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.Work out the equation of the straight line through the points (−2, 1) and (0, 7).
(a)y = −3x + 7
(b)y = 3x + 1
(c)y = 3x + 7
(d)y = (1/3)x + 7
2.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
3.A plumber charges a call-out fee plus an hourly rate. The total cost, y in pounds, of a job lasting x hours is given by y = 45x + 60. Work out the total cost of a job that lasts 3 hours.
y = 45x + 60
(a)£315
(b)£108
(c)£135
(d)£195
4.Work out the median of these five numbers: 2, 4, 7, 12, 26
(a)24
(b)14
(c)7
(d)10.2
5.Solve the inequality 6x ≥ 18.
(a)x ≥ 12
(b)x ≤ 12
(c)x ≥ 3
(d)x ≤ 3
6.Solve the inequality 3x − 1 ≤ 11.
(a)x ≥ 4
(b)x ≤ 4
(c)x ≤ 12
(d)x ≤ 10/3
7.A necklace is made using gold beads and silver beads in the ratio 7:3. There are 40 more gold beads than silver beads. Work out the total number of beads in the necklace.
(a)100
(b)40
(c)70
(d)30
8.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%
9.£120 is shared between three cousins in the ratio 3:4:5. Work out the largest share.
(a)£10
(b)£50
(c)£30
(d)£40
10.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
11.2.4 kg of cheese costs £36. Work out the cost of 1.5 kg of the same cheese.
(a)£15
(b)£57.60
(c)£22.50
(d)£54
12.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
13.A straight line has equation y = 5x. Work out the value of y when x = 3.
y = 5x
(a)8
(b)3
(c)−15
(d)15
14.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
15.Solve the inequality 5x − 3 > 2x + 9.
(a)x > 4
(b)x > 2
(c)x < 4
(d)x > 36
16.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
17.Isla and her brother share £60 in the ratio 1:2. Work out Isla's share.
(a)£40
(b)£20
(c)£120
(d)£30
18.Three angles lie on a straight line. They measure 38°, 95° and x°. Work out the value of x.
(a)133
(b)47
(c)227
(d)142
19.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
20.In a right-angled triangle, the two shorter sides are a and b, and the hypotenuse is c. Write down the correct statement of Pythagoras' theorem.
(a)a² − b² = c²
(b)a² + b² = c
(c)a + b = c
(d)a² + b² = c²

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