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
GCSE Higher sample Paper 2 (calculator)
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- 1.A vending machine sells 4 types of crisps, 5 types of chocolate bar and 2 types of drink. Work out how many different combinations of one crisp packet, one chocolate bar and one drink can be bought.
- 2.A gas company charges a standing charge plus a rate per unit used. The total cost, y in pounds, for using x units is given by y = 0.15x + 20. Work out the cost of using 200 units.y = 0.15x + 20
- 3.A model railway is built at a scale where the ratio of model length to real length is 1 : 76. Given that a real carriage is 20.6 metres long, work out the length of the model carriage in centimetres, to 1 decimal place.
- 4.Work out the y-coordinate of the midpoint of the line segment joining (2, 4) and (8, 10).
- 5.At a fair, a game costs £2 to play. The probability of winning the game is 0.15, and each win pays out £10. Amir plays the game 200 times. Work out how much money Amir should expect to lose in total.
- 6.Box plots summarise the test scores of two classes. Class X: minimum 20, lower quartile 45, median 60, upper quartile 70, maximum 95. Class Y: minimum 35, lower quartile 50, median 58, upper quartile 65, maximum 80. Which statement about the two classes is correct?
- 7.A set of kitchen scales displays the mass of a bag of sugar as 0.63 recurring kilograms, meaning 0.636363... kg with the block '63' repeating forever. Convert this mass to a fraction of a kilogram, then work out the mass in grams, giving your answer to the nearest gram.
- 8.Solve the inequality 4x + 1 > 2x + 9.
- 9.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.
- 10.A point is translated twice by the vector . Write down the single column vector that describes the overall translation.
- 11.A fair six-sided dice is rolled 300 times. Work out how many more times you would expect it to land on an even number than on a six.
- 12.A restaurant adds a service charge of 15% to a bill of £120. Work out the service charge.
- 13.A distance-time graph is a straight line from (0, 0) to (4, 100), where time is in hours and distance is in kilometres. Work out the gradient of the line.
- 14.Two quantities x and y are in the ratio x : y = 2 : 5, and y = kx for a constant k. Work out the value of k.
- 15.In a kite, one pair of opposite angles are equal in size. In kite WXYZ, angle X = 40° and angle Z = 100° are the two angles that are NOT equal to each other. The other two angles, W and Y, are equal to each other. Work out the size of angle W.
- 16.Meera writes the statement 3(x + 4) = 3x + 12. Which of these correctly describes what she has written, with a reason?
- 17.A cyclist rides at an average speed of 24 km/h for 1 hour 15 minutes. Work out the distance travelled, in km.
- 18.Triangle DEF has a right angle at E. Angle DFE = 60° and EF = 9 cm. Work out the exact length of DE.
- 19.A car park charges a £4 fixed fee plus £3 for each hour. Kofi has exactly £25 to spend on parking. Using the inequality 4 + 3h ≤ 25, work out the greatest number of whole hours, h, he can park for.
- 20.Kai writes the expression 8 − 3x + 5x² and says it has three terms. Ryan says it only has two terms because a number on its own is not a term. Work out the correct number of terms in the expression.
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.