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 line segment joins A(1, 1) and B(4, 7). Write down the sign of the gradient of this line.
(a)zero
(b)negative
(c)cannot be determined
(d)positive
2.A circle is drawn on a page. Write down how many radii can be drawn in the circle.
(a)Infinitely many
(b)Exactly one
(c)Exactly four
(d)Exactly two
3.A rectangular patio measures 90 cm by 120 cm. Ben wants to cover it exactly with identical square tiles, as large as possible, with no tiles cut. Work out the side length of the largest square tile he can use.
(a)30 cm
(b)360 cm
(c)15 cm
(d)10 cm
4.Four sequences are shown below. Sequence P: 4, 8, 16, 32, ... Sequence Q: 4, 8, 12, 16, ... Sequence R: 4, 7, 12, 19, ... Sequence S: 4, 9, 16, 25, ... Work out which of the sequences P, Q, R and S is geometric.
(a)R
(b)Q
(c)P
(d)S
5.A tap fills a tank at a rate of 18 litres per minute. The tank holds 0.45 m³. Work out how long the tap takes to fill the tank.
(a)8100 minutes
(b)25 minutes
(c)2.5 minutes
(d)25 000 minutes
6.Six years ago Harry was three times as old as his brother Leo. Harry is now 24 years old. Work out Leo's age now.
(a)12
(b)8
(c)36
(d)6
7.Shape S is enlarged by a scale factor of 3, centre the origin. A vertex of S is at (2, 1). Work out the coordinates of the image of this vertex.
(a)(6, 1)
(b)(6, 3)
(c)(2, 3)
(d)(5, 4)
8.A gym charges a reduced price for the first month of membership and a standard price for every month after that. The total cost is £5 for 1 month, £12 for 2 months, £19 for 3 months and £26 for 4 months. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the total cost, in pounds, of n months of membership.
(a)7n
(b)5n + 7
(c)7n + 5
(d)7n − 2
9.The formula for the volume of a cuboid is V = lwh, where l is the length, w is the width and h is the height. Make h the subject of the formula.
(a)h = Vlw
(b)h = V − lw
(c)h = V / (lw)
(d)h = lw / V
10.A rhombus has all four sides equal in length. Which statement about a rhombus is correct?
(a)Its rotational symmetry order is always 4
(b)Its diagonals cross at right angles
(c)Its diagonals are always equal in length
(d)It always has four right angles
11.A plant is 4 cm tall in week 1. Each week after that, its height increases by 5 cm. Work out the first week in which the plant is taller than 30 cm.
(a)Week 8
(b)Week 7
(c)Week 5
(d)Week 6
12.A ship's radio can be heard up to 30 km from the ship. A lighthouse's light can be seen up to 20 km from the lighthouse. The ship and the lighthouse are 40 km apart along the coast. Describe the region where BOTH the radio can be heard AND the light can be seen.
(a)the lens-shaped region where the two circles overlap
(b)the whole smaller circle, since it fits inside the larger one
(c)no overlap — 30 km and 20 km don't add to 40 km
(d)a straight strip, exactly halfway between the two

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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