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 pack contains 20 stickers. Noah gives 1/5 of the pack to his sister. Work out how many stickers he gives away.
- 2.A cyclist rides at a steady speed of 8 metres per second. Work out this speed in kilometres per hour.
- 3.Amelia's mother is three times as old as Amelia. Four years ago her mother was five times as old as Amelia was then. Work out Amelia's age now.
- 4.In a spelling test the 20 pupils in Group A had a mean mark of 80, and the 30 pupils in Group B had a mean mark of 70. Work out the mean mark of all 50 pupils.
- 5.Four weather stations each recorded their lowest overnight temperature. Which of these readings is the lowest?
- 6.Work out the time taken to travel 120 km at an average speed of 60 km/h.
- 7.A rectangular patio measures 90 cm by 120 cm. Ben wants to cover it exactly with identical square tiles, as large as possible, with no tiles cut. Work out the side length of the largest square tile he can use.
- 8.Write down the exact value of tan 0°.
- 9.A rectangular photo has length (x + 3) cm and width x cm. Its area is 40 cm². Work out the value of x.
- 10.Two straight paths cross at a junction in a park. One of the angles between them, measured with a protractor, is 76°. What is the size of the angle immediately next to it on a straight line?
- 11.A taxi fare in pounds is given by F = 2.50 + 1.20m, where m is the number of miles travelled. Sam takes a taxi for a journey of 6 miles. Work out the fare.
- 12.Amelia's mean mark over four tests is 29. Her first three marks are 31, 26 and 26. Work out her fourth mark.
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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