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

VersionsA only A + B A + B + Csame questions, different order

AnswersQuestions only With answer key Key only

New sheet

GCSE Higher sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

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

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.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
2.A market stall's cost of hiring n tables is modelled by two formulas: Formula A: C = 3(2n + 5); Formula B: C = 6n + 15, where C is in pounds. A stallholder says the two formulas always give the same cost. Work out the cost given by each formula when n = 4, and use your results to decide whether the stallholder is correct.
(a)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but the stallholder is wrong because the two formulas use a different number of terms.
(b)Formula A gives £29 and Formula B gives £39, so the stallholder is wrong.
(c)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but this is only true when n = 4, so the stallholder is wrong.
(d)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, and since 3(2n + 5) expands to 6n + 15 for every value of n, the stallholder is correct.
3.A recipe for 8 people needs 320 g of rice. Sanjay scales the recipe down to serve 5 people, then wants to scale his new amount back up to serve 8 people again. Work out the multiplier he should use to scale his amount for 5 people back up to the amount for 8 people.
(a)8/5
(b)3/5
(c)25/64
(d)5/8
4.A cuboid measures 5 cm long (left to right), 3 cm deep (front to back) and 2 cm tall. Its front elevation is 5 cm wide by 2 cm high. Its side elevation is 3 cm wide by 2 cm high. What are the dimensions of its plan view, looking down from above?
(a)5 cm by 2 cm
(b)5 cm by 3 cm
(c)3 cm by 2 cm
(d)5 cm by 5 cm
5.A garden centre recorded 240 plant sales using a frequency tree. The first stage splits the sales into three types: shrubs, bedding plants and trees. 96 sales were shrubs, 114 were bedding plants and the rest were trees. Work out the probability that a sale chosen at random from these 240 was a tree.
(a)2/5
(b)1/8
(c)19/40
(d)3/40
6.The weekly wages of the five people who work at a small garage in Norwich are £420, £440, £460, £480 and £1,500. Write down which average better describes a typical wage at this garage, and give a reason for your answer.
(a)The median, as the one very large wage does not move it
(b)The median, as it is always larger than the mean
(c)The mean, as it is the only average using all five wages
(d)The mean, as £660 lies between the smallest and largest
7.Work out the value of (√5)⁴
(a)25
(b)625
(c)20
(d)5
8.On Monday, a runner covers 15 km in 2.5 hours. On Tuesday, she covers 12 km in 1.5 hours. Using the formula speed = distance ÷ time, work out on which day she ran faster, and by how much.
(a)Tuesday, by 2 km/h
(b)Tuesday, by 8 km/h
(c)Tuesday, by 3 km/h
(d)Monday, by 2 km/h
9.The tangent to a curve at the point where x = 4 has equation y = 3x − 2. Work out the instantaneous rate of change of y with respect to x at x = 4.
y = 3x − 2
(a)−2
(b)4
(c)3
(d)10
10.A shop stacks identical storage crates in a display. The diagram shows the plan of the floor positions used, with one corner position marked. Every floor position is filled with crates stacked 3 high, except the marked corner position, which is left completely empty. Work out how many crates are used in total.
(a)33
(b)11
(c)36
(d)35
11.A fair six-sided dice is rolled 300 times. Work out how many more times you would expect it to land on an even number than on a six.
(a)50
(b)150
(c)100
(d)200
12.Simplify √8 + √18, giving your answer in the form k√2.
(a)5√2
(b)√26
(c)7√2
(d)11√2
13.A candidate solves the inequality x² > 9 and writes: "x² > 9, so x > 3." Which of these is a correct comment on the candidate's work?
(a)Wrong — the correct solution is −3 < x < 3.
(b)Right, but x = −3 and x = 3 should also work.
(c)Right — square rooting both sides gives x > 3.
(d)Wrong — the correct solution is x < −3 or x > 3.
14.Write 250 g : 2 kg as a ratio in its simplest form.
(a)1:8
(b)5:40
(c)125:1
(d)8:1
15.A triangle has vertices A(0, 0), B(10, 0) and C(5, 12). Work out the area of the triangle.
(a)120 units²
(b)60 units²
(c)30 units²
(d)65 units²
16.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
(a)£315
(b)£108
(c)£135
(d)£195
17.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
18.In a construction, a point P is marked at the foot of the perpendicular drawn from point X to a straight line. Which statement correctly compares the distance XP with the distance from X to any other point on the line?
(a)XP cannot be compared without knowing the line's length
(b)XP equals every other distance from X to the line
(c)XP is the longest distance from X to the line
(d)XP is the shortest distance from X to the line
19.A rope of length L metres is cut into 6 equal pieces, and 4 metres is then removed from one piece. Write an expression, in metres, for the length of that piece after the cut.
(a)(L − 4)/6
(b)L/6 + 4
(c)4 − L/6
(d)L/6 − 4
20.A circle has centre (0, 0) and passes through the point (5, 12). Work out the equation of the circle.
(a)x² + y² = 119
(b)x² + y² = 169
(c)x² + y² = 17
(d)x² + y² = 13

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.