20 questions on the grade 4-5 content both tiers share — a fair test of whether a Higher entry is the right call.

⚖️ Foundation to Higher crossover check

Maths · GCSE Foundation · 20 questions · ~35 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

The tier decision is made by the school, but it is made on evidence, and this sheet is designed to produce some. Every question on it sits in the crossover band — the grade 4 to 5 content that appears on both the Foundation and the Higher papers: multiplying out and factorising, solving linear equations and inequalities, straight-line graphs and gradients, ratio and proportion, Pythagoras' theorem, angle reasoning, and averages from a frequency table. A student who works through this comfortably has the foundation a Higher entry needs. A student who is guessing on half of it will almost certainly come away with a better grade from a Foundation paper they can attempt in full. Useful for a parents' evening conversation, and for a department deciding entries.

1.Write 0.25 as a percentage.
(a)2.5%
(b)0.25%
(c)250%
(d)25%
2.A jug holds 3 litres of a drink that is 60% fruit juice. 1 litre of water is added to the jug. Work out the percentage of the new mixture that is fruit juice.
(a)60%
(b)75%
(c)45%
(d)15%
3.Work out the equation of the straight line through the points (−2, 1) and (0, 7).
(a)y = −3x + 7
(b)y = 3x + 1
(c)y = 3x + 7
(d)y = (1/3)x + 7
4.A pizza shop charges a fixed delivery fee of £3, plus £9 for each pizza ordered. Write down the function for the total cost y, in pounds, of ordering x pizzas.
(a)y = 3x + 9
(b)y = 12x
(c)y = 9x + 3
(d)y = 9x
5.At a point on a straight line, two angles are formed. One of them is 63°. Work out the size of the other angle.
(a)297
(b)117
(c)27
(d)63
6.The masses of eight school bags, in kilograms, are 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11. Work out the median mass.
(a)5 kg
(b)5.5 kg
(c)8 kg
(d)4 kg
7.A straight line crosses two parallel lines. An angle of 65° is formed at one crossing. At the other crossing, the angle that lies between the two parallel lines on the opposite side of the crossing line is also 65°. Write down the angle fact that explains why these two angles are equal.
(a)Co-interior angles add up to 180°
(b)Angles on a straight line add up to 180°
(c)Corresponding angles are equal
(d)Alternate angles are equal
8.The rent on a flat increases by 10% one year and by a further 10% the following year. Work out the overall percentage increase over the two years.
(a)121%
(b)11%
(c)21%
(d)20%
9.In a right-angled triangle, the side opposite angle θ is 6 cm and the hypotenuse is 10 cm. Work out the size of angle θ. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)31.0°
(b)36.8°
(c)53.1°
(d)36.9°
10.A straight line crosses a pair of parallel lines. One of the co-interior (allied) angles is 118°. Work out the size of the other co-interior angle.
(a)242
(b)62
(c)118
(d)28
11.The price of a share falls by 10% on Monday and then rises by 10% on Tuesday. Work out the overall percentage change from Monday's starting price.
(a)0%
(b)−1%
(c)−2%
(d)+1%
12.Work out the median of these five numbers: 2, 4, 7, 12, 26
(a)24
(b)14
(c)7
(d)10.2
13.Work out the median of these six numbers: 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 47
(a)22
(b)36
(c)34
(d)29
14.Factorise fully 56x − 24
(a)8(7x − 16)
(b)8(56x − 3)
(c)8(7x + 3)
(d)8(7x − 3)
15.A zip wire is fixed at an angle of 50° to the horizontal, running from a high platform down to the ground. The zip wire itself, from the platform to the ground, is 12 m long. Work out the horizontal distance covered by the zip wire. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)15.7 m
(b)9.2 m
(c)12.0 m
(d)7.7 m
16.A right-angled triangle has its two shorter sides equal to 8 cm and 15 cm. Work out the value of cos θ, where θ is the angle opposite the 8 cm side. Give your answer as a fraction.
(a)17/15
(b)8/17
(c)15/17
(d)8/15
17.The interior angles of a pentagon are 100°, 110°, 120°, x° and x°. Work out the size of each of the two angles marked x°.
(a)105°
(b)55°
(c)108°
(d)210°
18.There are 400 students at a school. 25% of them have a brother, 40% have a sister and 15% have both a brother and a sister. Work out how many of the students have neither a brother nor a sister.
(a)140 students
(b)300 students
(c)200 students
(d)260 students
19.Priya says that x = 6 is the solution of the equation 4x + 8 = 24. Priya is wrong. Work out the correct value of x.
(a)12
(b)4
(c)8
(d)16
20.Write 1/5 as a percentage.
(a)20%
(b)5%
(c)50%
(d)25%

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 20 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content areas covered: Algebra, Ratio, proportion and rates of change, Geometry and measures, Statistics (statements A4, A17, A22, A9, R5, R9, G20, G3, S4). It is pitched at GCSE Foundation and takes about 35 minutes to work through in full. It works as a class handout, a homework, or a warm-up before a test.

How to use the sheet well

Print it or open it on screen — both work. Printing is A4; the screen view fits phones and tablets.
Do all 20 questions before checking — about 35 minutes is the guide, but there is no time pressure.
Check the answers — press “Show answers” or print the answer page separately.
Redo the questions you got wrong — twice as effective as doing 20 fresh ones.
“New questions” — builds a fresh sheet on the same statements, so you can practise again without repeats.

Why this sheet helps

MathsUK worksheets use questions graded by difficulty and a fair spread of correct-answer positions (the answer is not always (a)) — so the student really has to think about each question rather than guess a pattern. Every question is tagged to a DfE content statement and checked before it enters the bank. The answers come with a step-by-step explanation, not just a value — so a wrong answer becomes a lesson.

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