Standard units and compound measures - Edexcel GCSE Maths (Non-calculator) Exam Questions

Practise 18 exam-style questions on Standard units and compound measures for Edexcel GCSE Maths (Non-calculator). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

18 questions
1–5 marks each
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18 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

2 marks

A car travels 135 km in 1 hour 30 minutes.

Work out the average speed of the car in km/h.

Model answer

1 hour 30 minutes = 1.5 hours
Speed \(= 135 \div 1.5 = 90\) km/h

Explanation

Speed = distance ÷ time, with the time in hours because the answer is in km per hour. 30 minutes is half an hour, so the time is 1.5 hours, not 1.3 hours. Dividing by 1.5 is the same as multiplying by \(\dfrac{2}{3}\).

Mark scheme

1 mark
M1 for \(135 \div 1.5\)
or 45 km in 30 minutes, so 90 km in 60 minutes; correct answer with no working scores full marks
1 mark
A1 for 90 (km/h)
cao; \(135 \div 1.3\) scores 0

Question 2

2 marks

Petrol costs 145.9p per litre.
Ella buys 40 litres of petrol.

Work out the cost of the petrol. Give your answer in pounds.

Model answer

\(145.9 \times 40 = 145.9 \times 4 \times 10 = 583.6 \times 10 = 5836\)p
\(5836\)p = £58.36

Explanation

Multiply the price per litre by the number of litres. The answer is in pence, so divide by 100 to change it to pounds. Always check the units you are asked to give.

Mark scheme

1 mark
M1 for \(145.9 \times 40\)
or 5836 seen; correct answer with no working scores full marks
1 mark
A1 for £58.36
cao; do not accept £5836

Question 3

3 marks

A train travels at a constant speed of 54 km/h.

How many metres does the train travel in 20 seconds?

Model answer

54 km/h = 54 000 m in 3600 seconds
\(54\,000 \div 3600 = 15\) m/s
In 20 seconds: \(15 \times 20 = 300\) m

Explanation

Change the speed to metres per second first, because the time is in seconds and the answer is in metres. Then distance = speed × time. Multiplying 54 by 20 directly mixes up hours and seconds.

Mark scheme

1 mark
M1 for a correct unit conversion, e.g. 54 000 m per hour, or 15 m/s, or 20 seconds \(= \dfrac{1}{180}\) hour
correct answer with no working scores full marks
1 mark
M1 for a complete method, e.g. \(15 \times 20\) or \(54 \div 180 = 0.3\) km
1 mark
A1 for 300 (m)
cao

Question 4

4 marks

A paddling pool is in the shape of a cuboid. It is 2.4 m long and 1.5 m wide.
It is filled with water to a depth of 40 cm.
Water flows into the pool at a rate of 18 litres per minute.
1 m³ = 1000 litres

How long does it take to fill the pool to this depth? Give your answer in hours and minutes.

Model answer

Depth = 40 cm = 0.4 m
Volume \(= 2.4 \times 1.5 \times 0.4 = 1.44\) m³
1.44 m³ \(= 1.44 \times 1000 = 1440\) litres
Time \(= 1440 \div 18 = 80\) minutes = 1 hour 20 minutes

Explanation

Use the same units for all three dimensions before multiplying: change 40 cm to 0.4 m. Then change cubic metres to litres and divide by the flow rate. Using 40 instead of 0.4 makes the volume 100 times too big.

Mark scheme

1 mark
P1 for the volume of water with consistent units, e.g. \(2.4 \times 1.5 \times 0.4 = 1.44\) m³
or \(240 \times 150 \times 40 = 1\,440\,000\) cm³; correct answer with no working scores full marks
1 mark
P1 for converting to litres, 1440 litres
1 mark
P1 for their litres ÷ 18 (= 80 minutes)
1 mark
A1 for 1 hour 20 minutes
cao; 80 minutes not converted scores P1 P1 P1 A0

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