WJEC GCSE Mathematics (3300)
GCSE Maths
Answer sheet
Number
Separate mark scheme — do not issue with the student worksheet
Time guide: — · Questions: 32 · Total marks: 79
Written in WJEC Higher-style. Show working. Give units where needed.
Indicative marking points. Award marks for equivalent scientific or mathematical wording. Do not issue this sheet with the student worksheet.
1. Write 528 as a product of prime factors.
[2 marks]
- Use a factor tree / repeated division
- Final answer: 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 11
2. Find the HCF and LCM of 44 and 60.
[3 marks]
- HCF from common primes; LCM from all primes to highest power
- Final answer: HCF = 4, LCM = 660
3. Work out (4.4 × 10⁵) + (5.2 × 10⁴). Give your answer in standard form.
[3 marks]
- Convert to the same power of 10, then add
- Final answer: 4.92 × 10^5
4. Work out (4.4 × 10⁴) × (5.2 × 10⁻³). Give your answer in standard form.
[2 marks]
- Multiply numbers and add indices
- Final answer: 22.9 × 10^1
5. Convert 0.3131... to a fraction in its simplest form.
[3 marks]
- Let x = recurring decimal, 100x − x = integer
- Final answer: 31/99
6. 6.800000000000001 cm has been rounded to 1 decimal place. Write the error interval.
[2 marks]
- 6.750000000000001 ≤ actual value < 6.8500000000000005
7. A rectangle is measured as 12.8 cm by 5.4 cm, each to 1 d.p. Work out the upper bound of the area.
[3 marks]
- Upper length × upper width
- Final answer: 70.033 cm²
8. A jacket is reduced by 20% in a sale and now costs £56. Work out the original price.
[3 marks]
- Reverse percentage: sale price ÷ 0.8
- Final answer: £70.00
9. Owain invests £320 at 6% compound interest for 3 years. Work out the value of the investment.
[3 marks]
- 320 × (1 + 6/100)^3
- Final answer: £381.13
10. The same £320 is invested at 6% simple interest for 3 years. Work out the interest earned.
[2 marks]
- I = PRT/100
- Final answer: £57.60
11. A car worth £8800 depreciates by 15% a year for 2 years. Find its value after 2 years.
[3 marks]
- Multiply by 0.85 twice
- Final answer: £6358.00
12. Work out 2 3/4 + 1 5/6. Give your answer as a mixed number.
[3 marks]
- Convert to improper fractions, LCD 12
- Final answer: 4 7/12
13. Work out 3 1/5 ÷ 2/3.
[3 marks]
- 16/5 × 3/2 = 48/10 = 24/5
- Final answer: 4 4/5
14. Write down the reciprocal of 0.2
[2 marks]
- Write as a product with a square factor
- Final answer: 2√26
16. Rationalise the denominator of 6 / √24.
[3 marks]
- Multiply numerator and denominator by the surd
- Final answer: 6 / √24 = 6√24 / 24, then simplify if possible (2√6)
[1 mark]
- Subtract indices
- Final answer: 3³ or 27
[2 marks]
- Negative index means reciprocal
- Final answer: 1/25
[2 marks]
- Cube root of 27 is 3, then square
- Final answer: 9
20. Estimate (39.6 × 19.8) ÷ 7.9 by rounding each number to 1 significant figure.
[2 marks]
- 40 × rounded value ÷ 8
- Final answer: 100
21. Write 7/8 as a decimal and as a percentage.
22. Share £260 in the ratio 2 : 3 : 5.
[3 marks]
- Total parts = 10
- Final answer: £52.00 : £78.00 : £130.00
23. Round 0.04682 to 2 significant figures.
[1 mark]
- 2nd sf is 6, next digit 8 so round up
- Final answer: 0.047
24. Work out (2.5 × 10⁷) ÷ (5 × 10³) in standard form.
[2 marks]
- Divide numbers, subtract indices
- Final answer: 5 × 10³
25. A shop buys a lamp for £28 and sells it for £36. Work out the percentage profit.
[2 marks]
- Profit ÷ cost × 100
- Final answer: 29%
26. Simplify (√16 + √2)(√16 − √2).
[3 marks]
- Difference of two squares
- Final answer: 14
27. Owain writes 4.7 × 10ⁿ = 0.00047.
28. A number x is given as 100 to the nearest 10. Find the lower bound of 1000 / x.
[3 marks]
- To minimise 1000/x use the upper bound of x
- Final answer: 9.524
29. Explain the difference between a terminating decimal and a recurring decimal. Give an example of each.
[3 marks]
- Terminating stops, e.g. 0.25
- Recurring repeats, e.g. 1/3 = 0.333...
30. Work out 1 1/2 × 2 2/3.
[3 marks]
- 3/2 × 8/3 = 4
- Final answer: 4
31. Here is a number machine: input → × 4 → − 7 → output.
32. In a WJEC calculator paper, a student writes 3.6 × 10⁴ + 2.1 × 10³ = 5.7 × 10⁷. Explain the mistake and give the correct answer in standard form.
[3 marks]
- Powers of 10 were added incorrectly / numbers not converted to the same power
- Correct: 3.81 × 10⁴