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.In a right-angled triangle, the two shorter sides are a and b, and the hypotenuse is c. Write down the correct statement of Pythagoras' theorem.
(a)a² − b² = c²
(b)a² + b² = c
(c)a + b = c
(d)a² + b² = c²
2.Noah says that y = 3 is the solution of the equation y + 10 = 12. Noah is wrong. Work out the correct value of y.
(a)y = 22
(b)y = −2
(c)y = 2
(d)y = 12
3.A regular polygon has 12 sides. Work out the size of one exterior angle of the polygon.
(a)30°
(b)150°
(c)15°
(d)36°
4.A sum of £150 is divided between Ben and Chloe in the ratio 2:3. Work out Chloe's share.
(a)£60
(b)£75
(c)£90
(d)£30
5.Solve 5x + 2 = 17.
(a)3
(b)3.8
(c)15
(d)1.4
6.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
7.Three business partners share a profit of £48,000 in the ratio 3:5:4. Work out how much the partner with 5 parts receives.
(a)£20,000
(b)£12,000
(c)£4,000
(d)£16,000
8.Grace asked 12 children how many brothers and sisters they have. Her results, in order, were 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6. Work out the median number of brothers and sisters.
(a)1.5
(b)1
(c)6
(d)2
9.Factorise fully 12x² + 18x.
(a)2x(6x + 9)
(b)6(2x² + 3x)
(c)6x(2x + 3)
(d)3x(4x + 6)
10.Solve (2x + 1)/3 = 5
(a)7
(b)14
(c)8
(d)2
11.A charity shop and a school share collection-box money in the ratio 5 : 8. The charity shop receives £47.50. Work out how much the school receives.
(a)£29.69
(b)£76.00
(c)£57.00
(d)£123.50
12.Work out the median of these six numbers: 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 47
(a)22
(b)36
(c)34
(d)29
13.Three numbers are in the ratio 1:2:3. The three numbers add up to 72. Work out the largest of the three numbers.
(a)36
(b)12
(c)216
(d)24
14.A water butt holds 200 litres and is being drained at a steady 8 litres per minute. Write down the function for the amount of water y, in litres, left after x minutes.
(a)y = 200x − 8
(b)y = −8x − 200
(c)y = 200 − 8x
(d)y = 8x + 200
15.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°
16.Work out the equation of the straight line through the points (−3, 4) and (1, −8).
(a)y = −3x − 5
(b)y = 3x − 11
(c)y = −3x + 5
(d)y = −3x + 11
17.Solve 5x − 9 = 16
(a)1.4
(b)5
(c)25
(d)3.2
18.At an animal shelter, the ratio of cats to dogs is 2:5. There are 18 more dogs than cats. Work out the number of cats.
(a)6
(b)12
(c)9
(d)30
19.In a right-angled triangle, θ is one of the acute angles. Write down the trigonometric ratio, in terms of the opposite and adjacent sides, that is used to find θ.
(a)tan θ = adjacent/opposite
(b)cos θ = opposite/adjacent
(c)tan θ = opposite/adjacent
(d)sin θ = opposite/adjacent
20.Two vertical masts stand on level ground, 40 m apart. One mast is 30 m tall and the other is 50 m tall. Work out the straight-line distance between the tops of the two masts. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)44.7 m
(b)34.6 m
(c)50.0 m
(d)60.0 m

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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