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.A regular hexagon is divided into six identical triangles by joining its centre to each of the six vertices. Work out the size of the angle of one of these triangles at the centre of the hexagon.
(a)30°
(b)45°
(c)120°
(d)60°
2.A straight line passes through the points (−1, 2) and (3, 14). Work out the equation of the line.
(a)y = 6x − 4
(b)y = x/3 + 13
(c)y = 3x + 5
(d)y = 3x + 23
3.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
4.Solve the inequality 9 − 2x ≥ 1.
(a)x ≤ 5
(b)x ≥ 4
(c)x ≤ 4
(d)x ≤ −4
5.The price of a jacket increases by 50% and then decreases by 50%. Describe the overall change from the original price.
(a)no change
(b)an increase of 25%
(c)a decrease of 25%
(d)a decrease of 50%
6.Expand 2(x − 13)
(a)2x + 26
(b)2x − 11
(c)2x − 13
(d)2x − 26
7.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°
8.A rectangle has length (2x + 5) cm and width (x − 2) cm. Work out an expression, in terms of x, for the perimeter of the rectangle. Give your answer in its simplest form.
(a)4x² + 2x − 20
(b)6x + 6
(c)6x + 14
(d)3x + 3
9.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°
10.Work out the difference between 45% of 70 and 35% of 80.
(a)11.5
(b)3.5
(c)59.5
(d)10
11.The top of a clock tower is 25 m above level ground. Oliver stands on the ground 25 m from the foot of the tower. Work out the angle of elevation of the top of the tower from the point where Oliver stands.
(a)50°
(b)1°
(c)45°
(d)90°
12.Solve the inequality 6x ≥ 18.
(a)x ≥ 12
(b)x ≤ 12
(c)x ≥ 3
(d)x ≤ 3
13.A straight line passes through the points (1, 3) and (2, 5). Work out the equation of the line.
(a)y = x + 2
(b)y = 2x − 1
(c)y = 2x + 1
(d)y = 2x + 3
14.Solve 2x + 1 = 9
(a)x = 8
(b)x = 16
(c)x = 4
(d)x = 5
15.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
16.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
17.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
18.In triangle ABC, angle A is 2x°, angle B is 3x° and angle C is 4x°. Work out the size of angle B.
(a)60°
(b)20°
(c)120°
(d)80°
19.Two angles are supplementary. One of them is twice the size of the other. Work out the size of the smaller angle.
(a)30
(b)120
(c)90
(d)60
20.A laptop priced at £520 is first increased by 15%, and then the new price is decreased by 20%. Work out the final price of the laptop.
(a)£598
(b)£494
(c)£478.40
(d)£416

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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