IGCSE Maths 4MA1 Year 10 starter questions: weeks 1–11
45 short questions to open a lesson for Edexcel IGCSE Maths A (4MA1) Higher, Year 10, weeks 1–11 of the teaching year, three or four a week. Each question is shown as an image with its text underneath; the answers and mark schemes are free on the free weekly starters page, to show or project in class.
- Answers and mark schemes (free)
- IGCSE Maths 4MA1 Year 10, weeks 12–22 →
- All IGCSE Maths daily and weekly questions
Week 1
Question 1: Order of Operations
Work out 3 + 4 × (2 + 5)^2.
Question 2: Fractions & Percentages
Write 7/20 as (a) a decimal, (b) a percentage.
Question 3: Expanding Brackets
Expand and simplify 4(2x - 3) - 3(x - 5).
Question 4: Linear Equations
Solve 5x - 7 = 2x + 11.
Week 2
Question 1: Prime Factors
Write 360 as a product of its prime factors in index form.
Question 2: HCF and LCM
A = 2³ × 3 × 5² and B = 2² × 3³ × 5. Find (a) the HCF of A and B, (b) the LCM of A and B. Give your answers in index form.
Question 3: Rounding
Use your calculator to work out (√(19.6 + 3.8²))/(2.1 × 0.47). Give your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
Question 4: Estimation
By rounding each number to 1 significant figure, estimate the value of (612 × 0.389)/4.87.
Week 3
Question 1: Fractions
Work out 23/4 - 15/6. Give your answer as a fraction in its simplest form.
Question 2: Fractions
Work out 12/3 ÷ 5/9.
Question 3: Recurring Decimals
Prove algebraically that 0.45 = 5/11.
Question 4: Indices
Simplify (a⁷ × a²)/(a⁴).
Week 4
Question 1: Fractional Indices
Evaluate (8/27)^(-2/3).
Question 2: Laws of Indices
Simplify fully (3x⁴y²)^3.
Question 3: Surds
Simplify √75 + √12, giving your answer in the form k√3.
Question 4: Rationalising Denominators
Rationalise the denominator and simplify 10/(√5).
Question 5: Surds
Expand and simplify (3 + √2)(3 - √2).
Week 5
Question 1: Standard Form
Work out (6.4 × 10⁵) ÷ (8 × 10⁻³). Give your answer in standard form.
Question 2: Standard Form
Write 0.000 305 in standard form.
Question 3: Reverse Percentages
In a sale, all prices are reduced by 15%. A jacket costs £68 in the sale. Work out the price of the jacket before the sale.
Question 4: Percentage Change
The population of a town increased from 24 500 to 26 950. Work out the percentage increase.
Week 6
Question 1: Compound Interest
Priya invests £4000 for 3 years at 2.5% per year compound interest. Work out the value of her investment at the end of the 3 years. Give your answer to the nearest penny.
Question 2: Depreciation
A car is bought for £18 000. Its value depreciates by 12% each year. Work out its value after 2 years.
Question 3: Ratio
£360 is shared between Ali, Ben and Cara in the ratio 2: 3: 7. How much does Cara receive?
Question 4: Ratio
The ratio of red to blue counters in a bag is 5: 3. There are 18 more red counters than blue counters. How many counters are in the bag altogether?
Week 7
Question 1: Speed
A train travels 171 km in 1 hour 48 minutes. Work out its average speed in km/h.
Question 2: Density
A metal block has mass 2.7 kg and volume 340 cm³. Work out its density in g/cm³. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
Question 3: Bounds
The length of a rod is 36 cm, correct to the nearest centimetre. Write down the error interval for the length, L cm.
Question 4: Bounds in Calculations
d = 120 correct to the nearest 10 and t = 2.5 correct to 1 decimal place. Work out the upper bound for d/t. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
Week 8
Question 1: Simplifying Expressions
Simplify (12a³b²)/(4ab⁵).
Question 2: Collecting Like Terms
Simplify 5x² - 3x + 2x² + 7x - 4.
Question 3: Surds
Show that 6/(√3) + √27 = 5√3.
Question 4: Bounds
A mass is 4.8 kg correct to the nearest 100 g. Write down its lower bound and upper bound.
Week 9
Question 1: Substitution
v² = u² + 2as. Work out the value of v when u = -3, a = 2.5 and s = 8, given that v > 0.
Question 2: Expanding Double Brackets
Expand and simplify (2x - 5)(3x + 4).
Question 3: Factorising
Factorise fully 12x²y - 18xy^2.
Question 4: Writing Expressions
A rectangle has length (3x + 2) cm and width (x - 1) cm. Write an expression, in its simplest form, for the perimeter of the rectangle.
Week 10
Question 1: Triple Brackets
Expand and simplify (x + 2)(x - 3)(x + 4).
Question 2: Factorising Quadratics
Factorise x² - 2x - 35.
Question 3: Difference of Two Squares
Factorise 49 - 4y^2.
Question 4: Factorising Quadratics
Factorise 6x² + x - 12.
Week 11
Question 1: Linear Equations
Solve 3(2x - 5) = 7 - 2(x + 3).
Question 2: Equations with Fractions
Solve (x + 4)/3 - (x - 2)/5 = 2.
Question 3: Forming Equations
The angles of a triangle are x°, (2x + 15)° and (3x - 27)°. Work out the size of the largest angle.
Question 4: Factorising
Factorise fully 3x² - 27.
More starter questions
Other weeks: Weeks 1–11 · Weeks 12–22 · Weeks 23–33. Answers and mark schemes, free for everyone, are on the free weekly starters page.
Keep your streak going
Save your answers and track your progressA free account remembers the questions you have done and brings you back to this page.
Join freeAlready have an account? Sign in