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
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.An amount of money is shared in the ratio 1:2:3. The largest share is £90 more than the smallest share. Work out the total amount that was shared.
- 2.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.
- 3.Three friends share a raffle prize of £360 in the ratio 2:3:4. Work out the share of the friend whose part of the ratio is 3.
- 4.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°.
- 5.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.
- 6.Four books have 120, 200, 160 and 80 pages. Work out the mean number of pages.
- 7.Solve the inequality 9 − 2x ≥ 1.
- 8.The mean of the four numbers 10, 15, 20 and x is 18. Work out the value of x.
- 9.Simplify 2a + 3b − a + 2b − b
- 10.A café sold 10 sandwiches on each of four days: 10, 10, 10, 10. Work out the range of the numbers sold.
- 11.Priya invests £750 in a savings account that pays simple interest. After 3 years, the account contains £840. Work out the annual rate of simple interest.
- 12.The price of a jacket increases by 50% and then decreases by 50%. Describe the overall change from the original price.
- 13.Two angles are supplementary. One of them is twice the size of the other. Work out the size of the smaller angle.
- 14.A straight line has gradient 3 and passes through the point (1, 4). Work out the equation of the line.
- 15.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
- 16.The mean of three numbers is 50. A fourth number, 100, is added to the set. Work out the mean of the four numbers.
- 17.To solve 5x − 4 = 2x + 8, Chloe's working is shown. Line 1: 5x − 4 = 2x + 8. Line 2: 3x − 4 = 8. Line 3: 3x = 4. Line 4: x = 4/3. Chloe has made a mistake in her working. Which line contains the mistake?
- 18.A cycle route is 84 km long. Freya sets off along it at a steady 14 km/h. Write down the function for the distance y, in kilometres, that is still to be cycled after x hours.
- 19.A jumper costs £45 at Shop A, where it is reduced by 20%. The same jumper costs £34 at Shop B, where a further 10% reduction is then applied. Work out the difference between the two reduced prices.
- 20.Seven pupils were asked how many books they had read last month. Their answers were 3, 5, 5, 7, 8, 5, 3. Write down the mode.
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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