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.Work out the value of $8^{- 2/3}$ .
(a)4
(b)−16/3
(c)−4
(d)1/4
2.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
3.A rectangular plywood panel measures 2.4 m by 0.75 m. Work out the area of the panel in square metres, giving your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)4/5
(b)63/20
(c)9/5
(d)9/50
4.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
5.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
6.Simplify √45.
(a)9√5
(b)6√5
(c)15
(d)3√5
7.Expand and simplify (2x − 1)(x + 5)(x − 2). Write down the coefficient of x in your answer.
(a)−13
(b)−23
(c)−20
(d)10
8.A recipe uses 0.625 kg of flour. Write this mass as a fraction of a kilogram, in its simplest form.
(a)31/50
(b)25/4
(c)5/8
(d)8/5
9.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
10.Sam compares 0.6 and 5/8 by comparing the digit 6 with the digit 5, and says that 0.6 is the larger number. Convert 5/8 to a decimal to find the correct larger value.
(a)0.625
(b)0.58
(c)0.85
(d)0.6
11.One solution of the equation x² − (k + 1)x + k = 0 is x = 3. Work out the value of k.
(a)k = 3
(b)k = −3
(c)k = 4
(d)k = 1.5
12.Factorise 6x² − 7x − 3.
(a)(x − 3)(6x + 1)
(b)(3x + 1)(2x − 3)
(c)(6x − 1)(x + 3)
(d)(3x − 1)(2x + 3)
13.Expand and simplify (x + 1)(x + 2)(x + 3).
(a)x³ + 6x² + 11x + 5
(b)x³ + 6x² + 6x + 6
(c)x³ + 5x² + 11x + 6
(d)x³ + 6x² + 11x + 6
14.Simplify x⁵ × x³ ÷ x², giving your answer as a single power of x.
(a)x⁶
(b)x⁴
(c)6x
(d)x¹⁰
15.Expand and simplify √3(2 + √12).
(a)6 + √6
(b)√15 + 2√3
(c)2√3
(d)6 + 2√3
16.Factorise 3x² + 10x − 8.
(a)(3x − 4)(x + 2)
(b)(3x + 2)(x − 4)
(c)(x − 2)(3x + 4)
(d)(3x − 2)(x + 4)
17.A square tile has an area of 72 cm². Work out the exact perimeter of the tile, giving your answer in the form k√2 cm.
(a)144√2
(b)24√2
(c)6√2
(d)12√2
18.Solve x² + 3x − 10 = 0.
(a)x = 2 or x = 5
(b)x = −2 or x = 5
(c)x = −5 or x = −2
(d)x = 2 or x = −5
19.Simplify (x² − 9) ÷ (x² + 5x + 6).
(a)(x + 3)/(x + 2)
(b)(x − 3)/(x + 2)
(c)x − 3
(d)−9/(5x + 6)
20.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

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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