1/25
(b)1/20
(c)2/5
(d)1/10
12.To estimate the cost of buying 38.7 m of rope at £21.40 per metre, both numbers are first rounded to 1 significant figure. Work out the estimate.
(a)£819
(b)£840
(c)£60
(d)£800
13.A car's speed-time graph shows the following: its speed increases steadily from 0 m/s to 20 m/s over the first 10 seconds, then stays constant at 20 m/s for the next 15 seconds. Work out the total distance travelled in the first 25 seconds.
(a)500 m
(b)300 m
(c)200 m
(d)400 m
14.A coach travels 210 miles at an average speed of 70 mph. Work out how long the journey takes.
(a)14700 hours
(b)140 hours
(c)3 hours
(d)280 hours
15.A solid rubber ball has a radius of 3 cm. Work out the volume of the ball. Use π = 3.14.
(a)113.04 cm³
(b)28.26 cm³
(c)37.68 cm³
(d)84.78 cm³
16.A charity raises 8 × 10⁶ pounds. This total is shared equally among 2 × 10² local projects. Work out how much each project receives, in standard form.
(a)4 × 10⁸
(b)4 × 10¹²
(c)4 × 10⁴
(d)6 × 10⁴
17.The first four terms of a sequence are 6, 13, 20, 27. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
(a)6n + 1
(b)7n
(c)7n − 1
(d)7n + 6
18.The ratio of two lengths is 0.6 : 1.5. Write this ratio in its simplest whole-number form.
(a)1:2
(b)3:5
(c)6:15
(d)2:5
19.A choir has sopranos, altos and tenors in the ratio 6 : 4 : 5. What fraction of the choir is not tenors?
(a)2/3
(b)4/9
(c)2/5
(d)1/3
20.A sum of £150 is divided between Ben and Chloe in the ratio 2:3. Work out Chloe's share.
(a)£60
(b)£75
(c)£90
(d)£30

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.