Could YOU pass this GCSE maths exam? As teenagers across the UK brave gruelling tests, try your hand at these problems
This year’s GCSE exams are well under way and the first maths paper – one of three – has come and gone.
And parents who have children going through the turbulent period in their academic careers will surely be grappling with very anxious teenagers cramming their studies well into the night.
As pupils wade through last-minute revision before the next test on June 4, mothers and fathers being consulted on mock papers are undoubtedly faced with the task of brushing up on their long-forgotten skills.
A series of concepts are explored in Year 10 and 11 – from algebra, geometry , ratio and statistics.
Yet, few will remember even the most basic of elements.
But how would you fare in a quiz intended for 16-year-olds?
Whether you’ll sit around twiddling your thumbs or ace some speedy sums – here’s a chance to try your hand at it.
Below are some real questions taken from a non-calculator paper. Try your best then check the answers at the bottom…
School children around the country are already knuckling down to sit their GCSE examinations (File image)
We’ll start off easy but you might need a pen and paper. Here are 13 questions from a GCSE mathematics exam:
1. Work out 6.3 x 2.4
2. (a) Write 156 as a product of its prime factors
(b) Find the highest common factor of 156 and 130
3. Work out the value of:
4. The mean length of 5 sticks is 4.2cm. Nawal measured the length of one of the sticks as 7cm
(a) Work out the mean length of the other 4 sticks
Nawal made a mistake. The stick was not 7cm long. It was 17cm long
(b) How does this affect your answer to part (a)?
5. Mano has three shelves of books
There are x books on shelf A
There are (3x + 1) books on shelf B
There are (2x – 5) books on shelf C
There is a total of 44 books on the three shelves
All the books have the same mass
The books on shelf B have a total mass of 7500g
Work out the total mass of the books on shelf A
6. (a) Factorise:
(b) Hence, or otherwise, solve:
7. The normal price of a mattress is reduced by 40% in a sale
The price of the mattress in the sale is £660
Work out the normal price of the mattress
8. The circumference of a circle is 10m
Work out the area of the circle
Give your answer in terms of π
9. The straight line L has equation 2y = 3x – 7
Find an equation of the straight line perpendicular to L that passes through (6, –5)
10. Here is triangle ABC
Find the size of angle ABC
11. Solid A and solid B are similar
The ratio of the height of solid A to the height of solid B is 2 : 5
The volume of solid A is 12cm3 (cubed)
Work out the volume of solid B
12. The 2nd term of a geometric sequence is:
xx
The 3rd term of the sequence is:
Find the value of the common ratio of the sequence
Give your answer in the below form, where a and b are integers
13. Spinner A and spinner B are each spun once
The probability that spinner A lands on red is 1/4
The probability that both spinner A and spinner B land on red is 1/24
Work out the probability that one spinner lands on red and the other spinner does not land on red
ANSWERS
1. 15.12
2. (a)
(b) 26
3. 17
4. (a) 3.5
(b) it reduced the mean/my answer will be less/the answer will be 1/it will be 2.5 less
5. 2400
6. (a)
(b)
7. 1100
8.
9.
10. 120
11. 187.5
12.
13. 1/3
