GL Assessment Style Maths Mock Paper 4
GL Assessment's fourth maths mock paper follows the same multiple-choice, machine-marked format as the earlier papers in the series, timed at around 45 to 50 minutes, but is pitched as the hardest of the four: a wider spread of topics appears within a single sitting, including sequences, simple algebra and multi-step reasoning, alongside the arithmetic and shape questions found on every GL-style paper. It is designed to be attempted once a pupil is already comfortable with Papers 1 to 3.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Expect at least one or two questions on number sequences or patterns, and practise spotting the rule, such as adding a fixed amount, multiplying, or a changing gap, before working out a missing term.
- For an algebra question given as multiple choice, it can be quicker to substitute each option back into the equation than to solve it fully from scratch, especially under time pressure.
- Where a question combines two topics, such as a sequence set inside a money context, deal with one part at a time rather than trying to see the whole answer immediately.
- Keep using estimation to sanity-check answers, since Paper 4's wider topic spread makes it easier to pick a plausible-looking wrong option by mistake.
- Do not spend extra time being thorough on topics you find easy; the marks are the same for an easy question and a hard one, so protect your time for the harder mixed questions.
- As with every GL-style paper, answer every question rather than leaving any blank, since a blank scores the same as a wrong guess.
Worked example
Question 22 of a GL-style multiple-choice maths paper: A sequence begins 4, 9, 16, 25, ... What is the 6th term? A) 36 B) 42 C) 49 D) 64
- Look at the differences between terms: 9 - 4 = 5, 16 - 9 = 7, 25 - 16 = 9, which keep increasing, so this is not a simple add-the-same-amount sequence.
- Notice instead that each term is a square number: 4 = 2 x 2, 9 = 3 x 3, 16 = 4 x 4, 25 = 5 x 5.
- Write the pattern for the base number used: term 1 uses 2, term 2 uses 3, term 3 uses 4, term 4 uses 5, so the base number is always one more than the term number.
- For the 6th term, the base number is 6 + 1 = 7, so the term is 7 x 7 = 49.
- Compare to the options: 49 matches option C, so select C.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1A sequence begins 3, 7, 11, 15, ... What is the next term?Show answer
Answer: 19 (add 4 each time).
Q2Solve: 3n + 4 = 25.Show answer
Answer: n = 7 (3n = 21, n = 7).
Q3A sequence begins 100, 91, 82, 73, ... What is the 6th term?Show answer
Answer: 55 (subtracting 9 each time: 73, 64, 55).
Q4Find the missing term: 2, 6, 18, 54, __.Show answer
Answer: 162 (multiply by 3 each time).
Q5A shape has an interior angle sum of 540 degrees. How many sides does it have?Show answer
Answer: 5 sides (a pentagon, since (n - 2) x 180 = 540 gives n = 5).
Q6Solve: 5x + 2 = 32.Show answer
Answer: x = 6 (5x = 30, x = 6).
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A sequence of shapes is made from matchsticks: shape 1 uses 4 matchsticks, shape 2 uses 7, and shape 3 uses 10, with the pattern continuing by adding the same number of matchsticks each time. (a) How many matchsticks does shape 4 use? (b) Find a rule connecting the shape number and the number of matchsticks used. (c) How many matchsticks does shape 10 use?
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
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A number machine takes an input, multiplies it by 4, then subtracts 7, to give an output of 25. (a) Form an equation using n for the input. (b) Solve the equation to find n. (c) Check your answer by substituting it back into the machine.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the gl assessment style maths mock paper 4 worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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