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.Solve 2x + 7 = x + 13
(a)x = 2
(b)x = 20
(c)x = −6
(d)x = 6
2.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 29 cm and one shorter side of 20 cm. Work out the length of the other shorter side.
(a)441 cm
(b)21 cm
(c)35 cm
(d)9 cm
3.Expand 4(2x − 3).
(a)2x + 1
(b)8x + 12
(c)8x − 12
(d)8x − 3
4.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.
(a)7
(b)8
(c)5
(d)3
5.A jug holds 3 litres of a drink that is 60% fruit juice. 1 litre of water is added to the jug. Work out the percentage of the new mixture that is fruit juice.
(a)60%
(b)75%
(c)45%
(d)15%
6.A regular polygon has an exterior angle of 45°. Work out the number of sides of the polygon.
(a)4
(b)45
(c)8
(d)315
7.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
8.Solve the inequality 3x − 1 ≤ 11.
(a)x ≥ 4
(b)x ≤ 4
(c)x ≤ 12
(d)x ≤ 10/3
9.Solve 5x + 2 = 17.
(a)3
(b)3.8
(c)15
(d)1.4
10.Factorise fully 5x + 5y − 5
(a)5(xy − 1)
(b)5(x + y + 1)
(c)5(x + y − 1)
(d)5(x + y − 5)
11.Factorise fully 12x² + 18x.
(a)2x(6x + 9)
(b)6(2x² + 3x)
(c)6x(2x + 3)
(d)3x(4x + 6)
12.A box holds 80 chocolates. 75% of them are milk chocolates. Work out how many milk chocolates are in the box.
(a)55
(b)75
(c)20
(d)60
13.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
14.Expand and simplify 4(2x − 1) − 3(x + 2) − 5x
(a)−10
(b)5x − 10
(c)2
(d)−7
15.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.
(a)£11.00
(b)£66.60
(c)£1.60
(d)£5.40
16.Which of these equations is equivalent to 5x − 2 = 3x + 8?
(a)8x = 6
(b)2x = 6
(c)2x = −10
(d)2x = 10
17.Solve (2x + 1)/3 = 5
(a)7
(b)14
(c)8
(d)2
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.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
20.A sofa costs £800. Its price is increased by 25%. Work out the new price of the sofa.
(a)£1,000
(b)£600
(c)£825
(d)£200

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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