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 trapezium-shaped allotment plot has two parallel sides that face each other, and two sloping sides that are equal in length (an isosceles trapezium). One of the angles next to the shorter parallel side is 118°. Work out the angle next to the other end of the same shorter parallel side.
(a)180°
(b)59°
(c)62°
(d)118°
2.Solve the inequality 6x ≥ 18.
(a)x ≥ 12
(b)x ≤ 12
(c)x ≥ 3
(d)x ≤ 3
3.A line segment joins A(1, 1) and B(4, 7). Write down the sign of the gradient of this line.
(a)zero
(b)negative
(c)cannot be determined
(d)positive
4.A chord is drawn across a circle, dividing the circle into two regions. Write down the name of one of these two regions.
(a)segment
(b)arc
(c)sector
(d)radius
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 an area of 48 cm². It is enlarged by a scale factor of 1/4 to give shape T. Work out the area of shape T.
(a)3 cm²
(b)24 cm²
(c)12 cm²
(d)768 cm²
7.A lift has a safe working load of 500 kg. Four people get in the lift and the lift's display records their total mass as 493 kg, correct to the nearest kg. Decide whether the four people are definitely within the safe working load.
(a)No — 493 kg is only an estimate, so it may be over 500 kg
(b)Cannot be decided without the exact total
(c)Yes — the greatest possible total is 493.5 kg, under 500 kg
(d)No — the true total could be as high as 498 kg
8.A rope of length A is 1.5 times as long as a rope of length B. Write the ratio A : B in its simplest form.
(a)2 : 3
(b)3 : 5
(c)3 : 2
(d)1.5 : 1
9.A plank of wood is 5 1/4 m long. Pieces of length 3/4 m are cut from it. Work out how many complete pieces of 3/4 m can be cut from the plank.
(a)7
(b)3
(c)1
(d)6
10.Lines PQ and RS are parallel. A straight line crosses PQ at point X and crosses RS at point Y. Angle PXY = 63°. Angle PXY and angle XYS are co-interior (allied) angles, which add up to 180°. Work out the size of angle XYS.
(a)27°
(b)90°
(c)117°
(d)63°
11.Priya has 24 red beads and 36 blue beads. She makes identical bracelets, using every bead and with none left over. Work out the greatest number of bracelets she can make.
(a)6
(b)72
(c)60
(d)12
12.A rectangular garden has its length and width in the ratio 5:3. Given that the perimeter of the garden is 64 m, work out the width of the garden.
(a)8 m
(b)24 m
(c)12 m
(d)20 m

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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