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.Work out 5 + 3 × (9 − 6)
- 2.y = 3x − 2. Work out the value of y when x = 4.y = 3x − 2
- 3.A printer prints at a constant rate. The time taken to print a batch of forms is inversely proportional to the printer's speed, in pages per minute. Printing at 20 pages per minute takes 15 minutes. Work out how long the same batch takes to print at 25 pages per minute. Give your answer in minutes.
- 4.A solid is built from five centimetre cubes, standing side by side on a table in a single straight row. Looking down from directly above (the plan view), how many squares are visible?
- 5.Each turn of a game ends in a win, a draw or a loss, and no turn can end in more than one of these. The probability of a win is 1/4 and the probability of a draw is 1/3. Work out the probability of a loss.
- 6.For each of 30 fires in one county, the number of fire engines sent and the cost of the damage were recorded. The scatter graph of the data shows strong positive correlation. A newspaper prints the headline "Sending more fire engines causes more damage". Is the newspaper right? Give a reason for your answer.
- 7.In a classroom the ratio of boys to girls is 3 : 4. What fraction of the class are boys?
- 8.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.
- 9.A garden plan is enlarged by a scale factor of 3. A flower bed on the original plan is 5 cm long. Work out the length of the flower bed on the enlarged plan, in centimetres.
- 10.A sector of a circle has an angle of 90° and an area of 78.5 cm². Using π = 3.14, work out the radius of the circle.
- 11.A train company runs 25 trains a day, every day. The probability that any one train is late is 0.08. Work out how many late trains the company should expect over a period of 4 weeks.
- 12.A circle has a radius of 5 cm. Work out the exact circumference of the circle, in terms of π.
- 13.Solve x² − x − 12 = 0.
- 14.A concrete block exerts a force of 45 N on the ground through a base with an area of 0.05 m². Work out the pressure on the ground, in N/m².
- 15.The diagram shows the plan, front elevation and side elevation of a solid. Which of these solids matches all three views?
- 16.Zoe worked out 3/8 + 1/8 by adding the numerators and the denominators, and got 4/16. Work out the correct value of 3/8 + 1/8, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 17.The first four terms of a sequence are 2, 6, 10, 14. Priya says the nth term is 4n. Work out the correct expression for the nth term.
- 18.The ratio of two lengths is 0.6 : 1.5. Write this ratio in its simplest whole-number form.
- 19.Work out ∛64.
- 20.Before a charity campaign, donations were £6400 per month. Donations grew by 8% in the first year after the campaign, and then fell by 3% in the second year as interest faded. Work out the amount donated per month at the end of the second year, to the nearest pound.
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.