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.Look at the statement 2x + 5 = 17. Considering whether it is an expression, an equation, a formula, or an identity, which classification is correct?
(a)A formula, relating two quantities
(b)An identity, true for all values of x
(c)An expression, with x terms and numbers
(d)An equation, true for one value of x
2.A scatter graph has 12 plotted points. Four pupils each draw a line of best fit on the same graph and count how many of the 12 points lie above their line and how many lie below it: Amir — 10 above, 2 below. Priya — 6 above, 6 below. Kofi — 2 above, 10 below. Leah — 0 above, 12 below. Write down the name of the pupil whose line was drawn correctly, so that the points are roughly balanced above and below it.
(a)Priya
(b)Leah
(c)Kofi
(d)Amir
3.A number is divided by 5, then 6 is subtracted, giving the result −1. Work out the number.
(a)25
(b)−5
(c)1
(d)−35
4.In a fruit squash mix, the ratio of squash to water is 2 : 9. A shop wants to make up the mix using 3.4 litres of squash. Work out how many litres of water are needed.
(a)15.3 litres
(b)10.4 litres
(c)0.8 litres
(d)18.7 litres
5.Solve x² − 2x − 24 = 0.
(a)x = 6 or x = −4
(b)x = −6 or x = 4
(c)x = −8 or x = 3
(d)x = −6 or x = −4
6.Shape S has a vertex at (9, 6). It is enlarged by a scale factor of 1/3, centre the origin. Work out the coordinates of the image of this vertex.
(a)(6, 4)
(b)(27, 18)
(c)(3, 2)
(d)(3, 6)
7.Work out the highest common factor of 15 and 25.
(a)75
(b)5
(c)15
(d)3
8.A room plan is drawn to a scale of 1 : 50. A wall in the room is 4 m long in real life. Work out the length of the wall on the plan, in centimetres.
(a)80 cm
(b)20000 cm
(c)0.08 cm
(d)8 cm
9.Point A has coordinates (2, 5). Point A is translated to point B using the column vector with top number 6 and bottom number −3. Write down the coordinates of point B.
(a)(8, 2)
(b)(−1, 11)
(c)(−4, 8)
(d)(8, 8)
10.Expand and simplify 4(2x − 1) − 3(x + 2) − 5x
(a)−10
(b)5x − 10
(c)2
(d)−7
11.A trapezium has an area of 45 cm², a perpendicular height of 5 cm, and one parallel side of length 10 cm. Work out the length of the other parallel side.
(a)18 cm
(b)28 cm
(c)8 cm
(d)4 cm
12.A raffle at a school fair sells 500 tickets. Mia buys 25 of the tickets. One ticket is drawn at random to win the prize. Work out the probability that Mia wins the raffle. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
(a)19/20
(b)1/25
(c)1/10
(d)1/20

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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