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.Work out the y-intercept of the graph of y = x² + 3x − 10.
y = x² + 3x − 10
(a)(−10, 0)
(b)(0, 3)
(c)(0, 10)
(d)(0, −10)
2.Round 4,685 to the nearest 100.
(a)5,000
(b)4,700
(c)4,600
(d)4,690
3.A sports centre in Ipswich has 2,000 members. It wants to know what its members think of its opening hours, so it asks a random sample of 100 of them. Write down what the population is in this survey.
(a)Everybody who lives in Ipswich.
(b)All 2,000 members of the sports centre.
(c)The members who say they are unhappy with the opening hours.
(d)The 100 members who were asked.
4.A sector of a pie chart stands for 25% of the data. Work out the angle at the centre of that sector.
(a)45°
(b)25°
(c)90°
(d)14.4°
5.A landscaper marks out two triangular flower beds using stakes and a tape measure. Bed 1 has two edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner with a marked angle of 60° between them. Bed 2 has edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner also marked at 60° between them. The landscaper wants to check the two beds will be exactly the same size and shape using only these three measurements. Which condition proves the two beds are congruent?
(a)ASA
(b)SAS
(c)RHS
(d)SSS
6.On the probability scale from 0 to 1, which word best describes an event with probability 0.9?
(a)unlikely
(b)likely
(c)certain
(d)evens
7.A paint mix is made from white paint and blue paint in the ratio 5 : 3. Priya uses 1.2 litres of blue paint and the matching amount of white paint. Work out the total volume of the mix.
(a)9.6 litres
(b)2 litres
(c)3.2 litres
(d)1.92 litres
8.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
9.A board game has 5 different character pieces and 4 different colour tokens. The dragon piece can only be used with the gold token. Work out how many different combinations of one character piece and one colour token are possible.
(a)19
(b)20
(c)16
(d)17
10.Which of these statements is an identity?
(a)x + 4 = 2x
(b)2(x + 4) = 20
(c)2(x + 4) ≡ 2x + 8
(d)2(x + 4) = 2x + 4
11.A straight line passes through points A, B and C, with B between A and C. A fourth point D is not on the line. Angle ABD = 132°. Work out the size of angle DBC.
(a)228°
(b)48°
(c)66°
(d)132°
12.Which of these rules generates the sequence 6, 11, 16, 21, …?
(a)6n
(b)5n − 1
(c)5n + 1
(d)n + 5

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.

Similar worksheets worth a look

✏️ Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Foundation · 20 questions · ~25 min
🧮 Paper 1 non-calculator warm-up — Higher · 20 questions · ~25 min
🎯 Grade 4 pass booster · 25 questions · ~40 min
⚖️ Foundation to Higher crossover check · 20 questions · ~35 min