Sample paper · GCSE Higher · grades 4–9

GCSE Higher sample Paper 2 (calculator)

The real Paper 2 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, 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 a calculator allowed. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 40% / 30% / 30%.

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GCSE Higher sample Paper 2 (calculator)

Maths · GCSE Higher · Paper 2 · Calculator · 20 questions

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1.A car travels 100 km, correct to the nearest km, in a time of 2 hours, correct to the nearest 0.1 hour. Work out the average speed, in km/h, to the greatest degree of accuracy the bounds can guarantee.
(a)49 km/h
(b)48.54 km/h
(c)52 km/h
(d)50 km/h
2.The curve y = x² − 1 and the line y = 3x − 3 meet at two points. Work out the x-coordinates of those two points.
y = 3x − 3y = x² − 1
(a)x = −1 and x = −2
(b)x = −1 and x = 4
(c)x = 1 and x = −1
(d)x = 1 and x = 2
3.Priya is paid £58.50 for working 7.5 hours on a Saturday. Work out her rate of pay, in £ per hour.
(a)£7.80
(b)£438.75
(c)£51.00
(d)£0.13
4.A shopkeeper builds a display from two cuboid boxes, shown in the diagram. She wants to cover the front of the display with coloured paper. Work out the total area of the front elevation, in square centimetres.
(a)4700 cm²
(b)2000 cm²
(c)7200 cm²
(d)2700 cm²
5.At a school car park, each car is a saloon, an estate or a hatchback, and no car is more than one of these. Among 200 cars, the probability that a car chosen at random is a saloon is 0.28 and the probability that it is an estate is 0.37. Work out how many of the 200 cars are hatchbacks.
(a)130
(b)70
(c)65
(d)35
6.A café owner in Brighton records the midday temperature, x °C, and the number of hot chocolates sold, y, on 12 days. The temperatures recorded run from 4 °C to 18 °C, and the line of best fit is y = −3x + 74. The forecast for tomorrow gives a midday temperature of 12 °C. Work out the number the line of best fit predicts, and write down how much confidence the owner can have in it.
y = -3x + 74
(a)38, and completely certain, as the line gives exact sales
(b)110, and fairly confident, as 12 °C is inside the range
(c)38, but little confidence, as 12 °C is outside the range
(d)38, and fairly confident, as 12 °C is inside the range
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.A circle has centre (0, 0) and passes through the point (12, 35). Work out the equation of the circle.
(a)x² + y² = 1225
(b)x² + y² = 1369
(c)x² + y² = 144
(d)x² + y² = 2209
9.A lorry is carrying a load of mass m tonnes. Given that 1 tonne = 1000 kg, write down an expression for the mass of the load in kilograms.
(a)1000m
(b)m − 1000
(c)m/1000
(d)1000 + m
10.The angle between north and a footpath is 35°, measured clockwise from north. What is the three-figure bearing of the footpath?
(a)035°
(b)325°
(c)350°
(d)215°
11.A charity fundraiser runs a game using a spinner with 5 equal sections numbered 1 to 5. A player wins a £4 prize if the spinner lands on 5, and wins nothing otherwise. It costs £1 to play, and the game is played 100 times during the fundraiser. Decide which statement correctly describes the game.
(a)Player favoured — expected pay-out is over £1
(b)Organiser favoured — expected pay-out is under £1
(c)Fair to both — expected pay-out equals £1
(d)Organiser favoured — expected pay-out is over £1
12.Simplify x⁽³⁄⁴⁾ ÷ x⁽¹⁄⁴⁾
(a)x
(b)x⁽³⁄¹⁶⁾
(c)x³
(d)x⁽¹⁄²⁾
13.A sequence is defined by aₙ = aₙ₋₁ + aₙ₋₂ for n ≥ 3. Given that a₃ = 11 and a₅ = 29, work out a₁.
(a)4
(b)3
(c)7
(d)18
14.A car is bought for £9000. Its value decreases by 8% each year. Work out its value after 2 years.
(a)£7560.00
(b)£10497.60
(c)£7617.60
(d)£8280.00
15.In triangle ABC and triangle DEF, the angle at A equals the angle at D, and AB ÷ DE = AC ÷ DF. Write down what this proves about the two triangles.
(a)Congruent, by SSS
(b)Congruent, by SAS
(c)Similar, by AA
(d)Similar, by SAS
16.The expression 6n + 15 is written as 3(2n + 5). Which statement is correct?
(a)3 and 2n + 5 are the two terms of 6n + 15
(b)6n and 15 are the factors of 6n + 15
(c)3 and 2n + 5 are both factors of 6n + 15
(d)3 is the only factor of 6n + 15
17.A shop's profit, P pounds, is in direct proportion to the number of items sold, n. When 15 items are sold, the profit is £45. Write down the ratio n : P in its simplest form for this shop.
(a)1 : 45
(b)3 : 1
(c)1 : 3
(d)15 : 3
18.In triangle ABC, angle ABC = 72° and angle ACB = 48°. Side AB = (2x + 1) cm and side AC = (3x − 2) cm. Work out the value of x. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)4.7
(b)7.4
(c)1.9
(d)3.0
19.A sequence has nth term 3n + 4. Two terms are missing from the list of its first five terms: 7, 10, _, 16, _. Work out the missing 3rd and 5th terms added together.
(a)28
(b)38
(c)32
(d)33
20.A geometric sequence begins 162, 54, 18, 6, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
(a)2
(b)3
(c)−6
(d)18

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.