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.A photo is enlarged so that its new width is 1.4 times its original width. Write the multiplier that would scale the new width back down to the original width, as a fraction in its simplest form.
- 2.Two mathematically similar cylinders have volumes 64 cm³ and 216 cm³. Work out the ratio of the height of the smaller cylinder to the height of the larger cylinder, in simplest form.
- 3.Solve x² − 6x = 0.
- 4.A film runs for 2.25 hours. Work out the length of the film in minutes.
- 5.Point R has coordinates (3, −5). Point R is reflected in the line y = 2 to point S. Write down the coordinates of S.
- 6.The first four terms of a sequence are 18, 15, 12, 9. Work out an expression, in terms of n, for the nth term.
- 7.A map has a scale of 1 : 100. A path measures 5 cm on the map. Work out the real length of the path, in metres.
- 8.On a map, where each grid unit represents 1 km, Ravi's house is at (−3, 4) and the library is at (6, 4). Work out the distance between Ravi's house and the library.
- 9.A square has sides of length y cm. Write down an expression for the perimeter of the square.
- 10.A shop recorded the number of books it sold on five days: 100, 40, 70, 20, 60. Work out the range of the numbers of books sold.
- 11.Triangle ABC has AB = 6 cm and BC = 9 cm, with angle A = 40°. Triangle DEF has DE = 6 cm and EF = 9 cm, with angle D = 40°. Meera says these facts prove the triangles are congruent by SAS. Is Meera correct?
- 12.£3000 is invested in a savings account that pays 4% compound interest each year. Work out the value of the investment after 2 years.
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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