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 roll of ribbon is 8.4 m long. Ribbon is cut into pieces that are each 0.6 m long. Work out how many complete pieces can be cut from the roll.
(a)14
(b)12
(c)140
(d)1
2.Work out 3 + 4 × 2²
(a)28
(b)67
(c)196
(d)19
3.3/5 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
4.Write 0.06 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)3/5
(b)3/50
(c)1/6
(d)3/500
5.Work out the difference between 45% of 70 and 35% of 80.
(a)11.5
(b)3.5
(c)59.5
(d)10
6.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
7.Simplify the ratio 12 : 18 : 30 to its simplest form.
(a)3:2:5
(b)4:6:10
(c)6:9:15
(d)2:3:5
8.A carpenter has a plank of wood 4.8 m long. She cuts off 3 pieces, each 0.9 m long, to make shelves. Work out the length of wood remaining.
(a)7.5 m
(b)2.1 m
(c)3.0 m
(d)2.7 m
9.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.
(a)30 cm
(b)360 cm
(c)15 cm
(d)10 cm
10.For any two whole numbers, the product of the numbers is equal to the product of their highest common factor and their lowest common multiple. The highest common factor of 6 and 8 is 2, and 6 × 8 = 48. Work out the lowest common multiple of 6 and 8.
(a)24
(b)12
(c)48
(d)96
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.Work out 3 + 4 × (−2).
(a)−8
(b)−5
(c)−14
(d)11
13.There are 400 students at a school. 25% of them have a brother, 40% have a sister and 15% have both a brother and a sister. Work out how many of the students have neither a brother nor a sister.
(a)140 students
(b)300 students
(c)200 students
(d)260 students
14.Work out 3.7 × 24.
(a)8.88
(b)88.8
(c)888
(d)87.8
15.In a class, 1/3 of the pupils are girls. There are 12 girls in the class. Work out how many pupils are in the class.
(a)18
(b)4
(c)24
(d)36
16.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
17.Work out (−36) ÷ (−6) × 2
(a)3
(b)6
(c)12
(d)−12
18.Work out the highest common factor of 12 and 18.
(a)2
(b)6
(c)36
(d)3
19.A textbook is reduced from £60 to £45. Work out the percentage reduction.
(a)33%
(b)15%
(c)75%
(d)25%
20.Work out 10% of 30% of £200.
(a)£60
(b)£80
(c)£20
(d)£6

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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