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.A vending machine sells 4 types of crisps, 5 types of chocolate bar and 2 types of drink. Work out how many different combinations of one crisp packet, one chocolate bar and one drink can be bought.
- 2.A point has coordinates (x, y), where x + y = 0 and x is not 0. In which two quadrants could this point lie?
- 3.In a choir of 30 singers, 40% are altos and the rest are sopranos. Write the number of sopranos as a fraction of the number of altos. Give your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.A parallelogram has a base of 9 cm and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out its area.
- 5.At a fun run, a raffle stall charges £1.50 per ticket. The probability that any one ticket wins a prize worth £8 is 0.12, and a losing ticket wins nothing. Nadia buys 25 tickets. Work out how much money Nadia should expect to lose in total.
- 6.In a vertical line chart of test results, the tallest line stands for 40 pupils. The same results are to be shown in a pie chart of all 100 pupils. Work out the angle at the centre of the sector that will stand for those 40 pupils.
- 7.Write 0.0038 in standard form.
- 8.To solve 5x − 4 = 2x + 8, Chloe's working is shown. Line 1: 5x − 4 = 2x + 8. Line 2: 3x − 4 = 8. Line 3: 3x = 4. Line 4: x = 4/3. Chloe has made a mistake in her working. Which line contains the mistake?
- 9.To make orange paint, red and yellow paint are mixed in the ratio 6:15. Write the amount of red paint as a fraction of the amount of yellow paint, in its simplest form.
- 10.A straight line passes through points A, B and C, with B between A and C. A fourth point D is not on the line. Angle ABD = 132°. Work out the size of angle DBC.
- 11.Two sets, A and B, sit inside a universal set. A region of a Venn diagram is described by the notation A ∩ B′. Work out which of these describes that region.
- 12.Write these three numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3/5, 0.55, 58%
- 13.The formula for converting a temperature from degrees Celsius, C, to degrees Fahrenheit, F, is F = 1.8C + 32. Work out F when C = 20, and identify what kind of mathematical statement F = 1.8C + 32 is.
- 14.In a fruit bowl, the ratio of apples to oranges is 5 : 3. Work out what percentage of the fruit in the bowl is apples.
- 15.In an isosceles triangle each of the two base angles is 46°. Work out the size of the angle at the apex.
- 16.In a chess club, 3/8 of the members are girls and the rest are boys. Write down the ratio of girls to boys.
- 17.Given that (x − 4)(x + 9) = 0, write down the two solutions of x.
- 18.A cyclist rides 19.3 km in 47 minutes. Work out her average speed, in km/h, to 1 decimal place.
- 19.A tin of beans has a mass of 650 g. A bag of rice has a mass of 1.35 kg. Work out the total mass, in kilograms.
- 20.A map has a scale of 1 : 100. A path measures 5 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the path, in metres.
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.