OCR GCSE Maths Past Papers & Mark Schemes

OCR GCSE Mathematics J560 has three papers at each tier, each 1 hour 30 minutes and 100 marks: Papers 1 to 3 for Foundation, Papers 4 to 6 for Higher. Paper 2 (Foundation) and Paper 5 (Higher) are non-calculator; the other papers allow a calculator. Unlike AQA and Edexcel, OCR Paper 1 is a calculator paper.

Your school chooses your tier when it enters you, so check with your teacher. In June 2026, OCR GCSE Mathematics (J560) Foundation awarded grades 5 to 1 and Higher grades 9 to 3. Grade 4 needed 133/300 on Foundation and 57/300 on Higher. Practise papers at the tier you will sit: Foundation and Higher papers are different.

Sit a complete set: all three papers at your tier from the same series, timed and without notes. Keep the most recent full set unseen for this, and use older papers for topic practice first. Grade boundaries change every series, so treat any boundary as a rough guide, not a predicted grade.

Use the official mark scheme listed next to each paper. Check that the series, paper number and tier all match: Foundation and Higher papers from the same series have different mark schemes.

Check whether the question requires working, a particular method or a specified level of accuracy. Compare your full solution with the mark scheme. Make each step clear so that the reasoning can be followed.

First write down what you know and try a method. If you're still stuck, use the solution to identify the missing step, then close it and complete the question yourself. Try a similar question later to check your understanding.

Sort every lost mark by topic and by cause: a method you didn't know, a slip, or a question you ran out of time for. Revise the topics that cost the most marks, then retry those questions a few days later without the mark scheme.