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.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
2.Factorise x² − 3x − 10.
(a)(x − 10)(x + 1)
(b)(x − 5)(x + 2)
(c)(x + 5)(x − 2)
(d)(x − 5)(x − 2)
3.A company's turnover this year is £180,000. Last year's turnover was £120,000. Write down this year's turnover as a percentage of last year's turnover.
(a)50%
(b)180%
(c)150%
(d)66.7%
4.A fruit punch is made from orange juice, pineapple juice and lemonade in the ratio 5:3:2. A jug holds 3.5 litres of punch in total. Work out the volume of pineapple juice needed.
(a)1.75 litres
(b)0.35 litres
(c)1.05 litres
(d)0.7 litres
5.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.
(a)y = 84 + 14x
(b)y = 84 − 14x
(c)y = 14 − 84x
(d)y = 14x − 84
6.Write 3/4 as a percentage.
(a)133%
(b)34%
(c)0.75%
(d)75%
7.A company's profit this year is 130% of last year's profit. Last year's profit was £40,000. Work out this year's profit.
(a)£12,000
(b)£52,000
(c)£5,200
(d)£40,130
8.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
9.Solve 2x + 7 = x + 13
(a)x = 2
(b)x = 20
(c)x = −6
(d)x = 6
10.Solve the inequality x − 10 < −3.
(a)x < 13
(b)x > 7
(c)x < −13
(d)x < 7
11.After a 20% discount, a jacket costs £48. Work out the original price of the jacket.
(a)£40
(b)£60
(c)£57.60
(d)£38.40
12.A plumber charges a £35 call-out fee plus £20 for each hour worked, h. On a certain job the total charge was £115. Work out how many hours the plumber worked.
(a)4
(b)7.5
(c)5.75
(d)2.71
13.40% of a number is 12 more than 25% of the same number. Work out the number.
(a)48
(b)80
(c)15
(d)30
14.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
15.Simplify x + x + 4
(a)x² + 4
(b)6x
(c)x + 4
(d)2x + 4
16.Expand 2(x − 13)
(a)2x + 26
(b)2x − 11
(c)2x − 13
(d)2x − 26
17.A straight line has gradient 3 and passes through the point (1, 4). Work out the equation of the line.
(a)y = x + 3
(b)y = 3x − 1
(c)y = 3x + 1
(d)y = 3x + 4
18.A flagpole is 12 m tall. Freya stands 9 m from the base of the flagpole on level ground. Work out the angle of elevation of the top of the flagpole from where Freya stands. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)41.4°
(b)53.1°
(c)48.6°
(d)36.9°
19.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
20.Grace's mean mark in her maths tests rises from 70 to 84. Work out the percentage increase in her mean mark.
(a)20%
(b)120%
(c)17%
(d)14%

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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