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)
MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk
- 1.At a book fair the ratio of fiction books to non-fiction books is 4 : 5. Of the non-fiction books, 3/5 are about history. Work out the fraction of all the books at the fair that are history books.
- 2.A car accelerates uniformly from rest at 2.5 m/s² until it reaches a speed of 20 m/s, then travels at this constant speed for a further 30 seconds. Work out the total distance travelled.
- 3.A crate exerts a force of 84 N on the floor through a base with an area of 2.4 m². Work out the pressure on the floor, in N/m².
- 4.A line joins the points A(0, 0, 0) and B(9, 12, 8) in a three-dimensional coordinate system in which the z-axis is vertical. Work out the angle this line makes with the horizontal (the xy-plane). Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
- 5.A drawer contains 4 red socks and 2 blue socks. Two socks are taken out at random, one after the other, without the first being put back. Work out the probability that both socks are the same colour.
- 6.Amelia's mean mark over four tests is 29. Her first three marks are 31, 26 and 26. Work out her fourth mark.
- 7.The length of a pencil is 8.4 cm, correct to 1 decimal place. Using L for the length of the pencil in centimetres, write down the error interval for L.
- 8.Solve the simultaneous equations 4x + 3y = 25 and 4x − y = 1. Work out the value of y.
- 9.A curve has equation y = x² + 2x. Work out the average rate of change of y with respect to x over the interval from x = 1 to x = 4.y = x² + 2x
- 10.A circular garden pond has a diameter of 5 m. A gardener is laying gravel around it in a ring-shaped path 1 m wide, measured outward from the edge of the pond. Work out the area of the gravel path. Use π = 3.14.
- 11.The probability that a seed fails to germinate is 1/5. Three seeds are planted independently. Work out the probability that at least one of the three seeds germinates.
- 12.Work out (−2/5) × (−10/3). Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 13.A taxi fare, in pounds, for a journey of m miles is given by the formula F = 3 + 2.5m. A journey costs £15.50. Work out the distance travelled, m, by first rearranging the formula to make m the subject, then substituting F = 15.50.
- 14.Maya is paid £105.30 for working 9 hours. Work out her rate of pay, in £ per hour.
- 15.Two similar ponds have perimeters in the ratio 4 : 11. The perimeter of the larger pond is 88 m. Work out the perimeter of the smaller pond.
- 16.Work out the value of 3a − 2b when a = 5 and b = 4
- 17.Two mathematically similar cylinders have heights in the ratio 3 : 4. Write the ratio of their volumes in its simplest form.
- 18.A garden bed is designed as a trapezium. The two parallel sides are 8 m and 12 m, and the perpendicular distance between them is 5 m. Grass seed covers 4 m² per bag, sold only in whole bags. Work out how many bags of grass seed are needed.
- 19.Which of these pairs of lines are perpendicular to each other?
- 20.Which of these equations is equivalent to 5x − 2 = 3x + 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.