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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.A flight departs at 21:35 and lands at 06:10 the following morning. Work out the total flight time.
- 2.Make a the subject of the formula b = 20 − a.
- 3.Isla says that the ratio 4:6 is equivalent to the ratio 6:9. Is she correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 4.A postcard measuring 10 cm by 15 cm is enlarged by a scale factor of 2 to make a poster. Work out the area of the poster, in cm².
- 5.On Amelia's walk to school there are two sets of traffic lights. The probability that the first set is green when she reaches it is 0.4. The probability that the second set is green when she reaches it is 0.5. The two sets work independently of each other. Work out the probability that both sets are green.
- 6.A café sold 10 sandwiches on each of four days: 10, 10, 10, 10. Work out the range of the numbers sold.
- 7.Write these numbers in order, starting with the smallest: −1.4, 5/4, −6/5, 1.3, 0
- 8.Solve 3x − 1 = 8
- 9.A furniture designer makes a scale model of a wardrobe using a scale of 1 : 8. The real wardrobe is 2.4 m tall and 1.2 m wide. Work out the perimeter of the front face of the model wardrobe, in centimetres.
- 10.Rectangle ABCD has vertices A(−1, 2), B(4, 2), C(4, 5) and D(−1, 5). The rectangle is translated so that C moves to (0, −1). Write down the coordinates of the image of A.
- 11.A bag contains 4 red counters and 6 blue counters. A counter is taken at random, its colour noted, and it is put back in the bag before a second counter is taken at random. Work out the probability that the two counters are different colours. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.Write down the reciprocal of 0.2
- 13.Solve x² + 3x − 10 = 0.
- 14.A ribbon of length 90 cm is cut into two pieces in the ratio 4:5. Work out the length of the shorter piece.
- 15.A sector of a circle has radius 6 cm and angle 150°. Using π = 3.14, work out the perimeter of the sector.
- 16.Write these fractions in order, starting with the smallest: 2/3, 3/5, 5/6, 1/2
- 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.A toy manufacturer makes a model aircraft that is mathematically similar to the real aircraft, at a scale of 1 : 48. The wingspan of the model is 15 cm. Work out the wingspan of the real aircraft, giving your answer in metres.
- 19.A recipe uses 160 g of flour. Sam wants to increase the amount by 1/4. Work out the new amount of flour.
- 20.Write 2 m : 150 cm : 50 cm as a ratio of whole numbers 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.