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.The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is 1980°. Work out the number of sides of the polygon.
(a)11
(b)13
(c)22
(d)15
2.Five pupils spent these numbers of minutes on their homework: 50, 65, 55, 90, 60. Work out the median time.
(a)64 minutes
(b)40 minutes
(c)60 minutes
(d)70 minutes
3.A straight line has equation y = 4x + 3. A second line is parallel to the first line and passes through the point (0, −5). Work out the equation of the second line.
y = 4x + 3
(a)y = 3x − 5
(b)y = 4x + 5
(c)y = 4x − 5
(d)y = −4x − 5
4.A netball team scored 50, 83 and 68 points in three matches. Work out the mean number of points scored.
(a)68
(b)33
(c)67
(d)100.5
5.In a recipe the mass of chocolate to the mass of milk is in the ratio 1:4. Amelia uses 200 g of milk. Work out the mass of chocolate she needs.
(a)800 g
(b)250 g
(c)40 g
(d)50 g
6.Solve the inequality 2(x − 1) ≤ 8.
(a)x ≤ 4
(b)x ≤ 5
(c)x < 5
(d)x ≤ 3
7.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
8.Solve the inequality 6x ≥ 18.
(a)x ≥ 12
(b)x ≤ 12
(c)x ≥ 3
(d)x ≤ 3
9.Which of these equations is equivalent to 5x − 2 = 3x + 8?
(a)8x = 6
(b)2x = 6
(c)2x = −10
(d)2x = 10
10.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°
11.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
12.Write 3/4 as a percentage.
(a)133%
(b)34%
(c)0.75%
(d)75%
13.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%
14.A straight line crosses two parallel lines. One of the angles formed is (2x + 10)°, and the angle alternate to it is 74°. Work out the value of x.
(a)−32
(b)48
(c)32
(d)37
15.Solve (2x + 1)/3 = 5
(a)7
(b)14
(c)8
(d)2
16.A candle is 30 cm tall and burns down at a steady rate of 1 cm per hour. Write down the function for the height of the candle y, in centimetres, after x hours.
(a)y = −30x + 1
(b)y = x + 30
(c)y = −x + 30
(d)y = 30x − 1
17.A straight line passes through the points (2, 5) and (4, 11). Work out the gradient of the line.
(a)8/3
(b)−3
(c)3
(d)1/3
18.The solution set of an inequality is x ≥ 7. Write down the value that does NOT satisfy this inequality.
(a)8
(b)100
(c)7
(d)6
19.Expand 2(x − 13)
(a)2x + 26
(b)2x − 11
(c)2x − 13
(d)2x − 26
20.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
(a)33%
(b)15%
(c)75%
(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.

Similar worksheets worth a look

✏️ Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Foundation · 20 questions · ~25 min
🎯 Grade 4 pass booster · 25 questions · ~40 min
📈 Quadratics: factorise, complete the square, formula · 24 questions · ~45 min
💷 Percentages and compound interest · 22 questions · ~40 min