20 questions with no calculator: the four operations, fractions, percentages, order of operations, factors and estimation.
✏️ Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Foundation
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 0.875 as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 2.Write the ratio 18:22 in its simplest form.
- 3.A bag contains 7 red counters and 15 blue counters. Write down the ratio of red counters to blue counters in its simplest form.
- 4.Work out 2 3/4 − 1 5/6. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 5.Write these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 0.7, 3/4, 0.72
- 6.Work out (2/3)² + (1/2)². Give your answer as a fraction.
- 7.Work out −7 − (−3).
- 8.Work out 25% of 200.
- 9.Grace works out 7 × 99 by writing 99 as 100 − 1. Use her method to work out 7 × 99.
- 10.Write the mixed number 2 1/4 as an improper fraction.
- 11.Work out an estimate for 113 + 491, by rounding each number to the nearest 100.
- 12.Work out 15% of £40, using 10% and 5%.
- 13.Write '3.2 million' as a number in figures.
- 14.In the number 3.472, work out the value of the digit 7.
- 15.The rent on a flat increases by 10% one year and by a further 10% the following year. Work out the overall percentage increase over the two years.
- 16.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
- 17.A rectangular patio measures 90 cm by 120 cm. Ben wants to cover it exactly with identical square tiles, as large as possible, with no tiles cut. Work out the side length of the largest square tile he can use.
- 18.Write the fraction 47/50 as a decimal.
- 19.Write 75p : £1.50 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 20.Which of these ratios is already written in its simplest form?
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.
Similar worksheets worth a look
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- 🎯 Grade 4 pass booster · 25 questions · ~40 min
- ⚖️ Foundation to Higher crossover check · 20 questions · ~35 min
- 💷 Percentages and compound interest · 22 questions · ~40 min