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 √(4 × 9)
(a)5
(b)18
(c)36
(d)6
2.Solve 4x − (2x − 6) = 18
(a)x = 6
(b)x = 3
(c)x = 12
(d)x = 24
3.A shop buys a bike for £150 and sells it, making a profit of £45. Write the selling price as a fraction of the cost price, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)13/23
(b)3/10
(c)10/13
(d)13/10
4.Sam says: '3.2 litres is the same as 320 ml, because you multiply by 100.' Which statement about Sam's claim is correct?
(a)Wrong: 1 litre = 100 ml, so his number is off.
(b)Wrong: 1 litre = 1000 ml, so 3.2 l = 3200 ml.
(c)Wrong, but only because 3.2 should round to 3.
(d)Correct: ×100 converts litres to millilitres.
5.Two ordinary fair dice are rolled and the two scores are multiplied together. Work out the probability that the product is odd.
(a)3/4
(b)1/2
(c)1/12
(d)1/4
6.A dual bar chart shows the number of hours of rain recorded in Leeds and in Bristol on each of four days. Leeds: Monday 3 hours, Tuesday 5 hours, Wednesday 2 hours, Thursday 4 hours. Bristol: Monday 4 hours, Tuesday 4 hours, Wednesday 6 hours, Thursday 2 hours. Work out the greatest amount, in hours, by which Bristol's rainfall exceeded Leeds's rainfall on a single day.
(a)1
(b)4
(c)2
(d)6
7.Simplify ⁴√(16a⁸b¹²)
(a)2a²b³
(b)2a⁴b⁶
(c)4a²b³
(d)2a²b⁴
8.A cup of tea cools after being made. Its temperature-time graph is a curve. Three tangents are drawn on the graph: at t = 2 minutes the tangent has gradient −8; at t = 10 minutes the tangent has gradient −3; at t = 20 minutes the tangent has gradient −0.5. Which of these statements about the tea's cooling is correct?
(a)Fastest at t = 20 min — largest gradient.
(b)Cools at the same rate throughout.
(c)Fastest at t = 2 min — steepest gradient.
(d)Fastest at t = 10 min — the middle reading.
9.Two investors put money into a business in the ratio 3:5. The first investor puts in £1,200. Work out the total amount invested by both investors.
(a)£2,400
(b)£2,000
(c)£3,200
(d)£6,000
10.In triangle PQR, PQ = 8 cm and QR = 11 cm. Angle QPR = 50°. A student calculates the area of the triangle as Area = 1/2 × 8 × 11 × sin 50°. Is the student's method correct?
(a)Yes — any angle works with any two sides.
(b)Yes — PQ and QR are the arms of angle QPR.
(c)No — 50° is angle P, not between PQ and QR.
(d)No — the formula needs all three sides.
11.In a game, Zara says the probability of scoring is 3/8, the probability of missing is 5/12 and the probability of a rebound is 1/6, and that these are the only three outcomes. Is Zara correct that her three probabilities are valid?
(a)Yes, because 3/8 + 5/12 + 1/6 = 1
(b)Yes, because all three fractions are between 0 and 1
(c)No, because 3/8 + 5/12 + 1/6 = 3/4
(d)No, because 3/8 + 5/12 + 1/6 = 23/24
12.In a science experiment, the temperature of a liquid is recorded as 18.6 °C, correct to the nearest 0.2 °C. Write down the error interval for the actual temperature, T °C.
(a)18.5 ≤ T ≤ 18.7
(b)18.5 ≤ T < 18.7
(c)18.4 ≤ T < 18.8
(d)18.6 ≤ T < 18.8
13.The equation x² − 5x − 2 = 0 can be solved using the iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = √(5xₙ + 2). The starting value is x₀ = 2, so x₁ is the value after the formula has been used once. Work out x₃ correct to 3 decimal places.
(a)4.897
(b)4.396
(c)5.146
(d)3.464
14.A taxi journey of m miles costs C pounds, where C = 2.5m + 3. A driver says the ratio C : m is the same for every journey. Is the driver correct? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)The driver is correct — the ratio C : m is the same for every journey.
(b)The ratio C : m is not constant because the formula includes a fixed charge of £3 as well as the charge per mile.
(c)The ratio C : m is not constant because the charge per mile, £2.50, is not a whole number.
(d)The ratio C : m is not constant because C increases as m increases.
15.Work out the exact value of tan 30° + tan 30°.
(a)2√3/3
(b)√3/3
(c)√3
(d)2√3
16.A quadratic graph has roots at x = −3 and x = 5, and it crosses the y-axis at (0, −15). Work out the equation of the curve in the form y = (x − a)(x − b).
(a)y = (x − 3)(x − 5)
(b)y = (x − 3)(x + 5)
(c)y = (x + 3)(x + 5)
(d)y = (x + 3)(x − 5)
17.In a bag the ratio of red counters to blue counters is 7 : 4. Write the number of red counters as a fraction of the number of blue counters.
(a)11/7
(b)7/11
(c)4/7
(d)7/4
18.A postcard measuring 10 cm by 15 cm is enlarged by a scale factor of 2 to make a poster. Work out the area of the poster, in cm².
(a)300 cm²
(b)204 cm²
(c)150 cm²
(d)600 cm²
19.A circle has centre (0, 0) and equation x² + y² = 25. Work out the x-coordinates of the two points where the circle crosses the line y = 3.
(a)x = 3 and x = −3
(b)x = 4
(c)x = 5 and x = −5
(d)x = 4 and x = −4
20.A cyclist's speed rises from rest to a maximum — quickly at first, then more and more slowly — so her speed-time graph is a curve that is concave down (its gradient decreases as time goes on). A trapezium estimate is made for the distance travelled during this phase, using two points on the curve. Is the trapezium estimate an overestimate or an underestimate of the true distance, and why?
(a)Underestimate: the chord lies below the curve
(b)Overestimate: the trapezium rule always overestimates
(c)Exact: a trapezium and a curve enclose equal areas
(d)Overestimate: the chord lies above the curve

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.