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
GCSE Higher sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.The highest common factor of two numbers is 4 and their lowest common multiple is 60. One of the numbers is 20. Work out the other number.
- 2.The graph of y = f(x) has roots at x = −1 and x = 4, and crosses the y-axis at (0, −8). Which statement about the graph of y = f(x − 3) is correct?
- 3.A candidate wants to estimate the instantaneous rate of change of a reservoir's water level, in metres, at t = 5 days after heavy rain began. The reservoir's water level is plotted against time, in days, since the rain began. The candidate uses the chord joining the points at t = 0 days and t = 20 days to estimate the rate of change at t = 5 days. Give a reason why this is likely to be a poor estimate.
- 4.Quadrilateral PQRS has angle P = 92°, angle Q = 84° and angle R = 106°. Work out the size of angle S.
- 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.
- 6.Work out the median of these six numbers: 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 47
- 7.4ˣ = 64. Work out the value of x.
- 8.Which of these statements is an identity?
- 9.A model car is built at a scale of 1 : 20 compared with the real car. Work out the factor by which the surface area to be painted on the real car is bigger than the surface area of the model.
- 10.At a cycling event, a circular track has centre O. Two flags, F and M, are fixed on the track. A course marker P is also on the track, positioned so that angle FOP = 55° and angle POM = 43°, with P between F and M as seen from O. A spectator S stands on the major arc FM, on the opposite side of the track from P. The event programme needs angle FSM. Work out angle FSM.
- 11.A survey of 60 readers records: 21 read only fiction, 17 read only non-fiction, 14 read both, and the rest read neither. Work out the probability that a randomly chosen reader reads exactly one of the two types, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 12.Work out the value of 2⁻⁴
- 13.Work out the gradient of the straight line with equation 3y = 12 − 6x.
- 14.The ratio of the amount Noah has saved to the amount Grace has saved is 4:5. Noah has saved £200. Work out how much they have saved altogether.
- 15.A shape is made by joining two rectangles edge to edge, with no overlap. One rectangle measures 12 cm by 4 cm and the other measures 4 cm by 8 cm. Work out the total area of the shape.
- 16.A recipe gives the cooking time, in minutes, for a chicken as T = 40m + 20, where m is the mass in kg. A chicken has a mass of 1.8 kg. Work out the cooking time in hours and minutes.
- 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.
- 18.A tile manufacturer cuts a hexagonal tile so that all six sides measure exactly 4 cm, but a check shows only two pairs of the six interior angles are equal to each other, not all six angles. The customer's order specifies regular hexagonal tiles. Based on the check, is this tile a regular hexagon?
- 19.Solve (2x + 1)/3 = 5
- 20.A company charges for hiring chairs for a day. Hiring 1 chair costs £12, hiring 2 chairs costs £19, hiring 3 chairs costs £26, and hiring 4 chairs costs £33. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the cost in pounds of hiring n chairs for a day.
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.