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.Write the ratio 4x : 6x in its simplest form, where x is a positive number.
(a)2x:3x
(b)4:6
(c)2:3
(d)3:2
2.In a recipe the mass of chocolate to the mass of milk is in the ratio 1:4. Amelia uses 200 g of milk. Work out the mass of chocolate she needs.
(a)800 g
(b)250 g
(c)40 g
(d)50 g
3.In the number 3.472, work out the value of the digit 7.
(a)0.007
(b)0.7
(c)0.07
(d)7
4.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
5.Work out 2 × (−3 + 7)
(a)1
(b)6
(c)−20
(d)8
6.Write the ratio 18:22 in its simplest form.
(a)9:11
(b)9:22
(c)11:9
(d)9:13
7.Simplify the ratio 45 : 30 : 75 to its simplest form.
(a)2 : 3 : 5
(b)15 : 10 : 25
(c)9 : 6 : 15
(d)3 : 2 : 5
8.A rectangular plywood panel measures 2.4 m by 0.75 m. Work out the area of the panel in square metres, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)4/5
(b)63/20
(c)9/5
(d)9/50
9.Write 0.875 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)7/8
(b)7/80
(c)9/10
(d)8/7
10.Work out an estimate for 2.9² + 3.1², by rounding each number to the nearest whole number.
(a)18
(b)36
(c)6
(d)12
11.Work out 8% of £250.
(a)£25
(b)£2
(c)£200
(d)£20
12.A recipe uses flour, sugar and butter in the ratio 8 : 3 : 5. Write the ratio of flour to the rest of the mixture (sugar and butter combined) in its simplest form.
(a)3 : 5
(b)8 : 3
(c)1 : 2
(d)1 : 1
13.Work out 36 ÷ (2 × 3)
(a)216
(b)54
(c)6
(d)18
14.A cinema has 21 rows of seats with 29 seats in each row. Work out an estimate for the number of people the cinema can hold, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)6,000
(b)60
(c)50
(d)600
15.Write the ratio 3/4 : 1/2 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
(a)3:1
(b)3:2
(c)2:3
(d)2:1
16.Which of these ratios is equivalent to 2:3?
(a)12:8
(b)8:12
(c)4:5
(d)8:3
17.Amelia has 49 boxes of apples with 21 apples in each box. Work out an estimate for the total number of apples, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)1,029
(b)1,500
(c)800
(d)1,000
18.Write 0.25 as a percentage.
(a)2.5%
(b)0.25%
(c)250%
(d)25%
19.Work out (−36) ÷ (−6) × 2
(a)3
(b)6
(c)12
(d)−12
20.Work out 3/7 × 14/9. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)17/16
(b)2/21
(c)2/3
(d)27/98

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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