12 short questions across all six content areas, designed as a lesson starter or a daily warm-up.
⏱️ Ten-minute starters — Foundation
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 price of a share falls by 10% on Monday and then rises by 10% on Tuesday. Work out the overall percentage change from Monday's starting price.
- 2.A rule turns each input x into an output y. The inputs are x = 1, 2, 3, 4 and the matching outputs are y = −5, −3, −1 and one missing value. Work out the missing value of y.
- 3.The probability that it rains in Manchester tomorrow is 1/12. Work out the probability that it does not rain in Manchester tomorrow.
- 4.A recipe for 4 people needs 300 g of rice. Work out how much rice is needed for 6 people, assuming the amount is in direct proportion to the number of people.
- 5.Which one of these statements is true?
- 6.The daily high temperatures, in °C, in Leeds over five days were 14, 16, 18, 19 and 23. In York over the same five days they were 15, 17, 17, 18 and 18. Write a sentence comparing Leeds and York using both the median and the range.
- 7.A ferry's distance-time graph is a straight line from (0 minutes, 0 km) to (25 minutes, 15 km). Work out the ferry's speed in kilometres per hour.
- 8.Write 2 m : 150 cm : 50 cm as a ratio of whole numbers in its simplest form.
- 9.Freya types 4² + 3² into her calculator and writes down 49. Work out the correct value of 4² + 3².
- 10.Triangles LMN and XYZ have LM = XY, MN = YZ and LN = XZ. Give a reason why triangle LMN is congruent to triangle XYZ.
- 11.A sponsored walk raised £350 for charity. 20% of the money raised is spent on equipment. Work out how much is spent on equipment.
- 12.A scout leader is 44 years old and one of the scouts is 16 years old. Work out how many years it will be until the leader is exactly twice as old as the scout.
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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