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 scatter graph shows the height, x cm, and the mass, y kg, of 20 pupils in Year 10. The heights on the graph run from 150 cm to 180 cm, and the line of best fit is y = 0.9x − 85. Nadia puts x = 90 into this equation to estimate the mass of a two-year-old child who is 90 cm tall. Is her estimate reliable? Give a reason for your answer.
y = 0.9x − 85
(a)Yes, the line passes through all 20 of the points
(b)Yes, the equation works for any value put into it
(c)No, 90 cm is far outside the heights on the graph
(d)No, a line of best fit cannot be used to predict at all
2.In a shop a shirt costs £x and a pair of trousers costs £(2x + 30). Together the two items cost at least £150. Work out the lowest possible price of the shirt.
(a)£50
(b)£120
(c)£60
(d)£40
3.A shape is translated by the vector $(- 7 4)$ and then by the vector $(3 - 9)$ . Write down the single column vector that has the same effect as those two translations together.
(a) $(- 4 - 5)$
(b) $(- 10 13)$
(c) $(- 4 - 13)$
(d) $(- 10 - 5)$
4.Two quantities y and z are each in direct proportion to x, and are given by y = 3x and z = 7x. Work out the difference between the value of y and the value of z when x = 4.
y = 3x
(a)40
(b)16
(c)28
(d)4
5.Work out the y-coordinate of the midpoint of the line segment joining (2, 4) and (8, 10).
(a)3
(b)7
(c)14
(d)5
6.Work out 3 × (−2)² − 5
(a)7
(b)−3
(c)31
(d)−17
7.A recipe uses 0.625 kg of flour. Write this mass as a fraction of a kilogram, in its simplest form.
(a)31/50
(b)25/4
(c)5/8
(d)8/5
8.A post 2 metres tall casts a shadow 3 metres long. At the same time a nearby tree casts a shadow 12 metres long. Work out the height of the tree.
(a)24 m
(b)4 m
(c)8 m
(d)18 m
9.A graph has equation y = 3x + 2. Which word or phrase best describes its shape?
y = 3x + 2
(a)A curve that gets closer to an axis but never reaches it.
(b)A straight line.
(c)A curve that decreases then increases.
(d)A U-shaped curve, like a quadratic.
10.A stained-glass window panel is designed as a kite. Two adjacent sides are each 25 cm, and the other two adjacent sides are each 40 cm. A frame is fitted around the whole panel. The frame costs £2.50 per metre, sold only in whole metres. Work out the total cost of the frame.
(a)£2.50
(b)£5.00
(c)£325.00
(d)£3.25
11.Write the ratio 4x : 6x in its simplest form, where x is a positive number.
(a)2x:3x
(b)4:6
(c)2:3
(d)3:2
12.A solid is built from five centimetre cubes, standing side by side on a table in a single straight row. Looking down from directly above (the plan view), how many squares are visible?
(a)5
(b)25
(c)10
(d)1

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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