20 questions with no calculator: the four operations, fractions, percentages, order of operations, factors and estimation.

✏️ Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Foundation

Maths · GCSE Foundation · 20 questions · ~25 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

Paper 1 is worth exactly as much as each calculator paper, and it is the one most Foundation students practise least. This sheet is a warm-up for it: twenty questions drawn from the number and ratio statements that turn up on the non-calculator paper year after year — column arithmetic with decimals and negatives, adding and subtracting fractions, percentages of amounts, priority of operations, factors and multiples, and estimating by rounding to one significant figure. Do it with a pen and nothing else. Twenty-five minutes is about right, but do not stop early if you need longer; the point is to find out which of these have quietly gone rusty, not to score well. Mark it, then go back to the topic page for whichever one cost you the most.

1.The price of a jacket increases by 50% and then decreases by 50%. Describe the overall change from the original price.
(a)no change
(b)an increase of 25%
(c)a decrease of 25%
(d)a decrease of 50%
2.A washing machine costs £320 before VAT. VAT is charged at 20%. Work out the total price including VAT.
(a)£340.00
(b)£326.40
(c)£384.00
(d)£64.00
3.The price of a share falls by 10% on Monday and then rises by 10% on Tuesday. Work out the overall percentage change from Monday's starting price.
(a)0%
(b)−1%
(c)−2%
(d)+1%
4.Write 200 as a product of its prime factors, using index notation.
(a)2 × 5³
(b)2³ × 5
(c)2² × 5³
(d)2³ × 5²
5.Work out 4368 ÷ 12.
(a)346
(b)364
(c)304
(d)36.4
6.Grace works out 7 × 99 by writing 99 as 100 − 1. Use her method to work out 7 × 99.
(a)707
(b)700
(c)693
(d)699
7.Work out 2 × 3 × 5 + 1 and decide whether the result is a prime number.
(a)30, which is not prime
(b)31, which is not prime because 31 = 1 × 31
(c)31, which is not prime because it is a multiple of 3
(d)31, which is prime
8.A carton of orange juice holds 1.35 litres. Ruby pours the juice equally into 4 identical glasses. Work out how much juice is in each glass, giving your answer as a fraction of a litre in its simplest form.
(a)27/20
(b)17/50
(c)27/5
(d)27/80
9.The same jumper is sold at two shops. Shop A charges £40 and Shop B charges £50. Write down the price at Shop A as a percentage of the price at Shop B.
(a)90%
(b)80%
(c)20%
(d)125%
10.A florist has 60 red roses and 84 white roses. She wants to make identical bunches using all the flowers, with the greatest possible number of bunches. Work out how many red roses will be in each bunch.
(a)12
(b)7
(c)20
(d)5
11.Work out an estimate for 8,900 ÷ 29, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)300
(b)307
(c)450
(d)3,000
12.Write £3.60 : £2.40 as a ratio in its simplest form.
(a)360 : 240
(b)36 : 24
(c)2 : 3
(d)3 : 2
13.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
14.Work out 3 + 4 × (−2).
(a)−8
(b)−5
(c)−14
(d)11
15.The number 36 can be written as 2² × 3², and the number 84 can be written as 2² × 3 × 7. Work out the highest common factor of 36 and 84.
(a)12
(b)3
(c)6
(d)252
16.A pack contains 20 stickers. Noah gives 1/5 of the pack to his sister. Work out how many stickers he gives away.
(a)4
(b)5
(c)100
(d)16
17.Write the ratio 27 : 45 in its simplest form.
(a)27 : 45
(b)3 : 5
(c)5 : 3
(d)9 : 15
18.A jumper is reduced by 15% in a sale to a price of £42.50. Work out the original price.
(a)£283.33
(b)£36.13
(c)£48.88
(d)£50.00
19.Sam compares 0.6 and 5/8 by comparing the digit 6 with the digit 5, and says that 0.6 is the larger number. Convert 5/8 to a decimal to find the correct larger value.
(a)0.625
(b)0.58
(c)0.85
(d)0.6
20.Work out 20 − 8 ÷ 2 + 1
(a)16
(b)15
(c)7
(d)17

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 20 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content areas covered: Number, Ratio, proportion and rates of change (statements N2, N3, N4, N10, N12, N14, R4, R5, R9). It is pitched at GCSE Foundation and takes about 25 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 20 questions before checking — about 25 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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