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

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.A choir has sopranos, altos and tenors in the ratio 6 : 4 : 5. What fraction of the choir is not tenors?
(a)2/3
(b)4/9
(c)2/5
(d)1/3
2.There are 30 students in a Year 10 maths class. There are 2 more boys than girls. Work out the number of boys and the number of girls.
(a)15 boys and 15 girls
(b)17 boys and 13 girls
(c)14 boys and 16 girls
(d)16 boys and 14 girls
3.The density of a liquid is 0.92 g/cm³. Work out the density of the liquid in kg/m³.
(a)9.2 kg/m³
(b)92 kg/m³
(c)920 kg/m³
(d)0.00092 kg/m³
4.A furniture catalogue drawing uses a scale of 1 cm to 1.5 m. A sofa in the drawing is measured as 7 cm long. What is the real length of the sofa, in metres?
(a)8.5
(b)10.5
(c)3.5
(d)14
5.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled and the two scores are added together. Given that the total is an even number, work out the probability that the total is 8.
(a)5/36
(b)1/11
(c)5/18
(d)1/6
6.The seven members of Team A took 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 40 seconds to finish a task. The seven members of Team B took 20, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 seconds. Tomás says that because the two teams have the same range, their times are spread out in the same way. Is Tomás right? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes, each team has seven times, so the spreads match
(b)Yes, sets with equal ranges are spread out alike
(c)No, Team B's times have a higher mean than Team A's
(d)No, the range uses only the fastest and slowest time
7.A number, n, is a multiple of both 6 and 9. Work out the smallest possible value of n that is greater than 20.
(a)36
(b)18
(c)54
(d)27
8.A line has equation y = −4x + 1. Work out the equation of the line perpendicular to it that passes through the point (0, 3).
y = -4x + 1
(a)y = −4x + 3
(b)y = (−1/4)x + 3
(c)y = 4x + 3
(d)y = (1/4)x + 3
9.A cup of tea is cooling. Its temperature, in °C, is plotted against time, in minutes, since it was poured. At t = 4 minutes, the gradient of the tangent to the graph is −3.2. What does this tell you about the tea at t = 4 minutes?
(a)Temperature is 3.2°C
(b)Rising at 3.2°C per minute
(c)Falling at 3.2°C per minute
(d)Fallen 3.2°C in total so far
10.A ship's radio can be heard up to 30 km from the ship. A lighthouse's light can be seen up to 20 km from the lighthouse. The ship and the lighthouse are 40 km apart along the coast. Describe the region where BOTH the radio can be heard AND the light can be seen.
(a)the lens-shaped region where the two circles overlap
(b)the whole smaller circle, since it fits inside the larger one
(c)no overlap — 30 km and 20 km don't add to 40 km
(d)a straight strip, exactly halfway between the two
11.Two fair coins are thrown together 400 times. Work out how many of the 400 throws you would expect to give one head and one tail.
(a)100
(b)200
(c)133
(d)300
12.The thickness of a sheet of card is 0.02384 cm. Write this thickness correct to 2 significant figures.
(a)0.02 cm
(b)0.023 cm
(c)0.0238 cm
(d)0.024 cm
13.Solve the inequality 5 − x ≤ 2.
(a)x ≤ −3
(b)x ≥ −3
(c)x ≥ 3
(d)x ≤ 3
14.Cheng is paid an hourly rate that is proportional to the number of hours she works. She earns £52.50 for 7 hours. Work out how much she earns for 11 hours, assuming the same rate.
(a)£99
(b)£56.50
(c)£30
(d)£82.50
15.Two sides of a triangle are 20 cm and 8 cm long. Write down which one of these lengths is possible for the third side.
(a)5 cm
(b)30 cm
(c)12 cm
(d)15 cm
16.An equation has exactly one value of x that makes it true, but an identity is true for every value of x. Which of these best explains why 3x + 5 = 20 is an equation rather than an identity?
(a)It has an = sign, and equations always use =.
(b)3x + 5 cannot be simplified, so it must be an equation.
(c)Only x = 5 satisfies 3x + 5 = 20, not every value of x.
(d)A number on the right-hand side makes it an equation.
17.The temperature of a chemical reaction, in °C, is modelled by T = 80 − 6t + 0.5t², where t is the time in minutes after the reaction starts. Which of these four statements about the reaction between t = 2 and t = 6 minutes is correct?
(a)Instant rate at t = 6 is −2°C/min
(b)Instant rate at t = 2 is −2°C/min
(c)Average rate, t = 2 to 6, is −2°C/min
(d)Temperature falls 2°C in total
18.A treasure map has a scale of 1 cm to 4 m. A path from the start to a rock is drawn as two straight sections, measuring 3 cm and 2.5 cm. Work out the total real distance from the start to the rock, in metres.
(a)44
(b)22
(c)10
(d)5.5
19.A circular pond has equation x² + y² = 20, with lengths in metres from the centre of the garden. A straight path runs along the line y = 2x, entering the pond and leaving it again. Work out the coordinates of the two points where the path meets the edge of the pond.
y = 2x
(a)(2, 4)
(b)(2, 4) and (−2, −4)
(c)(2, 1) and (−2, −1)
(d)(2, −4) and (−2, 4)
20.The diagram shows two curves drawn on the same grid. Curve A is the graph of $y = x^{2}$ . Which equation could represent curve B?
(a) $y = (x - 3)^{2}$
(b) $y = x^{2} - 3$
(c) $y = x^{2} + 3 x$
(d) $y = x^{2} + 3$

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.