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%.

Non-calculatorGCSE Higher

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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.A jug holds 1.8 litres of juice. Priya pours out 3/4 of a litre to fill a glass. Work out how much juice is left in the jug, in millilitres.
(a)1725 ml
(b)50 ml
(c)2550 ml
(d)1050 ml
2.A circle has centre (0, 0) and equation x² + y² = 50. Work out the radius of the circle, giving your answer as a surd in its simplest form.
(a)50
(b)25
(c)25√2
(d)5√2
3.The width, the length and the height of a box are in the ratio 3:4:5. The length of the box is 16 cm. Work out the height of the box.
(a)20 cm
(b)80 cm
(c)4 cm
(d)12 cm
4.To construct the perpendicular from a point P to a line l, where P is a point above l, an arc centred at P is drawn to cross l at two points, X and Y. What is the correct next step?
(a)Draw equal arcs from X and Y, meeting below line l.
(b)Draw an arc centred at P through only one of X or Y.
(c)Join X and Y with a straight line.
(d)Draw a circle through X, Y and P.
5.A café offers 3 types of sandwich, cheese, ham and egg, and 4 types of drink, tea, coffee, juice and water. A customer chooses one sandwich and one drink at random. Work out the probability that the customer chooses egg and water.
(a)1/7
(b)1/3
(c)1/4
(d)1/12
6.Two classes sat the same test. The 30 pupils in Class A had a mean mark of 72. The 20 pupils in Class B had a mean mark of 82. Work out the mean mark of all 50 pupils.
(a)3800 marks
(b)78 marks
(c)76 marks
(d)77 marks
7.A recipe for one cake needs 2/3 of a cup of sugar. Priya has 3 1/2 cups of sugar. Work out how many complete cakes she can make.
(a)5.25
(b)5
(c)6
(d)7
8.The equation x² − 6x + k = 0 has exactly one solution. Work out the value of k.
(a)k = −9
(b)k = 9
(c)k = 3
(d)k = 36
9.A straight-line graph shows the number of pages printed, p, plotted against the time in minutes, t, since a printer started a print job. The line passes through the points (2, 30) and (5, 90). Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)18
(b)20
(c)0.05
(d)−20
10.In parallelogram PQRS, angle P = 65°. Which reason correctly explains why angle R = 65°?
(a)opposite angles of a parallelogram are equal
(b)co-interior angles add up to 180°
(c)alternate angles are equal
(d)angles on a straight line add up to 180°
11.A council surveyed 140 households about recycling. 85 of the households are in Zone A. 52 of the Zone A households recycle glass. 21 of the Zone B households do not recycle glass. Work out the probability that a household, chosen at random from the 140, recycles glass. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)43/70
(b)73/140
(c)13/35
(d)17/70
12.During one night on a mountain, four hikers each recorded the temperature they felt: Ben −6 °C, Priya −2 °C, Sam −9 °C, Alex 1 °C. Work out the difference between the coldest and the warmest of these four temperatures.
(a)10 °C
(b)3 °C
(c)8 °C
(d)7 °C
13.A graph has equation y = x² − 6x + 5. A student says its turning point has x-coordinate 6, because that's the coefficient of x. Which statement corrects the student's mistake?
y = x² − 6x + 5
(a)The student is correct, because the turning point's x-coordinate always equals the coefficient of x.
(b)The turning point has x-coordinate −6, because the sign of the coefficient must be reversed.
(c)The turning point has x-coordinate 5, because that is the larger of the equation's two roots.
(d)The roots of x² − 6x + 5 = 0 are x = 1 and x = 5 (since it factorises to (x − 1)(x − 5)), so by symmetry the turning point has x-coordinate 3, not 6.
14.A train journey takes 2 hours 15 minutes. A bus journey to the same place takes 3 hours 45 minutes. Write the time for the train journey as a fraction of the time for the bus journey, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)2/5
(b)5/3
(c)3/8
(d)3/5
15.Triangle ABC has AB = (2x + 3) cm, BC = 11 cm and angle B = 90°. Triangle DEF has DE = 13 cm, EF = 11 cm and angle E = 90°. Given that the two triangles are congruent by SAS, work out the value of x.
(a)4
(b)10
(c)8
(d)5
16.A rectangular photo has length (x + 3) cm and width x cm. Its area is 40 cm². Work out the value of x.
(a)x = −8
(b)x = 5
(c)x = 5 or x = −8
(d)x = 4
17.A rectangular garden has its length and width in the ratio 5:3. Given that the perimeter of the garden is 64 m, work out the width of the garden.
(a)8 m
(b)24 m
(c)12 m
(d)20 m
18.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 14 cm. One of the other angles is 30°. Work out the exact length of the side opposite the 30° angle.
(a)28 cm
(b)7 cm
(c)7√3 cm
(d)14/√3 cm
19.A quadratic graph y = ax² + bx + c has its turning point on the y-axis. Which statement about its roots must be true?
(a)The two roots must both be positive.
(b)The graph has no roots at all.
(c)The graph must touch the x-axis at exactly one point.
(d)If the graph has two real roots, they are equal and opposite in value, so they sum to zero.
20.Which of these values of x is a solution of x² + 2x − 15 = 0?
(a)x = 3
(b)x = 5
(c)x = 15
(d)x = −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.