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.A necklace is made using gold beads and silver beads in the ratio 7:3. There are 40 more gold beads than silver beads. Work out the total number of beads in the necklace.
(a)100
(b)40
(c)70
(d)30
2.The width, the length and the height of a box are in the ratio 3:4:5. The length of the box is 16 cm. Work out the height of the box.
(a)20 cm
(b)80 cm
(c)4 cm
(d)12 cm
3.Work out the lowest common multiple of 9 and 15.
(a)24
(b)45
(c)135
(d)3
4.A number is divided by 5, then 6 is subtracted, giving the result −1. Work out the number.
(a)25
(b)−5
(c)1
(d)−35
5.Work out 1 − 1/2 − 1/4 − 1/8 − 1/16. Give your answer as a fraction.
(a)1/16
(b)1/8
(c)15/16
(d)3/16
6.Work out 20 − 8 ÷ 2 + 1
(a)16
(b)15
(c)7
(d)17
7.Is 120 divisible by 5? Give a reason for your answer.
(a)Yes, because 120 ends in 0
(b)No, because 1 + 2 + 0 = 3 is not a multiple of 5
(c)Yes, because 120 is even
(d)No, because 5 does not divide into 12
8.Write 0.25 as a percentage.
(a)2.5%
(b)0.25%
(c)250%
(d)25%
9.Work out the highest common factor of 12 and 18.
(a)2
(b)6
(c)36
(d)3
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 5 + 3 × (9 − 6)
(a)14
(b)24
(c)9
(d)26
12.Jamal invests £600 in a savings account paying 3% simple interest per year. Work out the total amount in the account after 4 years.
(a)£675.31
(b)£72
(c)£672
(d)£618
13.A tank contains 120 litres of water. Water is drained out at a rate of 8 litres per minute for 6 minutes, and then a hose adds 15 litres. Work out how much water is left in the tank.
(a)121 litres
(b)57 litres
(c)87 litres
(d)72 litres
14.A sum of £150 is divided between Ben and Chloe in the ratio 2:3. Work out Chloe's share.
(a)£60
(b)£75
(c)£90
(d)£30
15.A charity raffle sells 240 tickets at £1.85 each. 40% of the money raised is given to a local hospital. Work out how much money the hospital receives.
(a)£177.60
(b)£444.00
(c)£88.80
(d)£266.40
16.A box holds 140 pens. 25% of the pens are red. Work out how many of the pens are red.
(a)35
(b)105
(c)25
(d)70
17.Write 200 as a product of its prime factors, using index notation.
(a)2 × 5³
(b)2³ × 5
(c)2² × 5³
(d)2³ × 5²
18.Work out an estimate for 588 ÷ 31, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)20
(b)19
(c)17
(d)200
19.A recipe for one cake needs 2/3 of a cup of sugar. Priya has 3 1/2 cups of sugar. Work out how many complete cakes she can make.
(a)5.25
(b)5
(c)6
(d)7
20.Which statement about the number 51 is correct?
(a)51 is prime, because it is not divisible by 2, 3 or 5.
(b)51 is not prime, because it is divisible by 2.
(c)51 is prime, because it is an odd number.
(d)51 is not prime, because 51 = 3 × 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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