12 short questions across all six content areas, designed as a lesson starter or a daily warm-up.

⏱️ Ten-minute starters — Foundation

Maths · GCSE Foundation · 12 questions · ~10 min

MathsUKwww.geekhero.co.uk

Twelve short questions, two from each of the six content areas: number, algebra, ratio, geometry, probability and statistics. Nothing here needs more than a minute, and nothing needs a calculator. It is built as a lesson starter — print it, hand it out, take ten minutes, mark it together — and it works just as well as a daily warm-up at home in the fortnight before a mock. The value is in the spread rather than the depth: a student who has spent a week on algebra can find out in ten minutes what a week away from statistics has cost. Generate a new sheet whenever you want a fresh twelve on the same pattern.

1.The first five terms of a sequence are 2, 5, 8, 11, 14. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
(a)3n − 1
(b)2n + 3
(c)3n − 2
(d)3n + 2
2.A force of 250 N acts on an area of 0.5 m². Using pressure = force ÷ area, work out the pressure, in pascals.
(a)50
(b)125
(c)500
(d)249.5
3.Write these numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3, −1, 0, −5
(a)3, 0, −1, −5
(b)−1, −5, 0, 3
(c)0, −1, −5, 3
(d)−5, −1, 0, 3
4.Write down the expression that means the same as m² × m × 3.
(a)m⁶
(b)m³
(c)3m²
(d)3m³
5.A rectangle has vertices A(1, 1), B(4, 1), C(4, 5) and D(1, 5). Work out the perimeter of the rectangle.
(a)18 units
(b)7 units
(c)14 units
(d)12 units
6.Kai writes the expression 8 − 3x + 5x² and says it has three terms. Ryan says it only has two terms because a number on its own is not a term. Work out the correct number of terms in the expression.
(a)1
(b)3
(c)2
(d)5
7.A candle burns down at a constant rate. Its height, h cm, is plotted against time, t minutes, on a straight-line graph. The gradient of the line is −0.3. Which statement correctly describes what the gradient means?
(a)The candle's height decreases by 3 cm every minute.
(b)The candle burns for 0.3 minutes in total.
(c)The candle's height increases by 0.3 cm every minute.
(d)The candle's height decreases by 0.3 cm every minute.
8.Work out the value of 3a − 2b when a = 5 and b = 4
(a)52
(b)−7
(c)23
(d)7
9.A two-way table records whether each of the 30 pupils in a class passed maths and whether they passed science. 18 pupils passed maths, 12 pupils passed science and 8 pupils passed both. Work out how many pupils passed at least one of the two subjects.
(a)22
(b)14
(c)18
(d)30
10.Work out the distance between the point (0, 0) and the point (5, 12).
(a)12
(b)13
(c)17
(d)7
11.The diagram shows the graph of $y = x^{2} - x - 2$ , together with the horizontal line $y = 3$ . Use the graphs to estimate, to 1 decimal place, the two solutions of $x^{2} - x - 2 = 3$ .
(a)x = −1.8 and x = 2.8
(b)x = −3.0 and x = 4.0
(c)x = 1.8 and x = 2.8
(d)x = −1.0 and x = 2.0
12.A circle has centre O. Radii OA and OB are drawn, together with the arc AB, enclosing a sector. The straight chord AB is also drawn. Write down the name of the region enclosed between the chord AB and the arc AB.
(a)circumference
(b)segment
(c)sector
(d)tangent

What is on this worksheet?

The sheet holds 12 questions drawn from the MathsUK bank — the content areas covered: Number, Algebra, Ratio, proportion and rates of change, Geometry and measures, Probability, Statistics. It is pitched at GCSE Foundation and takes about 10 minutes to work through in full. It works as a class handout, a homework, or a warm-up before a test.

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 12 questions before checking — about 10 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 12 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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