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 gas company charges a standing charge plus a rate per unit used. The total cost, y in pounds, for using x units is given by y = 0.15x + 20. Work out the cost of using 200 units.
y = 0.15x + 20
(a)£50
(b)£30
(c)£203
(d)£320
2.Four angles meet at a point. Three of them measure 82°, 105° and 96°. Work out the size of the fourth angle.
(a)159
(b)283
(c)182
(d)77
3.A charity fun run raises money through entry fees and donations. Entry fees raise £1,260, which is 60% of the total amount raised. Work out how much money was raised through donations.
(a)£504
(b)£1,890
(c)£840
(d)£2,100
4.Work out 50% of 60.
(a)6
(b)3000
(c)120
(d)30
5.Four books have 120, 200, 160 and 80 pages. Work out the mean number of pages.
(a)120
(b)560
(c)140
(d)280
6.Freya is designing a triangular flower bed. Two of its corners have equal angles, and the angle at the third corner is 40°. Work out the size of one of the two equal corner angles.
(a)70°
(b)140°
(c)50°
(d)20°
7.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
8.Simplify 5a/6 − a/3
(a)7a/6
(b)2a/3
(c)4a/3
(d)a/2
9.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%
10.Expand 4(2x − 3).
(a)2x + 1
(b)8x + 12
(c)8x − 12
(d)8x − 3
11.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
12.In triangle ABC the angle at A is 90° and BC = 10 cm. For the angle at B, sin B = 3/5. Work out the length of AC.
(a)3 cm
(b)6 cm
(c)8 cm
(d)30 cm
13.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
14.Solve 5x + 2 = 17.
(a)3
(b)3.8
(c)15
(d)1.4
15.Harry counted the coins he found on each of six days: 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 30. Write down the outlier.
(a)30
(b)8.5
(c)11
(d)5
16.An angle measures 108°. Write down the name given to an angle of this size.
(a)An acute angle
(b)A right angle
(c)A reflex angle
(d)An obtuse angle
17.Solve 4x + 3 = 19
(a)3.75
(b)5.5
(c)4
(d)4.75
18.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
19.At a youth club the ratio of juniors to seniors is 3:5. There are 40 members altogether. Work out how many seniors there are.
(a)24
(b)15
(c)5
(d)25
20.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

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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