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.Write these three numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3/5, 0.55, 58%
- 2.The simultaneous equations x = 2 and x + y = 9 are given. Work out the value of y.
- 3.Two mathematically similar triangular flags have areas in the ratio 4 : 25. The height of the smaller flag is 6 cm. Work out the height of the larger flag.
- 4.The diagram shows a solid built from identical cubes. How many squares are in its plan view, the view looking straight down from above?
- 5.A library recorded loans for 250 books over a week, using a frequency tree. The first branch splits the books into 160 fiction and 90 non-fiction. Of the fiction books, 112 were returned on time and the rest were returned late. All the non-fiction books were returned on time. Work out the probability that a book, chosen at random from the 250, was returned late. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 6.A café in York counts the number of customers in each of the nine hours it is open on one day: 4, 4, 4, 11, 13, 15, 18, 22 and 25. The owner says that a typical hour has about 4 customers, because 4 is the mode. Is the owner right? Give a reason for your answer.
- 7.Work out 10% of 30% of £200.
- 8.Which of these rules generates the sequence 6, 11, 16, 21, …?
- 9.Write the ratio 8 : 15 in the form 1 : n.
- 10.A trapezium has parallel sides of 16 cm and 24 cm, and a perpendicular height of 7 cm. Work out the area of the trapezium.
- 11.The probability that Priya scores with a netball shot is 3/4. She takes two shots, and the shots are independent. Work out the probability that she scores with her first shot but misses her second shot.
- 12.A piece of ribbon is 2.4 metres long. Kim cuts 40 cm from it. Work out the length of ribbon left, in millimetres.
- 13.Noah says that y = 3 is the solution of the equation y + 10 = 12. Noah is wrong. Work out the correct value of y.
- 14.Work out the time taken to travel 120 km at an average speed of 60 km/h.
- 15.A jug holds 750 ml of water. Work out what fraction of a litre this is.
- 16.The diameter of an artificial silk fibre is 4 × 10⁻⁶ metres. One nanometre is 10⁻⁹ metres. Work out the diameter of the fibre in nanometres.
- 17.Priya has a budget of £50 for a school trip. The coach costs £14 and each student ticket costs £4. Using the inequality 14 + 4s ≤ 50, work out the greatest number of student tickets, s, she can buy.
- 18.The amount of fuel left in a car's tank, F litres, is plotted against the distance travelled, d miles, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 45) and (150, 15). Work out the gradient of the line and say what it tells you.
- 19.Which of these units would be most appropriate to use when stating the mass of a small car?
- 20.Order these three values from smallest to largest: 3/8, 0.43, 41%.
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.