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.The density of a type of wood is 0.8 g/cm³. Work out the mass of a piece of this wood with a volume of 150 cm³.
(a)149.2 g
(b)187.5 g
(c)1200 g
(d)120 g
2.The probability that Amelia's bus is late on a school morning is 9/10. Write this probability as a percentage.
(a)90%
(b)9%
(c)10%
(d)0.9%
3.Which of these ratios is already written in its simplest form?
(a)7:14
(b)4:9
(c)10:15
(d)6:8
4.Solve x² + 3x − 10 = 0.
(a)x = 2 or x = 5
(b)x = −2 or x = 5
(c)x = −5 or x = −2
(d)x = 2 or x = −5
5.y is directly proportional to x, and y = 3x. Work out the value of y when x = 4.
y = 3x
(a)1
(b)12
(c)7
(d)34
6.Simplify p + p + p.
(a)p³
(b)3p
(c)3 + p
(d)p
7.The exchange rate is £1 = €1.15. Convert £200 to euros.
(a)€30.00
(b)€230.00
(c)€2300.00
(d)€201.15
8.Which expression means the same as 3 × a × b?
(a)3ab
(b)3a + b
(c)3 + a + b
(d)a³b
9.A parallelogram has a base of 9 cm and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. Work out its area.
(a)72 cm²
(b)18 cm²
(c)36 cm²
(d)26 cm²
10.A sign-maker is told a metal bracket outline must have two pairs of adjacent sides equal in length (not opposite pairs), exactly one pair of opposite angles equal, and exactly one line of symmetry. Which quadrilateral matches this description?
(a)Kite
(b)Rhombus
(c)Trapezium
(d)Parallelogram
11.A geometric sequence begins 80, 40, 20, 10, ... Work out the next term in the sequence.
(a)2.5
(b)0
(c)20
(d)5
12.A cyclist travels d kilometres in t hours. Write down an expression, in terms of d and t, for the cyclist's average speed in km/h.
(a)d + t
(b)d × t
(c)t ÷ d
(d)d ÷ t

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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