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 75p : £1.50 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
(a)2:1
(b)3:4
(c)1:2
(d)50:1
2.Work out how many factors 100 has.
(a)8
(b)4
(c)9
(d)10
3.Work out 18 − 4 × 2
(a)12
(b)−10
(c)10
(d)28
4.Write these three numbers in order of size, starting with the smallest: 0.7, 3/4, 0.72
(a)3/4, 0.72, 0.7
(b)3/4, 0.7, 0.72
(c)0.7, 0.72, 3/4
(d)0.72, 3/4, 0.7
5.Work out (−36) ÷ (−6) × 2
(a)3
(b)6
(c)12
(d)−12
6.The number 72 can be written as 2³ × 3², and the number 108 can be written as 2² × 3³. Work out the highest common factor of 72 and 108.
(a)36
(b)6
(c)108
(d)216
7.Work out 5 + 3 × (9 − 6)
(a)14
(b)24
(c)9
(d)26
8.A charity shop and a school share collection-box money in the ratio 5 : 8. The charity shop receives £47.50. Work out how much the school receives.
(a)£29.69
(b)£76.00
(c)£57.00
(d)£123.50
9.In a test, Amelia answered 18 of the 24 questions correctly. Work out the percentage of the questions she answered correctly.
(a)75%
(b)133%
(c)25%
(d)18%
10.Write 400 g : 1.5 kg as a ratio in its simplest form.
(a)4 : 15
(b)40 : 150
(c)4 : 1.5
(d)15 : 4
11.Estimate the value of √45, giving your answer to the nearest whole number.
(a)2,025
(b)7
(c)6
(d)22.5
12.Work out 2 × (−3 + 7)
(a)1
(b)6
(c)−20
(d)8
13.Write 0.325 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)13/40
(b)3/8
(c)8/25
(d)13/4
14.Work out (−2)³ + (−3)² − (−4)
(a)5
(b)−13
(c)−3
(d)21
15.Work out −4.5 + 2.8.
(a)1.7
(b)−7.3
(c)−2.3
(d)−1.7
16.Work out the value of √(16 + 9)
(a)5
(b)12
(c)7
(d)−5
17.Write the ratio 2 : 1/4 as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
(a)8:1
(b)8:4
(c)1:8
(d)2:4
18.Write 0.36 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)36/10
(b)9/25
(c)9/50
(d)3/10
19.3/5 of the students in a year group walk to school. 90 students walk to school. Work out the total number of students in the year group.
(a)54
(b)126
(c)150
(d)30
20.Work out an estimate for 588 ÷ 31, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)20
(b)19
(c)17
(d)200

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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