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%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 2 (calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 2 · Calculator · 20 questions

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1.A cube-shaped storage box has edges of length 7 cm. A shelf can hold a total volume of 2,000 cm³. Work out the greatest number of these boxes that will fit in that volume.
(a)5.8
(b)6
(c)5
(d)343
2.Look at the statement 2x + 5 = 17. Considering whether it is an expression, an equation, a formula, or an identity, which classification is correct?
(a)A formula, relating two quantities
(b)An identity, true for all values of x
(c)An expression, with x terms and numbers
(d)An equation, true for one value of x
3.A section of a kitchen wall has an area of 45,000 cm². Work out the area of this section in m².
(a)0.45 m²
(b)450.00 m²
(c)4500000.00 m²
(d)4.50 m²
4.A cylindrical water tank has a solid hemispherical dome on top, both with radius 2 m. Work out the volume of the hemispherical dome alone. Use π = 3.14 and give your answer correct to 3 decimal places.
(a)33.493 m³
(b)16.747 m³
(c)8.373 m³
(d)50.24 m³
5.A biased spinner is spun 200 times. It lands on red 70 times, on blue 50 times, and on green 80 times. Using these results, work out the expected number of times the spinner does NOT land on red, in 500 spins of the same spinner.
(a)130
(b)175
(c)325
(d)250
6.A scatter graph shows the number of guests, x, at a wedding and the length of buffet table needed, y metres. The line of best fit is y = 0.5x + 2. Write down what the 2 in this equation tells you about the buffet table.
y = 0.5x + 2
(a)At least 2 guests are needed before set-up
(b)At 0 guests, the model predicts 2 m of table
(c)The table is always 2 m, whatever the guests
(d)Each extra guest adds 2 m of table needed
7.A laptop costs £720. A carrying case for it costs 1/9 of the price of the laptop. Work out the cost of the carrying case.
(a)£72
(b)£640
(c)£80
(d)£6480
8.A rectangle has length (2x + 5) cm and width (x − 2) cm. Work out an expression, in terms of x, for the perimeter of the rectangle. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)4x² + 2x − 20
(b)6x + 6
(c)6x + 14
(d)3x + 3
9.A parcel of flour has a mass of 750 g. A sack of flour has a mass of 4 kg. Write the mass of the parcel as a fraction of the mass of the sack. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)15/8
(b)3/20
(c)16/3
(d)3/16
10.A sector of a circle has radius 9 cm and angle 40°. Work out the area of the sector, in terms of π.
(a)2π cm²
(b)9π cm²
(c)81π cm²
(d)18π cm²
11.A spinner can land on red, blue, green or yellow, and it cannot land on more than one colour. The probability that it lands on red is 0.05 and the probability that it lands on yellow is 0.35. The probability that it lands on blue is twice the probability that it lands on green. Work out the probability that it lands on green.
(a)0.4
(b)0.6
(c)0.2
(d)0.3
12.Round 0.006482 to 2 significant figures.
(a)0.01
(b)0.00648
(c)0.0065
(d)0.006
13.Simplify 2b − 1 + 2b − 4 + 2b
(a)6b − 5
(b)6b − 3
(c)6b + 5
(d)8b − 5
14.There are 2500 electric cars registered in a town. The number is predicted to increase by 6% each year. Work out the predicted number of electric cars after 3 years, to the nearest whole number.
(a)2978
(b)3156
(c)2809
(d)2950
15.A wooden block is a cuboid measuring 2 cm by 10 cm by 15 cm. Work out the volume of the block.
(a)27 cm³
(b)400 cm²
(c)150 cm³
(d)300 cm³
16.The mass of a parcel is 3 kg, correct to the nearest kilogram. Which of these masses is not possible for the parcel?
(a)3.49 kg
(b)2.50 kg
(c)3.50 kg
(d)2.90 kg
17.The first four terms of a sequence are 5, 8, 11, 14. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
(a)n + 3
(b)3n + 5
(c)3n
(d)3n + 2
18.Two printers' running costs are shown on separate straight-line graphs of total cost against number of pages printed. Printer A's graph has gradient £0.04 per page. Printer B's graph has gradient £0.05 per page. Work out how much cheaper it is to print 200 pages on Printer A than on Printer B, based on these running costs alone.
(a)£18.00
(b)£0.01
(c)£8.00
(d)£2.00
19.A pizza is cut into 12 equal slices. Ben eats 5 slices and Mia eats 3 slices. What fraction of the pizza is left, giving your answer in its simplest form?
(a)1/3
(b)2/3
(c)1/2
(d)7/12
20.Tap A fills a swimming pool in 6 hours. Tap B pours water twice as fast as tap A. The time taken to fill the pool is inversely proportional to the rate of flow. Work out how long tap B takes to fill the pool.
(a)3 hours
(b)12 hours
(c)4 hours
(d)1.5 hours

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.