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 courier's van has a weight limit of 850 kg for its parcels. The driver's display shows the total mass of the parcels loaded as 850 kg, correct to the nearest 5 kg. Decide whether the parcels are definitely within the weight limit.
(a)Yes, the true mass is at least 847.5 kg and at most 850 kg
(b)No, the true mass could be as high as 852.5 kg
(c)Yes, the display reads 850 kg, which is not above the limit
(d)No, 850 kg on the display rounds up to 855 kg
2.f(x) = x + 2 and g(x) = x². Work out the value of x for which fg(x) = gf(x).
y = x + 2
(a)1.5
(b)0
(c)−0.5
(d)no solution
3.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 6 : 10 : 14?
(a)8:12:16
(b)3:5:8
(c)9:15:21
(d)12:20:14
4.Triangle XYZ has angle X = 90°. Angle Y = 34°. Work out angle Z.
(a)56°
(b)146°
(c)34°
(d)124°
5.Two fair spinners are each numbered 1, 2 and 3. Priya spins both spinners together and records the two numbers as a pair, listing every possible outcome systematically in a grid. Work out the probability that the two numbers are the same.
(a)1/2
(b)1/9
(c)2/3
(d)1/3
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.Work out an estimate for 2.9² + 3.1², by rounding each number to the nearest whole number.
(a)18
(b)36
(c)6
(d)12
8.By completing the square, find the turning point of the curve y = 3x² + 12x + 7.
y = 3x² + 12x + 7
(a)x = −2, y = 5
(b)x = −4, y = −41
(c)x = 2, y = −5
(d)x = −2, y = −5
9.A recipe needs 1.2 kg of flour. Dan has 750 g of flour in his cupboard. Write the mass of flour the recipe needs as a fraction of the mass of flour Dan has. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)4/25
(b)8/13
(c)5/8
(d)8/5
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 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
12.A digital timer truncates every time to 1 decimal place. It shows a swimmer's time for one length as 12.3 seconds. Using t for the swimmer's actual time in seconds, write down the error interval for t.
(a)12.25 ≤ t < 12.35
(b)12.3 < t ≤ 12.4
(c)12.3 ≤ t < 12.4
(d)12.3 ≤ t ≤ 12.4
13.The table shows the velocity, in m/s, of a train at various times, in seconds: 0 at t = 0, 20 at t = 4, 35 at t = 10, 27 at t = 14. Assuming the velocity changes at a constant rate between each pair of readings, estimate the distance the train travels between t = 0 and t = 12, using the trapezium rule.
(a)271 m
(b)275 m
(c)282 m
(d)267 m
14.In a fruit bowl, the number of bananas is 3/4 of the number of apples. There are 16 apples in the bowl. Write the number of apples as a fraction of the number of bananas. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)3/4
(b)4/3
(c)4/7
(d)4/1
15.A student is asked to rearrange the cosine rule a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A to make cos A the subject. They write: cos A = (a² − b² − c²) / (2bc). Is the student's rearrangement correct?
(a)Yes — the sign does not matter for cos A.
(b)No — should divide by −2bc, not +2bc; sign is wrong.
(c)No — the denominator should be bc, not 2bc.
(d)Yes — the rearrangement is correct as written.
16.The function f(x) = x² for all real values of x has no inverse function, but g(x) = x² for x ≥ 0 does have one. Which statement correctly explains this?
y = x²
(a)Restricting any domain always creates an inverse
(b)Squares can never be reversed, under any conditions
(c)g's outputs are positive; f's could be negative
(d)g is one-to-one: f(3) = f(−3), removed by x ≥ 0
17.An oven is preheating. Its temperature, T °C, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The line passes through the points (2, 60) and (6, 140). Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)−20
(b)30
(c)40
(d)20
18.In triangle ABC, AB = x cm, AC = (x + 3) cm, BC = 7 cm and angle BAC = 60°. Work out the value of x.
(a)5
(b)37
(c)−8
(d)8
19.On a map, where each grid unit represents 1 km, Ravi's house is at (−3, 4) and the library is at (6, 4). Work out the distance between Ravi's house and the library.
(a)9 km
(b)0 km
(c)−9 km
(d)3 km
20.The braking distance of a car, in metres, is estimated using the formula d = 0.4v² + 6, where v is the speed in mph. A car travelling at 35 mph brakes. Work out the estimated braking distance.
(a)202
(b)490
(c)496
(d)20

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.