18 demanding questions: algebraic proof, functions, vectors, histograms, conditional probability and iteration.

🔺 Higher stretch — grade 8 and 9 topics

Maths · GCSE Higher · 18 questions · ~50 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

The top of a Higher paper is not the same content done faster — it is the statements that only appear at the top, and questions that hide two steps inside one instruction. This sheet gathers eighteen of them: algebraic proof and showing two expressions are equivalent, inverse and composite functions, transformations of graphs, the equation of a circle and its tangent, iteration, vectors used to construct a geometric argument, histograms with unequal class intervals, and conditional probability from a tree or a Venn diagram. It is deliberately hard and deliberately short. If you get half of it out, you are working where grades 8 and 9 are decided — and the worked answers are written to show the step that was actually being tested, not just the arithmetic around it.

1.A rule turns each input x into an output y. An input of 1 gives an output of 1, an input of 2 gives an output of 4 and an input of 3 gives an output of 9. Work out the rule.
(a)y = 2x
(b)y = 3x
(c)y = x²
(d)y = 3x − 2
2.The graph of y = x³ − 5x is reflected in the y-axis. Work out the equation of the image.
y = x
(a)y = −x³ + 5x
(b)y = x³ − 5x
(c)y = x³ + 5x
(d)y = −x³ − 5x
3.A market stall's cost of hiring n tables is modelled by two formulas: Formula A: C = 3(2n + 5); Formula B: C = 6n + 15, where C is in pounds. A stallholder says the two formulas always give the same cost. Work out the cost given by each formula when n = 4, and use your results to decide whether the stallholder is correct.
(a)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but the stallholder is wrong because the two formulas use a different number of terms.
(b)Formula A gives £29 and Formula B gives £39, so the stallholder is wrong.
(c)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, but this is only true when n = 4, so the stallholder is wrong.
(d)Formula A gives £39 and Formula B gives £39, and since 3(2n + 5) expands to 6n + 15 for every value of n, the stallholder is correct.
4.A rule turns each input x into an output y. The inputs are x = 1, 2, 3, 4 and the matching outputs are y = −5, −3, −1 and one missing value. Work out the missing value of y.
(a)0
(b)8
(c)3
(d)1
5.A rectangular sheet of metal measures 20 cm by 12 cm. A square of side x cm is cut from each corner and the sides are folded up to make an open box of volume 200 cm³. This gives x³ − 16x² + 60x − 50 = 0, which can be solved using the iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = (16xₙ² − xₙ³ + 50)/60. The starting value is x₀ = 1, so x₁ is the value after the formula has been used once. Work out x₃, and use it to find the longer side of the base of the box correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)1.1 cm
(b)9.7 cm
(c)17.7 cm
(d)18.9 cm
6.The equation x² − 3x − 7 = 0 can be solved using the iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = √(3xₙ + 7). The starting value is x₀ = 4, so x₁ is the value after the formula has been used once. Work out x₃ correct to 3 decimal places.
(a)4.535
(b)4.481
(c)13.149
(d)4.521
7.The graph of y = sin x is reflected in the x-axis to give the graph of y = g(x). Work out the value of g(90), where x is measured in degrees.
y = sin(x)
(a)−1
(b)1
(c)−0.5
(d)0
8.f(x) = x + 3 and g(x) = 2x. Work out fg(x).
y = x + 3
(a)2x² + 6x
(b)2x + 3
(c)3x + 3
(d)2x + 6
9.The equation x² + 2x − 5 = 0 can be solved using the iterative formula xₙ₊₁ = 5/(xₙ + 2). The starting value is x₀ = 1, so x₁ is the value after the formula has been used once. Work out x₂ correct to 2 decimal places.
(a)1.36
(b)1.49
(c)1.37
(d)1.67
10.A rule turns each input x into an output y. The inputs are x = −1, 0, 1, 2 and the matching outputs are y = 5, 3, 1, −1. Work out the rule.
(a)y = −2x + 3
(b)y = 2x + 3
(c)y = −2x − 3
(d)y = −x + 4
11.The graph of y = f(x) has x-intercepts at x = −2 and x = 6 and crosses the y-axis at (0, −12). Work out the x-intercepts and the y-intercept of y = −f(x).
(a)x = 2, x = −6; y-intercept (0, 12)
(b)x = 2, x = −6; y-intercept (0, −12)
(c)x = −2, x = 6; y-intercept (0, −12)
(d)x = −2, x = 6; y-intercept (0, 12)
12.A student says that (x + 4)² is equivalent to x² + 16. For which value of x do the two expressions give the SAME result, making it look (misleadingly) like the student could be right?
(a)x = 4
(b)x = −4
(c)x = 0
(d)x = 8
13.A drone flies from its base in three stages, each stage measured in metres east and north as a column vector. Stage 1 is the column vector with top number 30 and bottom number 40. Stage 2 is the column vector with top number −10 and bottom number 20. Stage 3 is the column vector with top number 15 and bottom number −5. Work out the column vector that would take the drone in a single straight flight back to its base from where it ends up.
(a)(−35, 55)
(b)(35, −55)
(c)(−35, −55)
(d)(35, 55)
14.The point (20, 21) lies on the circle x² + y² = 841, which has centre O(0, 0). The tangent to the circle at (20, 21) crosses the x-axis at P and the y-axis at Q. Work out the area of triangle OPQ, correct to 1 decimal place.
(a)842.0
(b)2.0
(c)1684.0
(d)580.7
15.n is an integer. Which of these expressions is always an even number?
(a)n² + n
(b)n² − n + 1
(c)2n + 1
(d)n² + 1
16.A coastguard radar at the origin covers a circular region modelled by x² + y² = 400, where each unit represents 1 kilometre. A boat travels along the straight line that touches the boundary of the region at the point (12, 16). Work out the equation of the line the boat travels along.
(a)y = −3x/4 − 25
(b)y = −3x/4 + 25
(c)y = −4x/3 + 32
(d)y = 3x/4 + 7
17.A circular running track is modelled on a grid whose centre is the origin, where each unit represents 1 metre. A floodlight at the point (30, 40) stands on the edge of the track. A second floodlight stands on the edge of the track at the point (0, k), where k is positive. Work out the value of k.
(a)40
(b)70
(c)50
(d)2500
18.A box contains 9 red balls and 11 green balls. Two balls are taken out at random, one after the other, without being replaced. Given that both balls taken out are the same colour, work out the probability that both balls are red.
(a)55/91
(b)18/95
(c)9/20
(d)36/91

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 18 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content areas covered: Algebra, Geometry and measures, Probability, Statistics (statements A6, A7, A13, A16, A20, G25, S3, P9). It is pitched at GCSE Higher and takes about 50 minutes to work through in full. It is built for independent practice, with full answers at the end for self-marking.

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 18 questions before checking — about 50 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 18 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 — Higher · 20 questions · ~25 min
⚖️ Foundation to Higher crossover check · 20 questions · ~35 min
📈 Quadratics: factorise, complete the square, formula · 24 questions · ~45 min
⚗️ Ratio and proportion mastery — Higher · 24 questions · ~45 min