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.Nadia has £84. She spends 3/7 of it on a jacket and the rest on a bag. Work out the ratio of the amount spent on the jacket to the amount spent on the bag, in its simplest form.
- 2.Work out the equation of the straight line through the points (−2, 1) and (0, 7).
- 3.Last week Priya worked 5 shifts of 7 hours. This week she worked 4 shifts of 8 hours. Write the number of hours she worked last week as a fraction of the number of hours she worked this week.
- 4.A sector of a circle has an angle of 150°. Work out what fraction of the circle's area the sector is.
- 5.A survey found that, of 250 shoppers questioned, 68% said they had used a self-checkout in the past month. A different store expects 1400 shoppers this week. Using this relative frequency, work out how many of the 1400 shoppers would be expected to have used a self-checkout in the past month.
- 6.Noah wrote down the numbers 9, 3, 7, 1, 5 and said, “The median is 7, because 7 is in the middle of my list.” Is Noah right? Give a reason for your answer.
- 7.Josh buys 7 pencils at 85p each. He pays with a £10 note. Work out his change.
- 8.Solve 4x − (2x − 6) = 18
- 9.Sam has £24. Tom has £16. Write the amount of money Sam has as a fraction of the amount of money Tom has, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 10.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 10 cm and one of its other angles is 45°. Work out the length of one of the two shorter sides. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
- 11.Two events are independent. The first has probability 2/5 and the second has probability 1/3. Work out the probability that both events happen.
- 12.Simplify x⁶ ÷ x²
- 13.Ben writes n + 4 ≤ 9. Which statement describes what Ben has written? Give a reason for your answer.
- 14.A force of 126 N acts on an area of 3.5 m². Work out the pressure on the area, in N/m².
- 15.A shape is translated by the vector , and one vertex of the image is at the point (1, 6). The original shape is instead translated by the vector . Work out the coordinates of the image of that same vertex under this second translation.
- 16.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
- 17.A ferry's distance-time graph is a straight line from (0 minutes, 0 km) to (25 minutes, 15 km). Work out the ferry's speed in kilometres per hour.
- 18.A cordial drink is made by mixing cordial concentrate and water in the ratio 1 : 6. Freya says that a 700 ml jug of this drink contains 100 ml of concentrate. Is she correct? Give a reason for your answer.
- 19.Work out an estimate for 6.8 × 41, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
- 20.A savings account pays 3.5% compound interest each year. Bilal invests £1200. Work out how much interest, in total, he earns after 2 years, to the nearest penny.
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.