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 1 − 1/2 − 1/4 − 1/8 − 1/16. Give your answer as a fraction.
- 2.Tom is asked to classify the statement 5(2x − 3) = 10x − 15. Which statement about it is correct?
- 3.A table shows three pairs of values: when x = 2, y = 6; when x = 5, y = 15; when x = 8, y = 24. In every pair the ratio y : x is the same. Write down a formula for y in terms of x.
- 4.A circle is drawn on a page. Write down how many radii can be drawn in the circle.
- 5.A leisure centre has 150 members. 80 of the members are male and the rest are female. Every member uses either the pool or the gym, but not both. 66 members use the pool, and 35 of those pool users are male. Work out how many female members use the gym.
- 6.A two-way table records whether each of 40 people at a gym in Sheffield prefers weights or cardio, and whether they are male or female. 24 of the 40 people are female. 15 of the males prefer cardio. 10 of the females prefer weights. Work out the total number of people who prefer cardio.
- 7.Work out the lowest common multiple of 9 and 15.
- 8.A sequence has the position-to-term rule: the term is the position number multiplied by itself. Its first five terms are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25. Work out the 8th term.
- 9.A bag of potatoes has a mass of 3 kg. A bag of carrots has a mass of 5 kg. Write the mass of the potatoes as a fraction of the mass of the carrots.
- 10.Two straight lines AB and CD cross at point O. Angle AOC = 74°. Work out angle AOD.
- 11.A phone network sends automatic text alerts to customers. On average, 1,500 alerts are sent each day, and the probability that a customer replies 'STOP' to an alert is 0.18. Work out how many replies of 'STOP' the network should expect over a 30-day month.
- 12.Two-digit numbers are formed using the digits 2, 5, 7 and 8, and each digit may be used only once in a number. Work out how many of these two-digit numbers are even.
- 13.The graph of a straight line has equation y = 4x − 5. Beth says the y-intercept is 4. Work out the correct y-intercept.y = 4x − 5
- 14.Square P has sides of length 3 cm. Square Q has sides of length 12 cm. Write the ratio of the area of square P to the area of square Q in its simplest form.
- 15.A composite solid is made from a cylinder of radius 3 cm and height 10 cm, with a cone of the same radius and vertical height 4 cm fixed on top, apex upward. Work out the total volume of the solid. Use π = 3.14 and give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
- 16.Which one of these statements is true?
- 17.Oliver has m stickers and gives 5 of them away. The number he has left is L = m − 5. Work out L when m = 8.
- 18.The number of biscuits, b, that each guest at a party receives is inversely proportional to the number of guests, g. Which equation could show this relationship?
- 19.Work out (8 × 10⁻⁵) × (5 × 10³). Give your answer in standard form.
- 20.Water flows into a tank at a constant rate. After 8 minutes the tank holds 200 litres. Write the ratio of time in minutes to volume in litres, in its simplest form.
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.