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.Simplify x⁽³⁄⁴⁾ ÷ x⁽¹⁄⁴⁾
(a)x
(b)x⁽³⁄¹⁶⁾
(c)x³
(d)x⁽¹⁄²⁾
2.A plumber charges a £40 call-out fee plus £25 for each hour worked. The total charge, £C, for a job lasting h hours is given by C = 40 + 25h. Work out the charge for a job lasting 3 hours, and name what kind of statement C = 40 + 25h is.
(a)£65, and C = 40 + 25h is an expression
(b)£115, and C = 40 + 25h is a formula
(c)£195, and C = 40 + 25h is a formula
(d)£115, and C = 40 + 25h is an expression
3.A candle burns down at a constant rate. Its height, h cm, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The gradient of the line is −0.3. Which statement correctly describes what the gradient means?
(a)The candle's height decreases by 3 cm every minute.
(b)The candle burns for 0.3 minutes in total.
(c)The candle's height increases by 0.3 cm every minute.
(d)The candle's height decreases by 0.3 cm every minute.
4.A solid has 10 vertices and 15 edges. Using the formula F + V − E = 2, work out how many faces it has.
(a)7
(b)3
(c)5
(d)27
5.Kwame flips a fair coin three times and writes down what it lands on each time. Work out the probability that it lands on heads all three times.
(a)1/6
(b)1/2
(c)1/4
(d)1/8
6.A bus company runs two routes into the centre of Exeter. On ten weekdays the journey time on Route 1 was, in minutes: 22, 23, 24, 24, 25, 25, 26, 26, 27 and 28. On Route 2 it was: 18, 19, 20, 20, 21, 22, 26, 30, 36 and 38. A commuter must reach the centre on time every day. Work out the mean and the range for each route, and write down which route she should take.
(a)Route 2, as its mean time is lower than Route 1's mean
(b)Route 2, as its fastest journey took only 18 minutes
(c)Either route, as both have a mean time of 25 minutes
(d)Route 1, as its times vary by 6 minutes rather than 20
7.A charity shop buys a coat for £24 and sells it for a profit that is 3/8 of the buying price. Work out the selling price.
(a)£27.00
(b)£15.00
(c)£9.00
(d)£33.00
8.Work out the maximum value of y = sin x, and the smallest positive value of x, in degrees, at which it occurs.
y = sin(x)
(a)1 at x = 180°
(b)1 at x = 90°
(c)90 at x = 1
(d)1 at x = 0°
9.After a 20% discount, a jacket costs £48. Work out the original price of the jacket.
(a)£40
(b)£60
(c)£57.60
(d)£38.40
10.An engineer models a technical drawing on a coordinate grid. A component is reflected in the line x = 2, and the image is then reflected in the line x = 6. Which single transformation has the same overall effect as these two reflections, for every point on the drawing?
(a)A translation by the vector (4, 0)
(b)A translation by the vector (−8, 0)
(c)A rotation of 180° about the point (4, 0)
(d)A translation by the vector (8, 0)
11.A fair spinner has 8 equal sections: 5 are red and 3 are blue. Freya spins it twice, and each spin is independent of the other. Work out the probability that she gets one red and one blue in the two spins, in either order.
(a)39/64
(b)15/32
(c)15/28
(d)15/64
12.Work out −(−3)⁴ + (−3)³
(a)−108
(b)54
(c)−54
(d)108
13.The point (−4, 7) is moved 4 units to the right and 9 units down. Write down the coordinates of the point it reaches.
(a)(0, 16)
(b)(0, −2)
(c)(−8, −2)
(d)(5, 3)
14.The ratio of the number of pages Mia has read to the number of pages Leo has read is 7 : 4. Mia has read 84 pages. Work out how many pages they have read altogether.
(a)147
(b)231
(c)48
(d)132
15.A construction for the perpendicular bisector of AB begins by opening a pair of compasses to more than half the length of AB, then drawing an arc centred at A. What is the next step?
(a)an arc of the same radius, centred at the midpoint of AB
(b)an arc of the same radius, centred at B
(c)a smaller arc, centred at A again
(d)a straight line joining the ends of the first arc
16.The table shows some values of f(x): when x = 0, f(x) = 5; when x = 1, f(x) = 8; when x = 2, f(x) = 4; when x = 3, f(x) = 1. Work out the value of f(x − 1) when x = 2.
(a)8
(b)4
(c)1
(d)3
17.A straight-line graph passes through the origin and the point (4, 10). The line represents y = kx. Write down the ratio x : y in its simplest form.
(a)2 : 10
(b)4 : 5
(c)2 : 5
(d)5 : 2
18.A solid is built from centimetre cubes: a base layer of 2 rows of 3 cubes each (a 3 by 2 rectangle of cubes), with one extra cube placed on top of one corner cube of that base. Looking down from directly above (the plan view), how many squares are visible?
(a)3
(b)5
(c)7
(d)6
19.A school trip costs a £15 deposit plus £9 per student for the coach. The total cost for a class is £186. Work out how many students went on the trip.
(a)22.33
(b)20.67
(c)19
(d)11.8
20.A cyclist's velocity increases from 3 m/s to 11 m/s over 5 seconds, at a constant rate. Work out the cyclist's acceleration, in m/s².
(a)0.625 m/s²
(b)1.6 m/s²
(c)8 m/s²
(d)2.2 m/s²

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.