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 √225 ÷ 3.
- 2.The point D has coordinates (3, −8). Write down the distance of D from the y-axis.
- 3.A car is bought for £17,500. Its value decreases by 12% in the first year, and by a further 10% of its reduced value in the second year. Work out the value of the car at the end of the second year, giving your answer to the nearest pound.
- 4.The three angles of a triangle are 10°, 58° and 112°. Write down the name that describes this triangle.
- 5.A pupil must choose 2 different subjects at random from these five: maths, physics, biology, chemistry and history. Work out the probability that the two subjects chosen are maths and biology.
- 6.A straight line is drawn on a scatter graph to show the trend of the points. Write down the name given to this line.
- 7.A charity bake sale sells 187 cakes at £2.95 each. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the total amount raised.
- 8.The simultaneous equations 2x + 3y = 12 and x − y = 1 are given. Work out the value of y.
- 9.A material has a density of 2 g/cm³. Work out the mass of 5 cm³ of this material.
- 10.Rectangle ABCD has vertices A(−1, 2), B(4, 2), C(4, 5) and D(−1, 5). The rectangle is translated so that C moves to (0, −1). Write down the coordinates of the image of A.
- 11.A raffle at a school fair sells 500 tickets. Mia buys 25 of the tickets. One ticket is drawn at random to win the prize. Work out the probability that Mia wins the raffle. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.A country's population is 8,340,000, and it is estimated that 1,950,000 of them live in the capital city. By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, work out an estimate for the number of people who do not live in the capital city.
- 13.Write down the expression that means the same as p + p + p + q.
- 14.Write the ratio 2 : 1/4 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 15.A hiker walks on a bearing of 065°. She then turns clockwise through 90° and continues walking in a straight line. What bearing is she now walking on?
- 16.A metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
- 17.The formula for converting a distance in miles, m, to kilometres, k, is k = 8m ÷ 5. Work out k when m = 10.
- 18.A map has a scale of 1 : 25 000. Two towns are 5 km apart in real life. Work out the distance between the towns on the map, in centimetres.
- 19.A florist has 5 different flowers. Freya picks 3 of them to make a small bunch, and the order in which she picks them does not matter. Work out how many different bunches she could make.
- 20.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.
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.