GCSE Mathematics  ›  M4.4 Circle geometry

Circle geometry

Free GCSE Mathematics practice questions on Circle geometry. Aligned with the UK Department for Education GCSE subject content — works for any UK GCSE exam board. Sample questions below with detailed mark schemes. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.

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Explain — 2 marks

A satellite orbits Earth in a circular path. Engineers need to understand the geometry of the orbit to calculate safe distances and predict the satellite's position at any time.

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  • (a) One complete revolution/orbit returns the satellite to its starting position, which corresponds to a complete rotation of 360° (or 2π radians)
  • (b) The angle 90° is one quarter of 360°, so the satellite has travelled one quarter (or 1/4 or 0.25) of the total circumference

State — 4 marks

A circular running track has a radius of 50 m. Athletes train on this track, and coaches need to understand the geometric properties of the circular path to plan training routes and measure distances accurately.

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  • (a) Award 1 mark for 'radius' or 'radii' (plural form also acceptable).
  • (b) Award 1 mark for '100 m' or 'diameter = 2 × radius = 100 m'. Numerical answer must be present.
  • (c) Award 1 mark for 'diameter is twice the radius' or 'd = 2r' or 'diameter = 2 × radius'. Equivalent statements accepted.
  • (d) Award 1 mark for 'circumference' or 'perimeter'. Accept 'the circumference of the circle'.

Compare — 3 marks

A designer is creating two circular logos for a company. Logo A has a radius of 5 cm. Logo B has a diameter of 8 cm. Both logos will be printed on promotional materials.

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  • (a) Logo A has a radius of 5 cm; Logo B has a radius of 4 cm (diameter ÷ 2); Logo A has the larger radius by 1 cm. (Award 1 mark for correct identification that Logo A's radius is larger)
  • (b) Logo A: C = 2πr = 2π(5) = 10π ≈ 31.4 cm; Logo B: C = 2πr = 2π(4) = 8π ≈ 25.1 cm; Logo A has the larger circumference (or equivalent statement with correct calculations). (Award 1 mark for correct method and conclusion)
  • (c) Logo A: A = πr² = π(5)² = 25π ≈ 78.5 cm²; Logo B: A = π(4)² = 16π ≈ 50.3 cm²; Logo A has the greater area by 9π cm² or approximately 28.2 cm² (or 28.3 cm²). (Award 1 mark for both areas calculated correctly and difference identified)

Calculate — 2 marks

A gardener is designing a circular pond for a park. The pond has a diameter of 4 metres.

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  • (a) 4π (m) or equivalent
  • (b) π × 3² − π × 2² or 9π − 4π or equivalent method
  • (b) 5π (m²) or 15.7 (m²) or 15.71 (m²)

Calculate — 4 marks

A circular garden has a diameter of 12 metres. A landscaper needs to install a circular border around the edge and calculate the area to be seeded with grass.

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  • (a) Correctly identifies radius as 6 metres (from diameter 12) or uses diameter directly in formula
  • (a) Correct application of circumference formula C = πd or C = 2πr and correct calculation to 37.7 metres
  • (b) Correct application of area formula A = πr² using radius of 6 metres
  • (b) Correct calculation to 113.1 square metres
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