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.Write 0.45 as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 2.A recipe gives the cooking time, in minutes, for a chicken as T = 40m + 20, where m is the mass in kg. A chicken has a mass of 1.8 kg. Work out the cooking time in hours and minutes.
- 3.A water tank is a cuboid measuring 30 cm × 20 cm × 10 cm. The tank is full of water. Work out how many litres of water it holds.
- 4.A sector of a circle has radius 5 cm and angle 72°. Work out the arc length of the sector, in terms of π.
- 5.A padlock code is formed by arranging three different digits chosen from 2, 3, 4 and 5, with no digit repeated. Work out how many different three-digit codes can be made.
- 6.Work out the median of these six numbers: 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 47
- 7.In a chess club, 3/8 of the members are girls and the rest are boys. Write down the ratio of girls to boys.
- 8.A rope of length L metres is cut into 6 equal pieces, and 4 metres is then removed from one piece. Write an expression, in metres, for the length of that piece after the cut.
- 9.£1 is worth 1.25 US dollars. Write the ratio of pounds to dollars in its simplest form, using whole numbers.
- 10.A regular polygon has 12 sides. Work out the size of one exterior angle of the polygon.
- 11.A spinner has equal sections, and the probability that it lands on blue in a single spin is 1/4. It is spun twice, and the two spins are independent. Work out the probability that it lands on blue on both spins.
- 12.Write these fractions in order, starting with the smallest: 2/3, 3/5, 5/6, 1/2
- 13.Write down the expression that means the same as p + p + p + q.
- 14.A straight-line graph shows the cost, C pounds, of hiring a small van for m miles driven. The line passes through the origin and the point (25, 20). Work out the gradient of the line.
- 15.Work out the exact value of (cos 45°)² + (sin 45°)².
- 16.A quiz has 50 questions. Freya answers 10% of them incorrectly. Work out how many questions she answers incorrectly.
- 17.Write down the number of terms in the expression 4x² − 7x + 3.
- 18.A spring's extension is directly proportional to the force applied to it. A force of 5 N produces an extension of 12 mm. Work out the extension produced by a force of 20 N.
- 19.A café is planning its lunch menu. It will offer one soup from 3 choices and one sandwich from 4 choices, but the mushroom soup, one of the 3 soups, will only be served with the cheese sandwich, one of the 4 sandwiches, on a normal day. Work out how many different soup-and-sandwich combinations are available on a normal day.
- 20.A scale drawing of a garden uses a scale of 1 : 20. Write down a formula for the real length, L metres, in terms of the length on the drawing, d centimetres, given that 1 metre = 100 centimetres.
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.