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.Simplify (5x² + 3x − 2) − (2x² − x + 5)
(a)3x² + 4x + 3
(b)3x² + 2x + 3
(c)7x² + 2x + 3
(d)3x² + 4x − 7
2.A necklace is made using gold beads and silver beads in the ratio 7:3. There are 40 more gold beads than silver beads. Work out the total number of beads in the necklace.
(a)100
(b)40
(c)70
(d)30
3.Expand and simplify 4(2x − 1) − 3(x + 2) − 5x
(a)−10
(b)5x − 10
(c)2
(d)−7
4.Factorise fully 5x + 5y − 5
(a)5(xy − 1)
(b)5(x + y + 1)
(c)5(x + y − 1)
(d)5(x + y − 5)
5.The angles of a triangle are in the ratio 2:3:4. Work out the size of the smallest angle.
(a)80°
(b)60°
(c)40°
(d)20°
6.A roof truss has two horizontal parallel rafters, one above the other. A straight strut crosses both rafters. Where the strut crosses the lower rafter, the angle above the rafter and to the left of the strut is 65°. Work out the size of the angle above the upper rafter and to the right of the strut, where the strut crosses it.
(a)65
(b)25
(c)115
(d)245
7.Expand 7(a + 8)
(a)a + 56
(b)7a + 15
(c)7a + 8
(d)7a + 56
8.At a youth club the ratio of juniors to seniors is 3:5. There are 40 members altogether. Work out how many seniors there are.
(a)24
(b)15
(c)5
(d)25
9.A metal alloy is made from copper and tin in the ratio 7:3. Work out the mass of tin in 250 g of the alloy.
(a)125 g
(b)75 g
(c)25 g
(d)175 g
10.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
11.A taxi company charges a £2.50 booking fee plus £1.80 per mile. A journey costs £15.10 in total. Work out the number of miles travelled.
(a)9.78
(b)8.39
(c)5.32
(d)7
12.A café sold 10 sandwiches on each of four days: 10, 10, 10, 10. Work out the range of the numbers sold.
(a)20
(b)40
(c)10
(d)0
13.A charity collects donations from adults and children in the ratio 5:2. Altogether, £238 is collected. Work out how much more the adults donate than the children.
(a)£102
(b)£68
(c)£136
(d)£170
14.A charity fun run raises money through entry fees and donations. Entry fees raise £1,260, which is 60% of the total amount raised. Work out how much money was raised through donations.
(a)£504
(b)£1,890
(c)£840
(d)£2,100
15.Expand 2(x + 12)
(a)2x + 24
(b)2x + 14
(c)24x
(d)2x + 12
16.The width, the length and the height of a box are in the ratio 3:4:5. The length of the box is 16 cm. Work out the height of the box.
(a)20 cm
(b)80 cm
(c)4 cm
(d)12 cm
17.Two of the angles in a triangle are 50° and 70°. Work out the size of the third angle.
(a)60°
(b)240°
(c)110°
(d)120°
18.The mean of the four numbers 10, 15, 20 and x is 18. Work out the value of x.
(a)27
(b)72
(c)45
(d)18
19.Two identical ladders lean against the same vertical wall from opposite sides, each making an angle of 58.2° with the ground. The two ladders and the ground form a triangle. Work out the size of the angle between the two ladders at the top, where they meet.
(a)121.8
(b)58.2
(c)116.4
(d)63.6
20.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

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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