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.A charity collects donations from adults and children in the ratio 5:2. Altogether, £238 is collected. Work out how much more the adults donate than the children.
(a)£102
(b)£68
(c)£136
(d)£170
2.Solve the inequality x − 10 < −3.
(a)x < 13
(b)x > 7
(c)x < −13
(d)x < 7
3.£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
4.Solve x − 4 = −9
(a)x = 13
(b)x = −13
(c)x = −5
(d)x = 5
5.In a school choir the ratio of boys to girls is 3:4. When 6 more boys join the choir, the ratio of boys to girls becomes 1:1. Work out how many girls are in the choir.
(a)18
(b)24
(c)42
(d)30
6.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
7.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
8.Two identical ladders lean against the same vertical wall from opposite sides, each making an angle of 58.2° with the ground. The two ladders and the ground form a triangle. Work out the size of the angle between the two ladders at the top, where they meet.
(a)121.8
(b)58.2
(c)116.4
(d)63.6
9.Two investors put money into a business in the ratio 3:5. The first investor puts in £1,200. Work out the total amount invested by both investors.
(a)£2,400
(b)£2,000
(c)£3,200
(d)£6,000
10.The ratio of Josh's savings to Mia's savings is 4:7. Mia has £39 more than Josh. Work out Josh's savings.
(a)£39
(b)£52
(c)£91
(d)£13
11.A charity shop and a school share collection-box money in the ratio 5 : 8. The charity shop receives £47.50. Work out how much the school receives.
(a)£29.69
(b)£76.00
(c)£57.00
(d)£123.50
12.The midday temperature in Leeds was recorded on each day of one week: 22 °C, 24 °C, 23 °C, 25 °C, 26 °C, 21 °C, 24 °C. Work out the mean midday temperature, giving your answer to 2 decimal places.
(a)24 °C
(b)5 °C
(c)27.5 °C
(d)23.57 °C
13.The solution set of x ≥ −1 is drawn on a number line. Which description of that number line is correct?
(a)An open circle at −1 with the arrow pointing right
(b)An open circle at −1 with the arrow pointing left
(c)A solid circle at −1 with the arrow pointing right
(d)A solid circle at −1 with the arrow pointing left
14.A jug of squash is made by mixing water and syrup in the ratio 6:1. Nia wants to make 8.4 litres of squash. Work out how much syrup she needs, in litres.
(a)0.84
(b)1.4
(c)1.2
(d)7.2
15.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
16.Harry will spend at most £150 on a party. The cake costs £60 and each helium balloon costs £3. Solve an inequality to find all the possible numbers of balloons, x, that he can buy.
(a)x ≥ 30
(b)x ≤ 50
(c)x ≤ 90
(d)x ≤ 30
17.Factorise x² − 64.
(a)(x − 4)(x + 16)
(b)(x − 8)(x − 8)
(c)(x + 8)(x + 8)
(d)(x − 8)(x + 8)
18.The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is 1980°. Work out the number of sides of the polygon.
(a)11
(b)13
(c)22
(d)15
19.A pizza shop charges a fixed delivery fee of £3, plus £9 for each pizza ordered. Write down the function for the total cost y, in pounds, of ordering x pizzas.
(a)y = 3x + 9
(b)y = 12x
(c)y = 9x + 3
(d)y = 9x
20.Which of these equations describes a vertical line?
(a)y = 5x
(b)x = y
(c)x = 5
(d)y = 5

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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