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.Work out √144 − 2 × 3 + √25
(a)35
(b)11
(c)1
(d)7
2.A jacket normally costs £65. In a sale it is reduced by 20%, and the shop then takes a further £5 off at the till. Work out the final price.
(a)£48.00
(b)£52.00
(c)£47.00
(d)£40.00
3.Freya uses her calculator to work out 7² and writes down 14. Work out the correct value of 7².
(a)49
(b)14
(c)9
(d)77
4.Work out an estimate for 312 × 19, by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
(a)6200
(b)5928
(c)6000
(d)600
5.Write the ratio 20 : 30 in its simplest form.
(a)4:6
(b)3:2
(c)2:30
(d)2:3
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 3.7 × 24.
(a)8.88
(b)88.8
(c)888
(d)87.8
8.The price of a cycling helmet rises from £80 to £116. Work out the percentage increase.
(a)45%
(b)145%
(c)36%
(d)31%
9.Work out 3 × (−2)² − 5
(a)7
(b)−3
(c)31
(d)−17
10.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
11.A bag contains 7 red counters and 15 blue counters. Write down the ratio of red counters to blue counters in its simplest form.
(a)7:5
(b)15:7
(c)1:2
(d)7:15
12.Write 1/5 as a percentage.
(a)20%
(b)5%
(c)50%
(d)25%
13.Work out 2 3/4 − 1 5/6. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)13/12
(b)55/12
(c)1/12
(d)11/12
14.Write 0.36 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)36/10
(b)9/25
(c)9/50
(d)3/10
15.Work out 3 + 4 × (−2).
(a)−8
(b)−5
(c)−14
(d)11
16.Work out (−2)² − 3
(a)−7
(b)1
(c)25
(d)−1
17.A charity fun run raises money through entry fees and donations. Entry fees raise £1,260, which is 60% of the total amount raised. Work out how much money was raised through donations.
(a)£504
(b)£1,890
(c)£840
(d)£2,100
18.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
19.A minibus can carry 16 passengers. A school is taking 179 pupils on a trip. By rounding 179 to the nearest 10, work out an estimate for the number of minibuses needed, given that the school cannot hire part of a minibus.
(a)180
(b)12
(c)10
(d)11
20.Meera says that 0.7 ÷ 0.1 = 0.07. Work out the correct value of 0.7 ÷ 0.1.
(a)7
(b)0.07
(c)70
(d)0.7

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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