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 metal cube has a mass of 540 g and a volume of 60 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³.
(a)0.11 g/cm³
(b)9 g/cm³
(c)480 g/cm³
(d)32400 g/cm³
2.The graph of y = f(x) has a minimum turning point at (3, 2). Write down the coordinates of the minimum turning point of the graph of y = f(x) + 5.
(a)(3, 7)
(b)(−2, 2)
(c)(8, 2)
(d)(3, −3)
3.A tangent to the graph of population against time at the point where t = 4 passes through (2, 180) and (6, 260). Work out the instantaneous rate of change of the population at t = 4, in people per year.
(a)20 people/year
(b)84 people/year
(c)80 people/year
(d)−20 people/year
4.In triangle ABC, AB = 9 cm, AC = 6 cm and angle BAC = 110°. Work out the length of BC. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)11.6 cm
(b)153.9 cm
(c)12.4 cm
(d)8.9 cm
5.A raffle sells 400 tickets at 50p each. There is one prize of £45. Aisha buys 8 tickets. Work out how much money Aisha should expect to lose from playing, giving your answer in pounds.
(a)£4.00
(b)£0.90
(c)£3.10
(d)£3.89
6.A school has 1,000 pupils. A student wants to estimate how many of them walk to school, so she asks 8 pupils in her own class. She says her sample is large enough to give a reliable estimate for the whole school. Is she right? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes — any sample size is equally reliable.
(b)No — because the sample was not taken online.
(c)No — 8 from one class is too small to represent the school.
(d)Yes — because 8 is more than half of her class.
7.Work out how many factors 100 has.
(a)8
(b)4
(c)9
(d)10
8.Describe a sequence of two transformations that maps the graph of y = cos x onto the graph of y = cos(x + 90°) − 2.
y = cos(x)
(a)Translate −90° in x, then translate +2 in y.
(b)Translate −90° in x, then translate −2 in y.
(c)Reflect in the x-axis, then translate −90° in x.
(d)Translate +90° in x, then translate −2 in y.
9.A rope of length A is 1.5 times as long as a rope of length B. Write the ratio A : B in its simplest form.
(a)2 : 3
(b)3 : 5
(c)3 : 2
(d)1.5 : 1
10.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.
(a)28 cm
(b)48 cm²
(c)80 cm²
(d)32 cm²
11.On the probability scale from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain), evens is exactly halfway. An event is 3/10 more likely than evens. Work out the probability of that event, giving your answer as a decimal.
(a)0.53
(b)1.30
(c)0.30
(d)0.80
12.Write these numbers in order, starting with the largest: 7/8, 0.8, 78%, 17/20
(a)7/8, 17/20, 0.8, 78%
(b)7/8, 0.8, 17/20, 78%
(c)78%, 0.8, 17/20, 7/8
(d)17/20, 7/8, 0.8, 78%
13.A zip-line runs from a platform 25 m high to a landing point 5 m high, over a horizontal distance of 40 m. Work out the gradient of the zip-line.
(a)2
(b)−0.5
(c)0.5
(d)−0.8
14.A river 120 km long is drawn as a line 6 cm long on a map. Work out the scale of the map.
(a)1 : 2 000 000
(b)1 : 200 000
(c)1 : 12 000 000
(d)1 : 20 000
15.The diagram shows a cuboid. Work out the area of its front elevation, in square centimetres.
(a)12 cm²
(b)20 cm²
(c)24 cm²
(d)18 cm²
16.A straight line has gradient −3 and passes through the point (0, 1). Work out the value of y when x = 2.
(a)7
(b)−5
(c)5
(d)−7
17.A fixed job of fitting a solar array is shared between installers, and the time taken is inversely proportional to the number of installers working on it at once. With 4 installers the job takes 18 hours. Construct the equation connecting time T and number of installers n, then work out how long it would take with 6 installers.
(a)27 hours
(b)72 hours
(c)18 hours
(d)12 hours
18.A drone starts at the point (2, −3) on a coordinate grid. It flies by the vector $(4 6)$ and then by the vector $(- 9 - 1)$ . Write down the column vector that would take the drone straight back to its starting point.
(a) $(- 5 - 5)$
(b) $(5 - 5)$
(c) $(- 5 5)$
(d) $(- 13 - 7)$
19.A graph has equation y = −2x² + 5. Which statement about its shape is correct?
y = -2x² + 5
(a)It is U-shaped, since x² is always positive.
(b)It is a straight line, because of the constant term +5.
(c)It repeatedly rises and falls, like a wave shape.
(d)It is n-shaped, since the x² coefficient is negative.
20.A proof sets out to show that the sum of the squares of two consecutive odd numbers, written as 2n + 1 and 2n + 3, is always 2 more than a multiple of 8. Four attempts to expand (2n + 1)² + (2n + 3)² and reach a conclusion are shown below. Which attempt correctly proves this claim?
(a)(2n + 1)² + (2n + 3)² = (4n² + 4n + 1) + (4n² + 9) = 8n² + 4n + 10 = 4(2n² + n + 2) + 2, so the sum is always 2 more than a multiple of 4.
(b)(2n + 1)² + (2n + 3)² = (4n² + 4n + 1) + (4n² + 12n + 9) = 8n² + 16n + 10 = 2(4n² + 8n + 5), and 4n² + 8n + 5 is an integer, so the sum is always even, which means it is a multiple of 8.
(c)(2n + 1)² + (2n + 3)² = (4n² + 4n + 1) + (4n² + 12n + 9) = 8n² + 16n + 10 = 8(n² + 2n + 1) + 2, and n² + 2n + 1 is an integer, so the sum is always 2 more than a multiple of 8.
(d)(2n + 1)² + (2n + 3)² = (4n² + 4n + 1) + (4n² + 12n + 9) = 8n² + 16n + 10 = 8(n² + 2n) + 10, so the sum is always 10 more than a multiple of 8.

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.