KS5 "Full Coverage": Rational Expressions (Manipulating

Expressions, Indices and Surds)

This worksheet is designed to cover one question of each type seen in past papers, for each
GCSE Higher Tier topic. This worksheet was automatically generated by the DrFrostMaths
Homework Platform: students can practice this set of questions interactively by going to
www.drfrostmaths.com, logging on, Practise → Past Papers (or Library → Past Papers for
teachers), and using the ‘Revision’ tab.

Question 1
Categorisation: Combine multiple methods of simple factorisation.

[Edexcel C1 May 2015 Q8a]

Factorise completely 9𝑥 − 4𝑥 3 .

..........................

Question 2
Categorisation: As above, but including factorisation of a quadratic.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2006 Q1]

Factorise completely 𝑥 3 − 4𝑥 2 + 3𝑥

..........................

Question 3
Categorisation: Expand expressions involving roots.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2007 Q6a]

2
Show that (4 + 3√𝑥) can be written as 16 + 𝑘 √𝑥 + 9𝑥 . where 𝑘 is a constant to be found.

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 4
Categorisation: Split fractions and write roots as powers to simplify.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2009 Q6a]

3
2𝑥 2 −𝑥 2
Given that can be written in the form 2𝑥 𝑝 − 𝑥 𝑞 , write down the value of 𝑝 and the
√𝑥
value of 𝑞 .

..........................

Question 5
Categorisation: As above, but with expanding.

[Edexcel C1 May 2005 Q7a Edited]

2 1 1
(3−√𝑥)
Show that can be written as 𝑎𝑥 −2 − 𝑏 + 𝑥 2 , where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers to be found.
√𝑥

..........................

Question 6
Categorisation: Expand and refactorise expressions.

[Edexcel C1 May 2006 Q9a]

Given that 𝑓(𝑥) = (𝑥 2 − 6𝑥)(𝑥 − 2) + 3𝑥 , express 𝑓(𝑥) in the form 𝑥(𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐) ,

where 𝑎 , 𝑏 and 𝑐 are constants.

𝑓(𝑥) = ..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 7
Categorisation: Raise a number to a fractional exponent.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2009 Q1a]

1
Write down the value of 1253

..........................

Question 8
Categorisation: As above but negative.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2009 Q1b]

2
Find the value of 125−3

..........................

Question 9
Categorisation: Change the base of a power.

[Edexcel C1 May 2016 Q2]

Express 93𝑥+1 in the form 3𝑦 , giving 𝑦 in the form 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏 , where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are constants.

..........................

Question 10
Categorisation: As above.

[Edexcel C1 May 2015 Q7a]

Given that 𝑦 = 2𝑥 , express 4𝑥 in terms of 𝑦 .

4𝑥 = ..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 11
Categorisation: Solve a quadratic-like equation by first changing the base (no logs
required).

[Edexcel C1 May 2015 Q7b]

Solve 8(4𝑥 ) − 9(2𝑥 ) + 1 = 0 .

..........................

Question 12
Categorisation: Simplify an expression involving different bases.

[Edexcel C1 May 2013(R) Q5b]

Solve 2𝑥 × 4𝑥+1 = 8

..........................

Question 13
Categorisation: Write a term as a single power.

[Edexcel C1 June 2009 Q2]

Given that 32√2 = 2𝑎 , find the value of 𝑎 .

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 14
Categorisation: Raise an algebraic term to a power.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2008 Q2b]

3
Simplify (16𝑥 12 )4

..........................

Question 15
Categorisation: As above.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2011 Q1b]

1 4
Simplify 𝑥 (2𝑥 −4 )

..........................

Question 16
Categorisation: As above, but involving a fraction.

[Edexcel C1 May 2012 Q2b]

1
−
25𝑥 4 2
Simplify fully ( 4 )

..........................

Question 17
Categorisation: Raise a surd to a power.

[Edexcel C1 May 2015 Q1a]

2
Simplify (2√5)

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 18
Categorisation: Add or subtract surds by first simplifying.

[Edexcel C1 May 2016 Q3a]

Simplify √50 − √18 , giving your answer in the form 𝑎√2 , where 𝑎 is an integer.

..........................

Question 19
Categorisation: Expand brackets involving surds.

[Edexcel C1 Jan 2013 Q3i]

Express

(5 − √8)(1 + √2)

in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏√2 , where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.

..........................

Question 20
Categorisation: Rationalising a simple denominator.

[Edexcel C1 May 2013(R) Q2]

15
Find − √27 in the form 𝑘√3 , where 𝑘 is an integer.
√3

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 21
Categorisation: Rationalise the denominator where the denominator involves
multiple terms.

[Edexcel C1 May 2013 Q1] Simplify

7 + √5
√5 − 1

giving your answer in the form 𝑎 + 𝑏√5 , where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.

..........................

Question 22
Categorisation: As above, but a more complicated denominator.

[Edexcel C1 May 2015 Q1b]

√2
Simplify 2√5−3 , giving your answer in the form 𝑎 + √𝑏 , where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.
√2

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Question 23
Categorisation: As above but where prior simplification of the denominator is
needed.

[Edexcel C1 May 2016 Q3b] By first simplifying √50 − √18 or otherwise, simplify:

12√3
√50 − √18

giving your answer in the form 𝑏√𝑐 , where 𝑏 and 𝑐 are integers and 𝑏 𝑛𝑒 1 .

..........................

Question 24
Categorisation: Solve a linear equation involving surds.

[Edexcel C1 May 2014(R) Q5] Solve the equation

6𝑥
10 + 𝑥√8 =
√2

Give your answer in the form 𝑎√𝑏 where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers.

𝑥 = ..........................

Question 25
Categorisation: Divide surds in context.

[Edexcel C1 May 2014 Q6b]

A rectangle 𝑅 has a length (1 + √5) cm and an area of √80 cm 2 .

Calculate the width of 𝑅 in cm. Express your answer in the form 𝑝 + 𝑞√5 , where 𝑝 and 𝑞 are
integers to be found.

..........................

www.drfrostmaths.com
Answers

Question 1 Question 12 Question 23

𝑥(3 + 2𝑥)(3 − 2𝑥) 1
𝑥=3 3√6

Question 2 Question 13 Question 24

𝑥(𝑥 − 3)(𝑥 − 1) 11 𝑥 = 5√2
𝑎= 2
Question 3 Question 25
Question 14
𝑘 = 24 5 − √5
8𝑥 9
Question 4
Question 15
3
𝑝 = ,𝑞 =1
2 16
Question 5 Question 16
1 1
9𝑥 −2 − 6 + 𝑥 2 2
5𝑥 2

Question 6 Question 17
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥(𝑥 2 − 8𝑥 + 15)
20
Question 7 Question 18
5
2√2
Question 8
Question 19
1
25 1 + 3√2

Question 9 Question 20
𝑎 =6,𝑏 =2 2√3

Question 10 Question 21
4𝑥 = 𝑦 2
3 + 2√5
Question 11 Question 22
𝑥 = −3 or 𝑥 = 0
3 + √10

www.drfrostmaths.com