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.During one night on a mountain, four hikers each recorded the temperature they felt: Ben −6 °C, Priya −2 °C, Sam −9 °C, Alex 1 °C. Work out the difference between the coldest and the warmest of these four temperatures.
- 2.Two numbers are in the ratio 2 : 3. The smaller number is 8. Work out the larger number.
- 3.At a youth club the ratio of juniors to seniors is 3:5. There are 40 members altogether. Work out how many seniors there are.
- 4.Put these numbers in order, starting with the smallest: 3.2 × 10⁴, 2.9 × 10⁵, 4.1 × 10³
- 5.Which of these equations is true for every value of x, making it an identity rather than an equation with just one solution?
- 6.Write the ratio 4x : 6x in its simplest form, where x is a positive number.
- 7.A solid pyramid has a square base of side 6 cm. Its apex is directly above the centre of the base, at a vertical height of 8 cm. Work out the volume of the pyramid.
- 8.A surveyor is marking out field ABCD for a new crop. The plan states that side AB is parallel to side DC, but AB and DC are not equal in length, and sides BC and AD are not parallel to each other. Which term correctly describes the shape of field ABCD?
- 9.Work out the value of a² − 2b when a = −3 and b = 4.
- 10.A bottle holds 2 litres of water. A glass holds 250 ml. Work out how many of these glasses can be filled from one full bottle.
- 11.A cyclist travels 18 km in 45 minutes. Work out the average speed, in km/h.
- 12.A cube has all of its edges the same length. How many planes of symmetry does it have?
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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