Could YOU pass a GCSE maths exam? Test questions designed for 16-year-olds are leaving adults baffled

  • It is GCSE exam results day with the news that results are down
  • But how would you fare if you had to take the exams again?
  • Adults are having a go at deceptively simple problems 
  • But the sums and calculations are tougher than they look

By ESRA GURKAN FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

It's results day today and students around the country have received their GCSE grades. 

But with the percentage of pupils achieving a C grade or above falling to 66.9 per cent - the lowest level since 2008, thousands of youngsters have been left disappointed.

England's School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said that 'for those 17-year-olds who have struggled to achieve good grades in maths, we are seeing 4,000 more successful re-takes of those exams.' 

But before you judge the younger generation, take our quiz in which we've found 10 fiendish, and deceptively simple problems from recent GSCE maths exams.

Grades have been dragged down by record number of over-16s retaking English and maths, experts say

Grades have been dragged down by record number of over-16s retaking English and maths, experts say

For many of us, GCSEs were a long time ago and a lot of that knowledge has vanished with the passage of time. 

Now FEMAIL is giving you the chance to refresh your memory - and challenge your brain cells - with questions taken from higher GCSE maths exams which give students the ability to achieve grades from a D to A*.

So take our taster quiz and see how you fare against the teenagers of today. 

ANSWER OUR 10 GCSE MATHS QUESTIONS 

1) Given that 5 1 un = un−1 + and that u1 = 3 , find the value of u4

2) Write 3/8 as a decimal

3) Give the value of x when 2x(squared) - x - 6 = 0

4) Write the product of the first five prime numbers in standard form 

5) A pan contains 9 litres of jam, to the nearest litre. Jars hold 0.15 litres each, to 2 decimal places. Work out the greatest number of jars that could possibly be filled with the jam.

6) An ordinary fair dice is rolled 420 times - how many times is the number 3 expected?  

7) Andy thinks of a number. He multiplies it by 4. He then subtracts 6. His answer is 7.2. What number did he think of? 

8) Emma organises a disco. She sells 150 tickets at £2 each. The DJ charges her £120. She pays £50 to hire the hall. Emma wants to make £100 profit. Does she do this?

9) Text messages cost 11p each. How many do you get for £15?

10) Pens cost 15 pence each. Rulers cost 20 pence each A school buys 150 pens and 90 rulers. The total cost is reduced by one fifth. How much does the school pay?

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Pupils who obtain a D in the two subjects first time round are now forced to resit aged 17 and 18

Pupils who obtain a D in the two subjects first time round are now forced to resit aged 17 and 18

HOW WELL DID YOU DO? CHECK THE ANSWERS

1) 406  

2) 0.375 

3) x =2  

4) 2.310 x 10(to the power of 3) 

5) 65

6) 70

7) 3.3 

8) Yes  

9) 136 

10) £32.40 

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