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.Work out (6 × 10⁷) + (3 × 10⁶). Give your answer in standard form.
(a)9 × 10¹³
(b)9 × 10⁶
(c)6.3 × 10⁷
(d)9 × 10⁷
2.The numbers x and y satisfy x + y = 10 and xy = 21. Work out the pair of values.
(a)3 and 7
(b)−3 and −7
(c)5 and 5
(d)1 and 21
3.Two mathematically similar triangular flags have areas in the ratio 4 : 25. The height of the smaller flag is 6 cm. Work out the height of the larger flag.
(a)15 cm
(b)27 cm
(c)37.5 cm
(d)2.4 cm
4.A, B, C and D are points on a circle, and ABCD is a cyclic quadrilateral with the vertices in that order around the circle. Angle ABC = 108° and angle ADC = 72°. Which circle theorem is the reason that angle ABC + angle ADC = 180°?
(a)The angle at the centre is twice the circumference angle
(b)The angle between a tangent and a radius is 90°
(c)The angle in a semicircle is 90°
(d)Opposite angles in a cyclic quadrilateral sum to 180°
5.A spinner can land on red, blue, green or yellow. The probability that it lands on red is 0.24 and the probability that it lands on yellow is 0.16. The probabilities of landing on blue and on green are equal, and each is called x. Work out the value of x.
(a)0.30
(b)0.15
(c)0.60
(d)0.38
6.A call centre records the length, t seconds, of 100 calls: 0 ≤ t < 20, 15 calls; 20 ≤ t < 30, 24 calls; 30 ≤ t < 50, 40 calls; 50 ≤ t < 80, 21 calls. The manager's target is for a call to be finished in under 35 seconds. Estimate the number of calls that met the target.
(a)49
(b)79
(c)69
(d)39
7.Work out (−36) ÷ (−6) × 2
(a)3
(b)6
(c)12
(d)−12
8.Work out the coordinates of the point where the graph of y = 2x − 6 crosses the x-axis.
y = 2x − 6
(a)(−3, 0)
(b)(6, 0)
(c)(0, −6)
(d)(3, 0)
9.An amount of money is shared in the ratio 1:2:3. The largest share is £90 more than the smallest share. Work out the total amount that was shared.
(a)£180
(b)£540
(c)£135
(d)£270
10.A triangle has vertices A(0, 0), B(10, 0) and C(5, 12). Work out the area of the triangle.
(a)120 units²
(b)60 units²
(c)30 units²
(d)65 units²
11.A grower knows that the probability that one of their seeds germinates is 0.6. The grower wants to expect 300 of the seeds to germinate. Work out how many seeds the grower should plant.
(a)120
(b)180
(c)500
(d)750
12.Work out how many factors 36 has.
(a)5
(b)10
(c)8
(d)9
13.The nth term of a sequence is n² − 2n + 5. Work out the 10th term.
(a)68
(b)85
(c)80
(d)125
14.A printer's ink cartridge level, I millilitres, is plotted against the number of pages printed, p, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 24) and (300, 9). The printer has now printed 300 pages. Work out how many more pages it can print before the cartridge is empty.
(a)480 pages
(b)0.45 pages
(c)180 pages
(d)9 pages
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.Line P has equation y = −2x + 5 and line Q has equation 2y = x + 6. Are lines P and Q perpendicular to each other?
y = -2x + 5y = x + 6
(a)Yes — the gradients multiply to −2 × 1/2 = −1.
(b)No — the product is −1, but perpendicular needs 1.
(c)No — Q's gradient is 2, and −2 × 2 = −4, not −1.
(d)Yes — both equations have a negative x-term.
17.A furniture designer makes a scale model of a wardrobe using a scale of 1 : 8. The real wardrobe is 2.4 m tall and 1.2 m wide. Work out the perimeter of the front face of the model wardrobe, in centimetres.
(a)510 cm
(b)720 cm
(c)11.25 cm
(d)90 cm
18.A right-angled triangle has its two shorter sides equal to 8 cm and 15 cm. Work out the value of cos θ, where θ is the angle opposite the 8 cm side. Give your answer as a fraction.
(a)17/15
(b)8/17
(c)15/17
(d)8/15
19.A ball is dropped and bounces. The height of each bounce after the first is 8 cm less than the bounce before it. The first bounce reaches 60 cm. Work out the height of the 5th bounce.
(a)40
(b)92
(c)20
(d)28
20.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

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.