Free GCSE Maths Resource

GCSE Maths diagnostic test

Twenty questions, 30 marks and five core topic areas. Use the score sheet to identify what is secure, what needs a quick review and what should become the next revision priority.

View Answers
Time35 to 45 minutes
EquipmentPen, paper and calculator
CoverageFoundation skills with Higher crossover

Before you start

Complete the test without notes or worked examples. Show enough working for someone else to follow your method. If a question is taking more than three minutes, mark it, move on and return at the end.

This is a learning diagnostic, not a predicted grade. It samples important skills but does not reproduce the length, weighting or full content of an official GCSE paper.

Name: ______________________________    Date: __________________    Target grade: __________

Number and percentage

  1. Write these numbers in ascending order: 0.62, 0.602, 0.26, 0.206. [1 mark]
  2. Find 34 of 240. [1 mark]
  3. Calculate 4.8 × 0.6. [1 mark]
  4. Increase £80 by 15%. [2 marks]
  5. A jacket costs £72 after a 20% discount. Find its original price. [2 marks]

Ratio and proportion

  1. Share 64 in the ratio 3:5. Give the larger share. [2 marks]
  2. Five notebooks cost £8.50. At the same rate, how much do eight notebooks cost? [2 marks]

Algebra

  1. Simplify 3a + 5 - 2a + 7. [1 mark]
  2. Solve 5x - 7 = 18. [1 mark]
  3. Expand 3(2x - 5). [1 mark]
  4. Factorise fully 6x + 18. [1 mark]
  5. The sequence 5, 9, 13, 17, ... continues in the same way. Find an expression for its nth term. [2 marks]

Geometry and measures

  1. A right-angled triangle has shorter sides of 6 cm and 8 cm. Find the hypotenuse. [2 marks]
  2. A trapezium has parallel sides of 7 cm and 13 cm and a perpendicular height of 5 cm. Find its area. [2 marks]
  3. A circle has radius 7 cm. Write its circumference exactly in terms of π. [2 marks]
  4. Find one interior angle of a regular octagon. [2 marks]

Statistics, probability and graphs

  1. Find the mean of 6, 8, 9, 12 and 15. [1 mark]
  2. A bag contains 5 red, 3 blue and 2 green counters. One counter is selected at random. Find the probability that it is not blue. [1 mark]
  3. Solve the simultaneous equations x + y = 11 and x - y = 3. [2 marks]
  4. A straight line passes through (0, -2) and (4, 6). Find its equation in the form y = mx + c. [2 marks]

Answers and marking notes

Show the answer key

1. 0.206, 0.26, 0.602, 0.62

2. 180

3. 2.88

4. £92. Award one method mark for finding £12.

5. £90. Divide £72 by 0.8.

6. 40. One part is 64 ÷ 8 = 8.

7. £13.60. One notebook costs £1.70.

8. a + 12

9. x = 5

10. 6x - 15

11. 6(x + 3)

12. 4n + 1. Award one mark for identifying a difference of 4.

13. 10 cm. Use 6² + 8² = 100.

14. 50 cm². Use ½(7 + 13) × 5.

15. 14π cm

16. 135°. Sum is 1080°, then divide by 8.

17. 10

18. 710

19. x = 7 and y = 4. Award one mark for either correct value.

20. y = 2x - 2. Award one mark for gradient 2.

Score guide and next steps

0-12 marks

Rebuild core fluency first. Start with fractions, percentages, ratio and one-step algebra before adding timed papers.

13-21 marks

The foundations are forming. Group errors by topic and complete two focused practice sessions before retaking missed questions.

22-30 marks

Core skills are mostly secure. Move towards multi-step problems, reasoning, unfamiliar contexts and Higher-tier extension where appropriate.

Build a useful gap list

For every lost mark, write one of three labels: knowledge if the method was unknown, accuracy if the method was correct but the arithmetic failed, or interpretation if the question was misunderstood. That distinction produces a much better revision plan than the total score alone.

Turn the score into a teaching plan

Teacher-led GCSE Maths tuition in Smethwick or online, starting with the topics that matter most.

Book a Free Trial