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FREE QUESTIONS & WORKED ANSWERS

CSSE: look inside.

Read five original taster questions, explore the explanations and decide whether this style of practice suits your learner.

What you are previewing: questions from the free mixed-subject taster, not extracts from a paid paper. They illustrate the question and explanation style; they do not establish the difficulty of a full paper.

Our three English and three Maths papers each contain 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, including reading within that time. These are MCQ skills adaptations. They do not reproduce the written-answer format, additional reading period or continuous-writing assessment, and cannot replace practising those tasks.

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English samples

English · Reading: interpreting evidence

A roof after rain

For four weeks, a school caretaker compared two small roof sections. One was bare; the other held a shallow tray of plants. After each shower, she measured how much water ran from each section into a bucket. The planted section usually released less water immediately, but sometimes continued dripping after the bare section had stopped.

Her notebook did not claim that the plants made rain disappear. Some water stayed in the tray for a time. She also wrote down a limitation: the sections did not receive exactly the same amount of sunlight. Before recommending a larger planted roof, she wanted a longer trial with more closely matched conditions.

Which claim is best supported by the caretaker’s observations?

Choose one answer.

  1. AThe plants prevented all water from reaching the roof.
  2. BThe planted section could delay some of the water running off.
  3. CBoth sections stopped dripping at exactly the same time.
  4. DA larger planted roof was certain to need no maintenance.
  5. ESunlight had no possible effect on either section.
Show answer and explanation

B: The planted section could delay some of the water running off.

The planted section often released less water immediately and sometimes continued dripping later. That supports delayed runoff, not the disappearance of all water or certainty about a larger roof.

English · Reading: evaluating a claim

A roof after rain

For four weeks, a school caretaker compared two small roof sections. One was bare; the other held a shallow tray of plants. After each shower, she measured how much water ran from each section into a bucket. The planted section usually released less water immediately, but sometimes continued dripping after the bare section had stopped.

Her notebook did not claim that the plants made rain disappear. Some water stayed in the tray for a time. She also wrote down a limitation: the sections did not receive exactly the same amount of sunlight. Before recommending a larger planted roof, she wanted a longer trial with more closely matched conditions.

Why does the caretaker record the different amounts of sunlight?

Choose one answer.

  1. ATo prove that the bare roof always receives more rain.
  2. BTo avoid recording any bucket measurements.
  3. CTo show that four weeks is longer than a school year.
  4. DTo acknowledge a difference that may affect a fair comparison.
  5. ETo explain why she has already recommended the larger roof.
Show answer and explanation

D: To acknowledge a difference that may affect a fair comparison.

The sunlight difference is described as a limitation, and she wants more closely matched conditions. Recognising it avoids treating the comparison as more conclusive than it is.

English · Applied reasoning: letter rules

In this code, each letter moves two places forward in the alphabet, continuing from Z to A. For example, MINT becomes OKPV. What is the code for LAMP? Alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Choose one answer.

  1. AMBNQ
  2. BJYKN
  3. CNCOQ
  4. DNCQP
  5. ENCOR
Show answer and explanation

E: NCOR

Move each letter forward by two: L → N, A → C, M → O and P → R. The four resulting letters form NCOR.

Maths samples

Maths · Maths: linked constraints

Nine museum tickets cost £51. An adult ticket costs £7 and a child ticket costs £4. How many of the nine tickets are adult tickets?

Choose one answer.

  1. A3
  2. B4
  3. C5
  4. D6
  5. E7
Show answer and explanation

C: 5

Nine child tickets would cost 9 × £4 = £36. The actual total is £15 more. Each adult ticket adds £3, so there are £15 ÷ £3 = 5 adult tickets. Five adults and four children cost £35 + £16 = £51.

Maths · Maths: fractions in reverse

A container is three-quarters full. Adding 12 litres fills it exactly. What is its full capacity?

Choose one answer.

  1. A48 litres
  2. B16 litres
  3. C36 litres
  4. D45 litres
  5. E60 litres
Show answer and explanation

A: 48 litres

The missing quarter is 12 litres. Four quarters make the whole container, so its capacity is 4 × 12 = 48 litres. It originally contained 36 litres.

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Original independent practice. Not official past papers or an admissions prediction. Calculation and editorial checks are complete; independent teacher moderation and pupil timing calibration are still outstanding.