20 exact-answer questions with no calculator: surds, indices, exact trigonometric values, algebraic manipulation and fractions.

🧮 Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Higher

Maths · GCSE Higher · 20 questions · ~25 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

On Higher, Paper 1 asks for answers in exact form — a surd left as a surd, sin 60° left as √3/2, a fraction left as a fraction — and a rounded decimal scores nothing. This sheet drills exactly that. Twenty questions across simplifying surds and rationalising denominators, the index laws including fractional and negative indices, exact values of sin, cos and tan at the standard angles, expanding and factorising, and arithmetic with fractions and mixed numbers. Give yourself twenty-five minutes and no calculator, and write every answer in its exact form even when a decimal feels more natural. If you find yourself reaching for the calculator out of habit, that is the habit this sheet exists to break.

1.The recurring decimal 0.181818... can be written as 0.18 recurring, where both digits repeat forever. Let x = 0.18 recurring. Work out x as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)2/11
(b)17/99
(c)9/50
(d)1/5
2.A shape is made by joining a rectangle measuring 10 cm by 6 cm to a semicircle of diameter 6 cm along one of the rectangle's shorter sides. Work out the exact area of the shape, in terms of π.
(a)(60 + 3π) cm²
(b)(60 + 4.5π) cm²
(c)(60 + 9π) cm²
(d)(60 + 18π) cm²
3.Solve x² − x − 12 = 0.
(a)x = 4 or x = −3
(b)x = −4 or x = 3
(c)x = 12 or x = −1
(d)x = 4 or x = 3
4.The equation x² − 6x + k = 0 has exactly one solution. Work out the value of k.
(a)k = −9
(b)k = 9
(c)k = 3
(d)k = 36
5.Solve 5x² − 15x = 0.
(a)x = 0 or x = 15
(b)x = 3
(c)x = 0 or x = 3
(d)x = 5 or x = 3
6.A set of kitchen scales displays the mass of a bag of sugar as 0.63 recurring kilograms, meaning 0.636363... kg with the block '63' repeating forever. Convert this mass to a fraction of a kilogram, then work out the mass in grams, giving your answer to the nearest gram.
(a)700 g
(b)626 g
(c)630 g
(d)636 g
7.Solve 4x² − 9 = 0.
(a)x = 3/2 or x = −3/2
(b)x = 3/2 only
(c)x = 3 or x = −3
(d)x = 9/4 or x = −9/4
8.Simplify 2³ × 2⁴, giving your answer as a single power of 2.
(a)2¹²
(b)2¹
(c)4⁷
(d)2⁷
9.Write 0.325 as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)13/40
(b)3/8
(c)8/25
(d)13/4
10.A tent's sloping side makes an angle of 45° with the ground. The sloping side is 3√2 m long. Using the exact value of sin 45°, work out the exact height of the tent.
(a)3 m
(b)3√2/2 m
(c)6 m
(d)3√2 m
11.Factorise fully 5x + 5y − 5
(a)5(xy − 1)
(b)5(x + y + 1)
(c)5(x + y − 1)
(d)5(x + y − 5)
12.Work out 1 1/2 ÷ 3/4 exactly, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)9/8
(b)2/3
(c)2
(d)1/2
13.In a school, 3/5 of the students study French. Of these students, 2/3 also study Spanish. What fraction of all the students study both French and Spanish?
(a)3/5
(b)9/10
(c)2/5
(d)3/4
14.Work out the value of (1/3)⁻²
(a)6
(b)9
(c)1/9
(d)−9
15.Work out 3/4 − 5/12 exactly, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)1/3
(b)−1/6
(c)1/4
(d)7/6
16.Solve x² + 7x = 0.
(a)x = 0 or x = 7
(b)x = 0 or x = −14
(c)x = 0 or x = −7
(d)x = −7
17.Simplify 5a/6 − a/3
(a)7a/6
(b)2a/3
(c)4a/3
(d)a/2
18.A cable supporting a flagpole is anchored to the ground 5 m from the base of the pole. The cable makes an angle of 60° with the ground. Using the exact value of tan 60°, work out the exact height of the flagpole.
(a)10√3 m
(b)5/√3 m
(c)5√3 m
(d)5√3/2 m
19.3/5 of a 5/6 litre bottle of juice is poured out. Work out the exact volume poured out, in litres.
(a)1/2
(b)43/30
(c)18/25
(d)25/36
20.A ramp rises at 30° to the horizontal. Its sloping surface is 4.8 m long. Safety rules say the vertical rise of a ramp must be no more than 2.5 m. Work out how far below that limit the rise of this ramp is.
(a)0.1 m
(b)2.4 m
(c)7.1 m
(d)0.9 m

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 20 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content areas covered: Number, Algebra, Geometry and measures (statements N7, N8, N10, A4, A18, G21). It is pitched at GCSE Higher 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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