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.Amelia estimates 48 × 21 by working out 50 × 20 = 1,000. Work out whether her estimate is an under-estimate or an over-estimate, and by how much.
(a)An over-estimate, by 19
(b)Neither — the estimate is exactly right
(c)An under-estimate, by 8
(d)An over-estimate, by 8
2.A school trip costs a £15 deposit plus £9 per student for the coach. The total cost for a class is £186. Work out how many students went on the trip.
(a)22.33
(b)20.67
(c)19
(d)11.8
3.A taxi journey of m miles costs C pounds, where C = 2.5m + 3. A driver says the ratio C : m is the same for every journey. Is the driver correct? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)The driver is correct — the ratio C : m is the same for every journey.
(b)The ratio C : m is not constant because the formula includes a fixed charge of £3 as well as the charge per mile.
(c)The ratio C : m is not constant because the charge per mile, £2.50, is not a whole number.
(d)The ratio C : m is not constant because C increases as m increases.
4.A composite solid is made from a cylinder of radius 3 cm and height 10 cm, with a cone of the same radius and vertical height 4 cm fixed on top, apex upward. Work out the total volume of the solid. Use π = 3.14 and give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)37.7 cm³
(b)320.3 cm³
(c)282.6 cm³
(d)395.6 cm³
5.A student is estimating the probability that a spinner lands on red. In her first 85 spins it landed on red 34 times. She then spins it 165 more times, and in those it lands on red 58 times. Work out the best estimate of the probability of red from all 250 spins. Give your answer as a decimal, correct to 3 decimal places.
(a)0.368
(b)0.352
(c)0.400
(d)0.376
6.A bar chart shows the number of books borrowed from a school library on each of five days. The bar heights are: Monday 12, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 9, Thursday 15 and Friday 21. Work out the total number of books borrowed over the five days.
(a)66
(b)21
(c)15
(d)75
7.Which one of these statements is true?
(a)−3 ≥ −1
(b)0.4 < 2/5
(c)−5 ≤ −5
(d)7/10 ≤ 0.6
8.A number, n, is tripled and then 4.5 is added. The result is 22.5. Form an equation and solve it to find n.
(a)12
(b)6
(c)7.5
(d)9
9.A force of 20 N acts on an area of 4 m². Using pressure = force ÷ area, work out the pressure, in pascals.
(a)5
(b)24
(c)80
(d)16
10.A perpendicular bisector is drawn through the midpoint of a line segment AB. Which set of points does this construction show?
(a)the single point exactly halfway along AB
(b)points as far from A as the length AB
(c)points twice as far from A as from B
(d)points the same distance from A as from B
11.The numbers 1 to 10 are each written on a card. Set A is the set of multiples of 3 from 1 to 10 and set B is the set of even numbers from 1 to 10. Work out how many of the numbers from 1 to 10 are in set A but not in set B.
(a)3
(b)7
(c)2
(d)4
12.Which of these numbers rounds to 0.048 when rounded to 2 significant figures?
(a)0.0485
(b)0.052
(c)0.0479
(d)0.04
13.A rectangular field has length (3a + 2) metres and width (a − 1) metres. Write a simplified expression for the perimeter of the field.
(a)12a + 8
(b)8a + 6
(c)8a + 2
(d)5a
14.A map has a scale of 1 : 25 000. A footpath measures 6 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
(a)1.5 km
(b)0.15 km
(c)150 km
(d)150000 km
15.A solid pyramid has a square base of side 10 cm and four identical triangular faces. Its apex is directly above the centre of the base, at a vertical height of 12 cm, and the slant height of each triangular face — the distance from the apex to the midpoint of a base edge — is 13 cm. Work out the total surface area of the pyramid.
(a)340 cm²
(b)360 cm²
(c)620 cm²
(d)260 cm²
16.Which of these statements about −0.7 and −0.25 is true?
(a)−0.7 = −0.25
(b)−0.7 < −0.25
(c)−0.7 ≥ −0.25
(d)−0.7 > −0.25
17.A quadratic graph has equation y = (x − 4)². A student says this graph crosses the x-axis at two different points. Explain why the student is wrong.
(a)It touches the x-axis once, only at x = 4.
(b)It never touches the x-axis at all.
(c)It crosses twice, at x = 4 and x = −4.
(d)It crosses twice, at x = 2 and x = −2.
18.In a fruit bowl, the ratio of apples to oranges is 5 : 3. Work out what percentage of the fruit in the bowl is apples.
(a)37.5%
(b)62.5%
(c)160%
(d)50%
19.Write these three numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3/5, 0.55, 58%
(a)0.55, 58%, 3/5
(b)58%, 0.55, 3/5
(c)3/5, 0.55, 58%
(d)3/5, 58%, 0.55
20.A science technician mixes 400 g of a salt solution of concentration 5% with 100 g of a salt solution of concentration 25%. Work out the concentration of the mixture.
(a)21%
(b)0.9%
(c)9%
(d)15%

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.