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.Ava measures a metal rod and records its length as 15 cm, correct to the nearest centimetre. Ben measures the same rod and records its length as 14.8 cm, correct to the nearest 0.1 cm. Decide whether both records can be correct, and give a reason for your answer.
- 2.A plumber charges a call-out fee plus an hourly rate. The total cost, y in pounds, of a job lasting x hours is given by y = 45x + 60. Work out the total cost of a job that lasts 3 hours.y = 45x + 60
- 3.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 7x. Work out the value of x when y = 35.y = 7x
- 4.A sign-maker is told a metal bracket outline must have two pairs of adjacent sides equal in length (not opposite pairs), exactly one pair of opposite angles equal, and exactly one line of symmetry. Which quadrilateral matches this description?
- 5.At a gym, 45 members are surveyed. 24 use the running machines, 20 use the weights machines, and 9 use both. Work out how many of the 45 members use neither machine.
- 6.The times taken, in minutes, by 30 runners in a Portsmouth fun run are grouped in this table: 0 < t ≤ 20 — 5 runners, 20 < t ≤ 40 — 10 runners, 40 < t ≤ 60 — 10 runners, 60 < t ≤ 80 — 5 runners. Work out an estimate for the mean time, in minutes.
- 7.Work out (−3) × 4 + 10
- 8.In a shop a shirt costs £x and a pair of trousers costs £(2x + 30). Together the two items cost at least £150. Work out the lowest possible price of the shirt.
- 9.In a fruit drink, 3/8 of the total volume is orange juice and the rest is apple juice. Write down the ratio of orange juice to apple juice, in its simplest form.
- 10.A sector of a circle has radius 9 cm and angle 60°. Using π = 3.14, work out the area of the sector, to 1 decimal place.
- 11.A basketball player has a free-throw success probability of 0.75. She wants to expect to score 60 successful free throws. Work out how many free throws she needs to attempt.
- 12.A gardener has 42 tulip bulbs and 56 daffodil bulbs. She plants them in rows, with every row containing the same number of tulip bulbs and the same number of daffodil bulbs, and no bulbs left over. Work out the greatest number of rows she can plant.
- 13.A student says 4(2x − 3) is equivalent to 8x − 3. Which statement gives the correct verdict and reason?
- 14.A scale drawing of a playground is drawn to a scale of 1 : 300. A slide measures 4 cm on the drawing. Work out the real length of the slide, in centimetres.
- 15.A rectangular bookmark measures 2 cm by 25 cm. Work out the area of the bookmark.
- 16.Write these three numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3/5, 0.55, 58%
- 17.The triangular numbers begin 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
- 18.A dog walker's charge, C pounds, for walking a dog for m minutes is shown on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the points (20, 14) and (50, 26). Work out the charge for a 65-minute walk.
- 19.Tickets for a fairground ride are sold in packs of 6. Tokens for the dodgems are sold in packs of 10. Yusuf wants to buy the smallest number of packs of each so that he ends up with the same number of ride tickets as dodgem tokens. Work out how many ride tickets that is.
- 20.Two mathematically similar containers have a volume scale factor of 64 (the larger container's volume is 64 times the smaller container's volume). Work out the length scale factor between the two containers.
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.