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 equation 3(2x − 1) = 4x + 9 is rearranged by expanding the brackets. Which of these is the correctly expanded equation?
(a)5x − 3 = 4x + 9
(b)6x − 3 = 4x + 9
(c)6x − 1 = 4x + 9
(d)6x − 4 = 4x + 9
2.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.
(a)£160
(b)£40
(c)£80
(d)£120
3.Two straight lines cross at a point. Which statement about a pair of vertically opposite angles is always true?
(a)They are always equal to 90° each
(b)They always add up to 360°
(c)They always add up to 180°
(d)They are always equal to each other
4.Solve 6x + 4 = 28
(a)x = 4
(b)x = 144
(c)x = 24
(d)x = 18
5.A vertical line passes through the point (4, 7). Write down the equation of this line.
(a)y = 7
(b)x = 4
(c)x = 7
(d)y = 4x
6.A metal alloy is made from copper and tin in the ratio 7:3. Work out the mass of tin in 250 g of the alloy.
(a)125 g
(b)75 g
(c)25 g
(d)175 g
7.The number of members of a running club increases from 45 to 54. Work out the percentage increase.
(a)9%
(b)120%
(c)20%
(d)16.7%
8.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
9.The masses of eight school bags, in kilograms, are 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11. Work out the median mass.
(a)5 kg
(b)5.5 kg
(c)8 kg
(d)4 kg
10.Amelia is buying books. Each book costs £5 and she has at most £30 to spend. Write down an inequality for x, the number of books she can buy.
(a)5x ≥ 30
(b)x + 5 ≤ 30
(c)5x < 30
(d)5x ≤ 30
11.Simplify 2a + 3b − a + 2b − b
(a)a + 4b
(b)a + 6b
(c)5ab
(d)3a + 4b
12.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
13.A regular polygon has 12 sides. Work out the size of one exterior angle of the polygon.
(a)30°
(b)150°
(c)15°
(d)36°
14.Write 3/4 as a percentage.
(a)133%
(b)34%
(c)0.75%
(d)75%
15.Expand and simplify 2(a + 6) − 2(a − 7)
(a)13
(b)4a − 2
(c)−2
(d)26
16.The solution to an inequality is n ≤ 5. Write down the largest integer value of n that satisfies this inequality.
(a)5
(b)4
(c)6
(d)−5
17.Solve 5(x + 3) = 40
(a)x = 8
(b)x = 11
(c)x = 7.4
(d)x = 5
18.To solve 6x − 4 = 2x + 20, Yusuf's first step is to subtract 2x from both sides. Work out what equation this gives.
(a)4x = 20
(b)4x − 4 = 20
(c)4x − 4 = 2x + 20
(d)8x − 4 = 20
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.Angle ABC is 130°. The line BF divides angle ABC into two equal parts. Work out the size of angle FBC.
(a)65°
(b)32.5°
(c)50°
(d)130°

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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