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.The simultaneous equations kx + 2y = 4 and 3x + y = 5 have no solution. Work out the value of k.
(a)k = −6
(b)k = 6
(c)k = 2/3
(d)k = 3
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 rhombus has all four sides equal in length, but it is not a square — its angles are not all 90°. How many lines of symmetry does this rhombus have?
(a)2
(b)1
(c)4
(d)0
5.A red fair dice and a blue fair dice are rolled together. Every outcome is listed as an ordered pair, red score then blue score. Work out the probability that the red score is less than the blue score.
(a)7/12
(b)5/12
(c)5/36
(d)1/2
6.A scatter graph of the number of hours, x, that pupils revised against their test score, y, has the line of best fit y = 2.5x + 15. Amelia wants a score of at least 80. Work out the least whole number of hours of revision the line of best fit suggests she needs.
y = 2.5x + 15
(a)26
(b)27
(c)38
(d)32
7.Work out the value of $2^{3} + 3^{2}$ .
(a)17
(b)72
(c)12
(d)−1
8.Two brothers have ages that add up to 30. The elder brother is 6 years older than the younger brother. Work out the age of the younger brother.
(a)24
(b)18
(c)15
(d)12
9.A car is bought for £12000. Its value falls by 15% in the first year and by 10% in each year after that. Work out the value of the car 3 years after it was bought.
(a)£8748
(b)£9180
(c)£7800
(d)£8262
10.Two similar triangles have lengths in the ratio 3 : 4. The perimeter of the smaller triangle is 24 cm. Work out the perimeter of the larger triangle.
(a)18 cm
(b)25 cm
(c)32 cm
(d)8 cm
11.A garage services 200 cars in one week. 120 of the cars are petrol cars and the rest are diesel cars. 30 of the petrol cars and 24 of the diesel cars fail the service. One of the cars that failed is picked at random. Work out the probability that it is a diesel car.
(a)4/9
(b)3/25
(c)3/10
(d)2/5
12.Write 0.35 as a fraction in its lowest terms.
(a)7/25
(b)35/10
(c)3/10
(d)7/20
13.A model rocket's height is given by h = −5t² + 20t, where h is in metres and t is in seconds. A student says the graph of h against t is n-shaped. Which statement gives the correct verdict on the SHAPE and the reason that settles it from the equation?
(a)Yes — the t² coefficient is negative, giving an n-shape.
(b)No — it is U-shaped, since height starts by increasing.
(c)No — the shape comes from the story, not the coefficient.
(d)Yes, but only because the rocket eventually lands.
14.The ratio of cats to dogs in a shelter is 3:4. There are 18 cats. Work out the total number of animals in the shelter.
(a)42
(b)126
(c)25
(d)24
15.Two similar bottles have heights in the ratio 1 : 2. Write down the ratio of their volumes.
(a)1 : 8
(b)1 : 4
(c)1 : 6
(d)1 : 2
16.Points A(8, 15) and B(−8, 15) both lie on the circle x² + y² = 289, which has centre (0, 0). Work out the length of the chord AB.
(a)16
(b)17
(c)34
(d)8
17.In one batch of shortbread, a bakery uses 240 g of butter and 160 g of sugar. Another batch, made in the same ratio, uses 90 g of sugar. Work out how much butter is needed for the second batch.
(a)240 g
(b)170 g
(c)135 g
(d)60 g
18.A parallelogram-shaped tile has two sides of 6 cm and 9 cm, with an angle of 60° between them. Work out the area of the tile. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)27.0 cm²
(b)46.8 cm²
(c)13.0 cm²
(d)23.4 cm²
19.To solve 5x − 4 = 2x + 8, Chloe's working is shown. Line 1: 5x − 4 = 2x + 8. Line 2: 3x − 4 = 8. Line 3: 3x = 4. Line 4: x = 4/3. Chloe has made a mistake in her working. Which line contains the mistake?
(a)Line 1
(b)Line 2
(c)Line 4
(d)Line 3
20.A graph shows the total monthly cost of a mobile phone tariff against the number of minutes of calls. The line starts at £12 and stays level until 200 minutes, then rises by 5p for each further minute of calls. Use the graph to work out the total cost of a month in which 250 minutes of calls are made.
(a)£14.50
(b)£13.50
(c)£12.50
(d)£24.50

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.