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%.

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 2 (calculator)

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

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

1.Work out (8 × 10⁻⁵) × (5 × 10³). Give your answer in standard form.
(a)4 × 10⁻⁸
(b)4 × 10⁻¹⁵
(c)4 × 10⁻¹
(d)40 × 10⁻²
2.Expand and simplify 4(2x − 1) − 3(x + 2) − 5x
(a)−10
(b)5x − 10
(c)2
(d)−7
3.Two hikers' journeys are shown on separate distance-time graphs. Hiker A's graph has gradient 4.5 km/h. Hiker B's graph has gradient 3.2 km/h. Work out how much faster Hiker A walks than Hiker B, in km/h.
(a)1.3
(b)−1.3
(c)7.7
(d)14.4
4.A cuboid has a length, width and height that are all different from each other. How many planes of symmetry does it have?
(a)9
(b)3
(c)1
(d)6
5.For two events A and B, P(A) = 0.6 and P(A and B) = 0.15. Work out P(B | A).
(a)0.15
(b)0.09
(c)0.25
(d)0.45
6.A vet records the masses, m kg, of 30 dogs at a clinic in Preston: 0 < m ≤ 10 — 11 dogs, 10 < m ≤ 20 — 5 dogs, 20 < m ≤ 30 — 5 dogs, 30 < m ≤ 40 — 9 dogs. Work out an estimate for the mean mass, in kg, using the midpoint of each class interval.
(a)5 kg
(b)570 kg
(c)20 kg
(d)19 kg
7.The radius of a circular pond is given as 3.2 m, correct to 1 decimal place. Calculate the upper bound for the area of the pond, giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
(a)33.2
(b)31.2
(c)32.2
(d)10.2
8.A runner's journey is shown on a distance-time graph: she runs 8 km in the first hour, rests for 30 minutes with no distance gained, then runs a further 4 km in the next 30 minutes. Work out her average speed for the whole journey, in kilometres per hour.
(a)12 km/h
(b)8 km/h
(c)6 km/h
(d)4 km/h
9.Simplify the ratio 12 : 18 : 30 to its simplest form.
(a)3:2:5
(b)4:6:10
(c)6:9:15
(d)2:3:5
10.A regular pentagon has centre O. Each vertex is 8 cm from O, and each of the 5 triangles formed by joining O to the vertices is isosceles with an angle of 72° at O. Work out the area of the pentagon. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)304.3 cm²
(b)182.6 cm²
(c)152.2 cm²
(d)30.4 cm²
11.At a fête, a game costs £3 to play. The probability of winning is 0.1, and each win pays out £20. 150 people play the game. Work out the fête's expected profit from the game.
(a)£150
(b)£450
(c)£300
(d)£1
12.A minibus can carry 16 passengers. A school is taking 179 pupils on a trip. By rounding 179 to the nearest 10, work out an estimate for the number of minibuses needed, given that the school cannot hire part of a minibus.
(a)180
(b)12
(c)10
(d)11
13.Which expression is equivalent to 7x − 3(2x − 6)?
(a)13x − 18
(b)x − 18
(c)x + 18
(d)x + 6
14.Two mathematically similar logos are printed on a poster. They have areas 20 cm² and 45 cm². Nadia says that the length scale factor from the smaller logo to the larger logo is 45 ÷ 20 = 2.25. Give a reason why Nadia is incorrect, and work out the correct length scale factor.
(a)2.25
(b)0.67
(c)4.5
(d)1.5
15.In a phone game, a character starts at the point (−5, 2) on a grid. It moves by the vector $(- 9 6)$ to collect a coin. The player now wants the character's next single move to finish at the point (3, 0). Write down the column vector of that second move.
(a) $(- 2 8)$
(b) $(- 7 - 2)$
(c) $(7 2)$
(d) $(- 7 4)$
16.Solve 4(x − 3) = 2x + 6.
(a)4.5
(b)−3
(c)3
(d)9
17.A jug of squash is made by mixing water and syrup in the ratio 6:1. Nia wants to make 8.4 litres of squash. Work out how much syrup she needs, in litres.
(a)0.84
(b)1.4
(c)1.2
(d)7.2
18.A hexagonal prism lies on a table. A flat cut is made straight across it, at right angles to its length (so the cut is parallel to the two identical end faces). What shape is the cross-section?
(a)Pentagon
(b)Hexagon
(c)Rectangle
(d)Triangle
19.The diagram shows the graph of $y = x^{2} - x - 2$ , together with the horizontal line $y = 3$ . Use the graphs to estimate, to 1 decimal place, the two solutions of $x^{2} - x - 2 = 3$ .
(a)x = −1.8 and x = 2.8
(b)x = −3.0 and x = 4.0
(c)x = 1.8 and x = 2.8
(d)x = −1.0 and x = 2.0
20.Write down the expression that means the same as (x + 7) ÷ 4.
(a)4(x + 7)
(b)4/(x + 7)
(c)(x + 7)/4
(d)(x + 7) − 4

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.