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 −(−3)⁴ + (−3)³
- 2.Work out the value of 3b − 4 when b = 6
- 3.A printer prints pages at a constant rate. It prints 45 pages in 6 minutes. Work out how many pages it prints in 10 minutes.
- 4.Write down how many right angles a right-angled triangle has.
- 5.A Venn diagram shows two sets, P and Q, inside a universal set. n(P) = 34, n(Q) = 27, n(P ∩ Q) = 11, and n(ξ) = 90, where ξ is the universal set. Work out n((P ∪ Q)′), the number of elements in neither P nor Q.
- 6.A quality inspector weighs a random sample of 50 packets of crisps from one day's production and finds their mean mass is 32.4 g. The factory makes 20,000 packets that day. Work out an estimate for the total mass, in kg, of all the packets made that day.
- 7.The number of pages in a book is 240, correct to the nearest 10 pages. Write down the error interval for the actual number of pages, n.
- 8.Make b the subject of the formula a = 5b.
- 9.The length of ribbon A is 5/12 of the length of ribbon B. Write the length of ribbon B as a fraction of the length of ribbon A.
- 10.A parallelogram has an area of 136 cm² and a base of 17 cm. Work out the perpendicular height of the parallelogram.
- 11.A two-way table records 200 members of a gym. 80 of the members are women and the rest are men. 60 of the women attend yoga classes. Work out the percentage of the women who attend yoga classes.
- 12.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
- 13.The braking distance of a car, in metres, is estimated using the formula d = 0.4v² + 6, where v is the speed in mph. A car travelling at 35 mph brakes. Work out the estimated braking distance.
- 14.Write 400 g : 1.5 kg as a ratio in its simplest form.
- 15.A dog is tied by a lead 4 m long to a fixed ring on a straight garden wall. The wall extends much further than the lead can reach in both directions, and the dog cannot cross through it. Describe the region the dog can reach.
- 16.Work out the value of .
- 17.Amelia's mother is three times as old as Amelia. Four years ago her mother was five times as old as Amelia was then. Work out Amelia's age now.
- 18.A journey takes 4 hours at an average speed of 60 km/h. The time taken is inversely proportional to the average speed. Work out how long the same journey takes at an average speed of 80 km/h.
- 19.The number of visitors to a museum on Saturday is given as 1,800, correct to the nearest 100. Which of these could not be the actual number of visitors?
- 20.A metal block has a mass of 270 g and a volume of 30 cm³. Work out the density of the block, in g/cm³.
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.