GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
Non-Calculator
a
1. The decimal answer to 0.173̇ – 0.01̇2̇ can be written in the form b for integers a and
b, such that 0 < b < 2000. Ryan says there is only one value of b that satisfies these
criteria. Is Ryan correct? Show your working.
2
2. Fully simplify + 18 + ( 8 – 1)2
2–1
3
9
3. = 9x
812
Find x.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
( x m) m
4. (x6)m =
x7
Find m.
5. y = b × 107 and is given here in standard form. If b > 4, express y2 in standard form.
6. A square (S1) with vertices at (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 1) and (1, 0) is reflected in the line y = 1
to give another square (S2). A second transformation is then performed on S2 to give a
final square, S3.
The statements below compare the final square, S3, with the starting square, S1.
A – The entire shape is invariant under the combined transformations.
B – Two vertices only are invariant under the combined transformation.
C – One side only is invariant under the combined transformation.
D – None of the above.
The second transformation could be one of the following. For each of the possible
transformations, state which of A, B, C or D is true.
i. A rotation 90° clockwise about the point (1, 1).
ii. A rotation 90° anti-clockwise about the point (1, 1).
iii. An enlargement with scale factor 1, centred on any point.
iv. A reflection in the line y = 1.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
7. A slide is 11m long and can be secured at any angle, θ, to the horizontal, where θ is
between 10° and 80°.
Use the graph below to estimate the horizontal run when the angle is 35°.
6
y = tanx
4
Vertical Height
11
m
3
θ 2
Horizontal Run
0 20 40 60 80 100
8. Use prime factorisation to show that 27 000 is a cube number. Hence, or otherwise,
find the cube root of 27 000.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
9. What is the smallest number that is divisible by 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 and 10?
10. For any number, m, m! is the product of all positive whole numbers from m itself down
to 1. For example:
4! = 4 × 3 × 2 × 1
If n! = 28 × 34 × 52 × 7, find the value of n.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
Calculators may be used, but are not required.
11. There are r red balls and 7 blue balls in a bag. When two balls are picked at random
from the bag, the probability that they are both red is 0.3 (correct to 1d.p.).
a. Show that 3r2 – 17r – 41 cannot be negative.
b. The graph below shows y = 3x2 – 17x – 41 and y = 13x2 – 111x – 294.
Using the graph and explaining your reasoning, find the range of possible values of
r, the number of reds in the bag initially.
y
300
200
100
x
-4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
-100 y = 3x2 – 17x – 41
-200
-300
-400
-500
13x2 – 111x – 294
-600
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
12. A restaurant serves starters, main courses and puddings. There are 300 different ways
in which a customer can order one starter, one main course and one pudding.
If the restaurant took one pudding off the menu and added one starter, there would be
315 different ways in which a customer could order one of each course.
How many starters, mains and puddings were there on the menu before any change
was made?
13. A rectangular piece of paper has perimeter less than 40cm. When it is folded in half
along the longer of its two lines of symmetry, its perimeter is at least 34cm. If the length
of the original rectangle is l, the width is w.
a. Write 5 inequalities relating l and w.
b. Shade the area on the axes below which satisfies all 5 of these inequalities.
l
24
22
20
18
16
14
12
10
2
w
-4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40
-2
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
14. The perimeter of a rectangle is 84cm. When the rectangle is cut in half along its
diagonal, the perimeter of each of the resulting right-angled triangles is 72cm. Find the
length and the width of the rectangle.
15. 60 people were asked if they buy sweet or savoury snacks at the cinema.
2
3
of the people said they buy sweet snacks.
70% of the people said they buy savoury snacks.
1
The number of people who said they don’t buy any snacks at the cinema was 14 of the
number of people who said they buy savoury snacks.
Work out the probability that a randomly chosen person buys both sweet and savoury
snacks at the cinema.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
16. In a particular quadratic sequence, d is the difference between the first term and
the second term, e is the difference between the second and third terms and f is the
difference between the third and fourth terms.
The sequence is ascending over these terms (the second term is greater than the first
term, the third term is greater than the second term, etc.).
a. Find an expression for d in terms of e and f.
The quadratic sequence has first, second and fourth terms 2, 6 and 20, respectively.
b. Find f in terms of e.
c. Find the nth term rule for the sequence.
17. Find the value of x if the ratios x + 3:2x + 2 and 5x – 19:x + 4 are equivalent, and x is an
integer.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
18. f(x) = ax + b
x
g(x) = a, where a and b are non-zero constants.
Show that fgf(x) ≡ 2f(x) – g(a2x)
19. The total cost of hiring a bouncy castle is £288; a group of people decided to share the
cost equally.
After a change of plans, another 16 people join the group, which reduced the cost per
person by £3.
How many people were in the original group? Show clear algebraic working.
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GCSE Maths Exam Questions Grade 9+
20. Two prisms have similar cross sections and equal depths.
The volume of the larger prism is 32cm3 and the volume of the smaller prism is 8cm3.
The surface area of the larger prism is 40cm2 and the surface area of the smaller prism
is 12cm2.
Find the area of the cross-section on the larger prism.
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