Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Mathematics (Specification A) · 4MA1 · Free · no account needed
Averages & Spread — exam questions
10 original Incandio exam-style questions on averages & Spread, 24 marks, about 29 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for Averages & Spread — the module that teaches it. Read the module first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
6 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the module still loses the mark.
- Write down (1–2 marks)
- a value that needs no working — read off, recalled or stated
- Work out (1–5 marks)
- a calculated result, with the working that produced it
- Find (1–5 marks)
- a value or expression obtained by a method the learner chooses
- Explain why (1–2 marks)
- one short justification — mathematics almost never asks for extended explanation
- Calculate (1–5 marks)
- a numerical answer obtained by calculation
- Show that (2–5 marks)
- every step of a derivation to a value that is already printed in the question Misread as: stating the printed answer again instead of deriving it
Assessed on Paper 1 and Paper 2.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A (4MA1) — statement 6.2. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 10 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the module's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
-
(1)Write down
Here are seven numbers: 4, 9, 6, 4, 11, 4, 8. Write down the mode.
mode = ............................
(Total for Question 1 = 1 mark)
-
(2)Work out
The masses of five parcels, in kilograms, are 2.4, 3.1, 1.8, 4.2 and 3.5. Work out the mean mass.
mean mass = ............................ kg
(Total for Question 2 = 2 marks)
-
(2)Find
Eight students scored 12, 19, 7, 15, 19, 11, 9 and 16 marks. Find the median score and the range.
(Total for Question 3 = 2 marks)
-
(1)Explain why
A list of house prices contains one house worth far more than the rest. Explain why the median describes the typical price better than the mean does.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
-
(1)Write down
Write down the modal number of goals scored.
Goals scored by a team in each of 20 matches Goals Frequency 0 4 1 7 2 5 3 3 4 1 modal number of goals scored = ............................
(Total for Question 5 = 1 mark)
-
(3)Calculate
Calculate the mean number of goals per match.
Goals scored by a team in each of 20 matches Goals Frequency 0 4 1 7 2 5 3 3 4 1 (Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
-
(3)Show that
Show that an estimate for the mean time is 20.5 minutes.
Time taken, in minutes, by 40 people to complete a puzzle Time t (minutes) Frequency 0 < t ≤ 10 6 10 < t ≤ 20 14 20 < t ≤ 30 12 30 < t ≤ 40 8 (Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
-
(3)Work out
A class of 12 students has a mean height of 155 cm. Another class of 18 students has a mean height of 165 cm. Work out the mean height of all 30 students.
............................ cm
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
-
(4)Find
After six tests a student has a mean score of 62. There is one test left, and the student wants a mean of 65 across all seven. Find the score needed in the last test.
score needed = ............................
(Total for Question 9 = 4 marks)
-
(4)Work out
The mean of eight numbers is 14.5. When one more number is added, the mean of the nine numbers is 15. Work out the number that was added.
the number added = ............................
(Total for Question 10 = 4 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 10 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain averages & Spread to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Florence Nightingale over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the module
- Averages & Spread — Mean, median, mode and range — from lists, tables and grouped data — and the combined-mean and reverse-mean questions that catch everyone once.
- All of Incandio Mathematics · Incandio Exam Practice