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 0.454545... can be written as 0.45 recurring, where both digits repeat forever. Let x = 0.45 recurring. Work out x as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)1/2
(b)9/20
(c)5/11
(d)4/9
2.A student writes 0.08 as the fraction 8/10, reading the 8 as if it stood in the tenths column and ignoring the zero. Work out the correct fraction that 0.08 is equal to, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)25/2
(b)1/125
(c)4/5
(d)2/25
3.Work out the exact value of sin 45° × cos 45°.
(a)√2
(b)1
(c)1/2
(d)√2/2
4.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
5.Simplify (2x² + 7x + 3) ÷ (x² − 9), giving your answer as a single fraction.
(a)(2x + 1)/(x + 3)
(b)(2x + 1)/(x − 3)
(c)2x + 1
(d)(2x + 3)/(x − 3)
6.A circle has a circumference of 8π cm. Work out the exact area of the circle in terms of π.
(a)64π
(b)16π
(c)4π
(d)8π
7.Simplify x⁷ × x⁴, giving your answer as a single power of x.
(a)x¹¹
(b)11x
(c)x³
(d)x²⁸
8.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
9.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
10.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
11.3/5 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
12.Simplify (x⁻²)³, giving your answer as a fraction.
(a)x⁶
(b)1/x⁵
(c)1/x⁶
(d)−x⁶
13.Simplify (5² × 2³)³ ÷ (5³ × 2²)²
(a)2
(b)2⁵
(c)2²
(d)2¹³
14.Expand and simplify 4(2x − 1) − 3(x + 2) − 5x
(a)−10
(b)5x − 10
(c)2
(d)−7
15.A square petri dish has an area of 121 mm². A scientist wants to know its side length. Work out the side length of the dish.
(a)22 mm
(b)242 mm
(c)60.5 mm
(d)11 mm
16.Factorise x² − 64.
(a)(x − 4)(x + 16)
(b)(x − 8)(x − 8)
(c)(x + 8)(x + 8)
(d)(x − 8)(x + 8)
17.Simplify 3² ÷ 3⁵, giving your answer as a single power of 3.
(a)3⁷
(b)3³
(c)3⁻³
(d)3¹⁰
18.The decimal 0.111... has the digit 1 repeating for ever. Write 0.1 recurring as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)1/10
(b)1/9
(c)1/11
(d)11/100
19.A cake recipe needs 3/4 of a kilogram of sugar. Aisha wants to make half the recipe. Work out how much sugar she needs, giving your answer as a fraction of a kilogram in its simplest form.
(a)5/4
(b)3/4
(c)3/2
(d)3/8
20.Factorise 6x² − 7x − 3.
(a)(x − 3)(6x + 1)
(b)(3x + 1)(2x − 3)
(c)(6x − 1)(x + 3)
(d)(3x − 1)(2x + 3)

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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