Printable · GCSE Higher · ages 14-16

Algebra worksheet — GCSE Higher

Fifteen questions across the algebra statements at Higher tier. Choose the non-calculator filter to rehearse Paper 1, which counts for a third of the marks.

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Algebra worksheet — GCSE Higher

Maths · GCSE Higher · Algebra · Calculator · 15 questions

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1.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £30 plus £25 per hour worked. Work out the total charge for a job that takes 3 hours.
(a)£165
(b)£105
(c)£75
(d)£90
2.f(x) = x³ − 3x − 20, and the equation f(x) = 0 has exactly one solution. Work out the pair of consecutive integers between which that solution lies.
y = x
(a)2 and 3
(b)3 and 4
(c)4 and 5
(d)6 and 7
3.A graph shows the total monthly cost of a mobile phone tariff against the number of minutes of calls. The line starts at £12 and stays level until 200 minutes, then rises by 5p for each further minute of calls. Use the graph to work out the total cost of a month in which 250 minutes of calls are made.
(a)£14.50
(b)£13.50
(c)£12.50
(d)£24.50
4.A cafe sells coffees at £c each and pastries at £p each. Three coffees and two pastries cost £9.60. Two coffees and two pastries cost £7.60. Work out the price of one coffee.
(a)£0.20
(b)£2.00
(c)£3.20
(d)£1.80
5.A park is drawn on a grid in which 1 unit represents 1 km. The car park is at the point (0, 0) and the lake is at the point (3, 5). Work out the direct distance, in km, from the car park to the lake, giving your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)5.8
(b)4.0
(c)8.0
(d)34.0
6.The graph of y = 60 × (0.5)ˣ is sketched for x ≥ 0. Which statement correctly describes what happens to the curve as x increases?
(a)It gets closer to zero but never actually reaches it.
(b)It decreases steadily and reaches zero when x = 60.
(c)It levels off at y = 0.5 as x increases.
(d)It decreases at first, then becomes negative for large x.
7.A cup of tea cools after being made. Its temperature-time graph is a curve. Three tangents are drawn on the graph: at t = 2 minutes the tangent has gradient −8; at t = 10 minutes the tangent has gradient −3; at t = 20 minutes the tangent has gradient −0.5. Which of these statements about the tea's cooling is correct?
(a)Fastest at t = 20 min — largest gradient.
(b)Cools at the same rate throughout.
(c)Fastest at t = 2 min — steepest gradient.
(d)Fastest at t = 10 min — the middle reading.
8.Solve 2x² − 32 = 0.
(a)x = 8
(b)x = 4
(c)x = 16
(d)x = 4 or x = −4
9.A tree is 2 metres tall. Each year its height increases by 10% of its height at the start of that year. Work out the height of the tree after 3 years, giving your answer to 1 decimal place.
(a)2.6
(b)2.9
(c)2.4
(d)2.7
10.The line y = 2x + 7 and the circle x² + y² = 4 are given. By finding the discriminant of the resulting quadratic, without solving it fully, work out how many points the line and the circle intersect at.
y = 2x + 7
(a)0 — the line does not intersect the circle
(b)It cannot be found without solving the quadratic.
(c)1 — the line is a tangent to the circle
(d)2 — the line crosses the circle at two points
11.Two numbers have a sum of 45. The larger number is 9 more than the smaller number. Form an equation using n for the smaller number, and solve it to find the larger number.
(a)27
(b)22.5
(c)18
(d)36
12.A closed cylinder has radius r cm and height (r + 5) cm. Its volume is 300 cm³, giving the equation πr²(r + 5) = 300, which can be solved using the iterative formula rₙ₊₁ = √(300 ÷ (π(rₙ + 5))). Taking r₀ = 3, work out r₃ correct to 2 decimal places.
(a)3.45
(b)3.38
(c)3.36
(d)4.82
13.A plumber charges a call-out fee of £30 plus £25 for each hour worked. The total bill for a job was £130. Work out how many hours the plumber worked.
(a)6.4
(b)4
(c)5.2
(d)3.5
14.A photo printing service has two adverts for its price. Advert A: cost in pounds = 3(2n + 4) for n photos. Advert B: cost in pounds = 6n + 12. A customer says the two adverts always charge the same amount. Is the customer correct?
(a)They always charge the same, since 3(2n + 4) = 6n + 12.
(b)It depends on the value of n, so it cannot be decided.
(c)Advert A is cheaper, since 3(2n + 4) = 6n + 4.
(d)Advert A is cheaper, since 3(2n + 4) = 2n + 7.
15.A population of bacteria doubles every 3 hours. It starts at 800. Work out the population after 9 hours.
(a)409,600
(b)8
(c)6,400
(d)3,200

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