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.Work out (−2)² − 3
- 2.Which of these is a formula, rather than an expression, an equation, or an identity?
- 3.A charity receives £360 in donations in January and £480 in donations in February. Write the amount received in January as a fraction of the amount received in February, giving your answer in its simplest form.
- 4.In triangle OAB, OA = a and OB = b. P lies on AB such that AP is twice PB. Express the vector OP in terms of a and b.
- 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.A study found that people who drink more coffee tend to concentrate better at work. A coffee company says that this shows that drinking coffee improves concentration. Give the reason why this conclusion cannot be drawn.
- 7.Find the missing number: ▢ ÷ 15 = 24
- 8.Subtract, giving your answer as a single fraction in its simplest form: 4/(x − 1) − 2/(x + 3)
- 9.The amount of fuel left in a car's tank, F litres, is plotted against the distance travelled, d miles, and the points lie on a straight line. The line passes through (0, 45) and (150, 15). Work out the gradient of the line and say what it tells you.
- 10.Work out the length of the straight line segment joining the points (2, −4) and (−3, −4).
- 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.
- 12.Jack buys 3 books, each costing £4.25, and pays with a £20 note. Work out how much change he receives.
- 13.Which expression is equivalent to 6x − (2x − 5)?
- 14.The number of members of a running club increases from 45 to 54. Work out the percentage increase.
- 15.In triangle ABC the angle at C is 90° and the hypotenuse AB is 12 cm. H is the point on AB for which CH is perpendicular to AB, and AH = 3 cm. Work out the length of AC.
- 16.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.
- 17.Tap A fills a swimming pool in 6 hours. Tap B pours water twice as fast as tap A. The time taken to fill the pool is inversely proportional to the rate of flow. Work out how long tap B takes to fill the pool.
- 18.In triangle ABC, AB = 12 cm, AC = 7 cm and the area of the triangle is 33 cm². Given that angle BAC is obtuse, work out the size of angle BAC. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
- 19.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £30 plus £25 per hour worked. Work out the total charge for a job that takes 3 hours.
- 20.Two students each use the trapezium rule to estimate the area under the same curve between x = 0 and x = 8. Student A uses 4 strips of width 2. Student B uses 8 strips of width 1. Which estimate is more likely to be closer to the true area, and why?
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.