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.A hall is set out in rows of chairs for an assembly. Row 1 has 50 chairs, row 2 has 45 chairs, row 3 has 40 chairs, and row 4 has 35 chairs, with each row after the first having 5 fewer chairs than the one before. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the number of chairs in row n.
(a)55 − 5n
(b)n − 5
(c)−5n − 5
(d)50n − 5
2.A map has a scale of 2 cm : 5 km. A footpath measures 8 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the footpath, in kilometres.
(a)3.2 km
(b)20 km
(c)40 km
(d)5 km
3.A number machine adds 6 to its input. Work out the output when the input is −4.
(a)10
(b)−10
(c)2
(d)−24
4.A school recorded what 60 students chose for lunch. 35 of the students are in Year 10 and the rest are in Year 11. 20 of the Year 10 students chose a sandwich and 9 of the Year 11 students chose a sandwich. Everyone else chose a hot meal. Work out how many Year 11 students chose a hot meal.
(a)31
(b)16
(c)25
(d)15
5.Given that 1 mile ≈ 1.6 km, work out a speed of 55 mph in km/h.
(a)33 km/h
(b)56.6 km/h
(c)88 km/h
(d)34.38 km/h
6.Make x the subject of the formula y = 4(x − 6).
(a)x = 4y + 96
(b)x = (y + 6)/4
(c)x = (y + 24)/4
(d)x = y/4 − 6
7.Simplify 2³ × 2⁴, giving your answer as a single power of 2.
(a)2¹²
(b)2¹
(c)4⁷
(d)2⁷
8.A student says the reverse of the translation vector $(- 9 4)$ is $(9 4)$ . Write down the correct reverse translation vector.
(a) $(- 9 - 4)$
(b) $(- 9 4)$
(c) $(9 - 4)$
(d) $(9 4)$
9.A bag contains 4 red counters and 6 blue counters. A counter is taken at random, its colour noted, and it is put back in the bag before a second counter is taken at random. Work out the probability that the two counters are different colours. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)12/25
(b)6/25
(c)13/25
(d)8/15
10.The age, in years, and the score in a reaction test are recorded for eight members of a sports club: (14, 92), (18, 88), (23, 85), (27, 80), (31, 78), (36, 74), (42, 70), (49, 65). The eight pairs are plotted on a scatter graph. Describe the correlation between age and score.
(a)Strong positive correlation
(b)No correlation
(c)Strong negative correlation
(d)Weak negative correlation
11.A tile is described as having two pairs of parallel sides, four equal sides, and diagonals that cross at right angles but are not equal in length. Give a reason why this tile cannot be a square.
(a)A square's diagonals are equal in length
(b)A square has only one pair of parallel sides
(c)A square's diagonals do not cross at right angles
(d)A square's sides are not all equal in length
12.A card is taken at random from an ordinary pack of 52 playing cards. The probability that the card is a diamond is 1/4. Work out the probability that the card is not a diamond.
(a)1/2
(b)3/4
(c)1/4
(d)3/52

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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