Sample paper · GCSE Higher · grades 4–9

GCSE Higher sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

The real Paper 1 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, non-calculator, and all three papers carry equal weight. This sample is 20 original questions in the same content proportions as the Higher qualification — number 15%, algebra 30%, ratio, proportion and rates of change 20%, geometry and measures 20%, probability 7.5%, statistics 7.5% — with no calculator-only items. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 40% / 30% / 30%.

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GCSE Higher sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

Maths · GCSE Higher · Paper 1 · Non-calculator · 20 questions

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1.Robert is converting 0.999... (with the 9s recurring forever) into a fraction. He lets x = 0.999... . Multiplying by 10 gives 10x = 9.999... . Subtracting x from 10x gives 9x = 9, so x = 1. Which statement correctly explains this result?
(a)Only approximately 1, since it never truly reaches 1.
(b)Only works because the recurring digit is 9.
(c)Exactly 1: the subtraction has no rounding at any step.
(d)Wrong: 10x minus x gives 9x = 8.999..., not 9.
2.Solve x² − 100 = 0.
(a)x = 10 or x = −10
(b)x = 10
(c)x = 100 or x = −100
(d)x = 50
3.y is inversely proportional to x, so y = k ÷ x. When x = 5, the value of y is 8. Work out the value of k.
(a)3
(b)1.6
(c)13
(d)40
4.Four angles meet at a point. Three of them measure 82°, 105° and 96°. Work out the size of the fourth angle.
(a)159
(b)283
(c)182
(d)77
5.At a school fête, a stall invites visitors to spin a fair spinner with 8 equal sections numbered 1 to 8, and separately toss a fair coin. A visitor wins a small prize only if the spinner lands on a multiple of 3 and the coin lands on heads. Work out the probability that a visitor wins a prize, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)1/2
(b)1/16
(c)1/4
(d)1/8
6.A school has 1,000 pupils. A student wants to estimate how many of them walk to school, so she asks 8 pupils in her own class. She says her sample is large enough to give a reliable estimate for the whole school. Is she right? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes — any sample size is equally reliable.
(b)No — because the sample was not taken online.
(c)No — 8 from one class is too small to represent the school.
(d)Yes — because 8 is more than half of her class.
7.Simplify √45.
(a)9√5
(b)6√5
(c)15
(d)3√5
8.Isla says that the lines y = 2x + 1 and y = −2x + 3 are parallel. Write down the statement that gives the correct answer for the correct reason.
y = 2x + 1y = -2x + 3
(a)Yes, because the gradients 2 and −2 add to 0
(b)No, because their gradients are 2 and −2
(c)Yes, because both gradients have size 2
(d)No, because their y-intercepts are 1 and 3
9.A mortar mix is made from sand and cement in the ratio 5 : 3. Write the ratio of sand to the total mix in its simplest form.
(a)8:5
(b)5:8
(c)3:8
(d)5:3
10.O is the centre of a circle, and PT is a tangent to the circle at the point T. A is a point on the circle, with OA and OT both radii and angle AOT = 122°. At the point T, the chord TA lies between the radius TO and the tangent TP. Work out the size of angle ATP, the angle between the chord and the tangent.
(a)119°
(b)61°
(c)29°
(d)32°
11.250 people took a theory test at one test centre. 150 of them had taken a preparation course and the rest had not. 120 of those who had taken the course passed and 50 of those who had not taken the course passed. One of the people who passed is picked at random. Work out the probability that this person had taken the preparation course.
(a)17/25
(b)12/25
(c)4/5
(d)12/17
12.A machine fills bags of sugar and shows the mass of each bag to the nearest 10 g. A checker rejects any bag whose actual mass is less than 996 g. One bag shows a mass of 1,000 g on the machine. Decide whether this bag could be rejected, and give a reason for your answer.
(a)No — the actual mass is exactly 1,000 g
(b)Yes — the actual mass could be as low as 995 g
(c)Yes — the actual mass could be as low as 990 g
(d)No — the actual mass is at least 999.5 g
13.Work out the coordinates of the midpoint of the line segment joining (−3, 5) and (7, 9).
(a)(2, 7)
(b)(4, 14)
(c)(5, 2)
(d)(2, 9)
14.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
15.Point P has coordinates (4, 2). P is rotated 90° clockwise about the point (1, 1), and the image is then reflected in the line x = 1. Work out the coordinates of the final image of P.
(a)(−2, 2)
(b)(2, −2)
(c)(2, 4)
(d)(0, −2)
16.The solution set of a quadratic inequality is {x : x ≤ −3} ∪ {x : x ≥ 5}. Which of these inequalities has this solution set?
(a)x² − 8x + 15 ≥ 0
(b)x² + 2x − 15 ≥ 0
(c)x² − 2x − 15 ≥ 0
(d)x² − 2x − 15 ≤ 0
17.Two quantities, P and Q, are in inverse proportion. A graph is drawn with P on the vertical axis and Q on the horizontal axis. Write down which description fits the shape of this graph.
(a)A straight line with a negative gradient
(b)A straight line crossing the vertical axis above zero
(c)A straight line through the origin
(d)A falling curve that never touches either axis
18.A, B, C and D are points on a circle, and ABCD is a cyclic quadrilateral with the vertices in that order around the circle. Angle ABC = 108° and angle ADC = 72°. Which circle theorem is the reason that angle ABC + angle ADC = 180°?
(a)The angle at the centre is twice the circumference angle
(b)The angle between a tangent and a radius is 90°
(c)The angle in a semicircle is 90°
(d)Opposite angles in a cyclic quadrilateral sum to 180°
19.A geometric sequence has first term 3 and common ratio 2. Work out the 5th term of the sequence.
(a)11
(b)16
(c)96
(d)48
20.A straight line has equation y = 4 − 3x. Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)4
(b)−4
(c)3
(d)−3

How the 20 questions are shared out

Number — 3 questions (15% of the qualification)
Algebra — 6 questions (30% of the qualification)
Ratio, proportion and rates of change — 4 questions (20% of the qualification)
Geometry and measures — 4 questions (20% 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.