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 translation moves the point (1, 1) to the point (9, 4). Write down the column vector of this translation.
(a) $(8 3)$
(b) $(3 8)$
(c) $(5 10)$
(d) $(- 3 - 8)$
2.Sam says: '3.2 litres is the same as 320 ml, because you multiply by 100.' Which statement about Sam's claim is correct?
(a)Wrong: 1 litre = 100 ml, so his number is off.
(b)Wrong: 1 litre = 1000 ml, so 3.2 l = 3200 ml.
(c)Wrong, but only because 3.2 should round to 3.
(d)Correct: ×100 converts litres to millilitres.
3.A taxi company charges a £2.50 booking fee plus £1.80 per mile. A journey costs £15.10 in total. Work out the number of miles travelled.
(a)9.78
(b)8.39
(c)5.32
(d)7
4.Three angles meet at a single point on one side of a straight line. Two of the angles are 48° and 65°. Work out the third angle.
(a)113°
(b)48°
(c)67°
(d)180°
5.The perimeter of a square is 20 cm. Work out the area of the square.
(a)5 cm
(b)25 cm²
(c)100 cm²
(d)400 cm²
6.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £45 and then £28 for each hour she works. She is at a house from 09:15 until 12:45. Work out the total charge.
(a)£98
(b)£129
(c)£255.50
(d)£143
7.Put these numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3.2 × 10⁴, 2.9 × 10⁵, 4.1 × 10³
(a)3.2 × 10⁴, 4.1 × 10³, 2.9 × 10⁵
(b)2.9 × 10⁵, 3.2 × 10⁴, 4.1 × 10³
(c)4.1 × 10³, 3.2 × 10⁴, 2.9 × 10⁵
(d)4.1 × 10³, 2.9 × 10⁵, 3.2 × 10⁴
8.A quadratic graph y = ax² + bx + c has its turning point on the y-axis. Which statement about its roots must be true?
(a)The two roots must both be positive.
(b)The graph has no roots at all.
(c)The graph must touch the x-axis at exactly one point.
(d)If the graph has two real roots, they are equal and opposite in value, so they sum to zero.
9.A machine makes 4000 light bulbs a day and runs 5 days a week. Two inspectors test bulbs from this machine. Inspector A tests 40 bulbs and finds 4 faulty. Inspector B tests 500 bulbs and finds 30 faulty. Using the better of the two estimates, work out how many faulty bulbs the machine is expected to make in one week.
(a)1200
(b)240
(c)1600
(d)2000
10.Write the ratio 4 : 9 in the form 1 : n.
(a)1 : 5
(b)1 : 2.25
(c)2.25 : 1
(d)1 : 36
11.For any two whole numbers, the product of the numbers is equal to the product of their highest common factor and their lowest common multiple. The highest common factor of 6 and 8 is 2, and 6 × 8 = 48. Work out the lowest common multiple of 6 and 8.
(a)24
(b)12
(c)48
(d)96
12.The height, h metres, of a ball t seconds after a stopwatch is started follows h = (t − 1)(5 − t) for 1 ≤ t ≤ 5, where h = 0 means the ball is at ground level. Work out the two times at which the ball is at ground level.
(a)t = 1 second and t = 4 seconds
(b)t = 1 second and t = −5 seconds
(c)t = 1 second and t = 5 seconds
(d)t = −1 second and t = 5 seconds

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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