Question 1Warm-upFoundation
A car travels 120 km in 2 hours. What is its average speed?
Distance ÷ time.
Worked solution
- km/h
Answer: km/h
GCSE & IGCSE maths practice
Speed, distance and time questions and answers
Speed = distance ÷ time. Rearranged: distance = speed × time and time = distance ÷ speed. Keep the units matching: km/h needs hours, so 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. Average speed is total distance ÷ total time, not the average of the speeds.
8 questions · Foundation tier · Every answer is checked as you type it, with a full worked solution. Updated .
Where speed, distance and time comes up
| GCSE (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) | Foundation and Higher: use compound units such as speed, and solve problems involving them. |
|---|---|
| Cambridge IGCSE (0580) | Core and Extended: use common measures of rate, including speed, distance and time. |
The method
- Speed = distance ÷ time; distance = speed × time; time = distance ÷ speed.
- Minutes to hours: ÷ 60.
- km/h to m/s: ÷ 3.6.
- Average speed = total distance ÷ total time.
Speed, distance and time questions
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Warm-up
Question 2Warm-upFoundation
A runner travels at 5 m/s for 40 s. How far does she go?
Speed × time.
Worked solution
- m
Answer: m
Exam-style
Question 3Exam-styleFoundation
How long does it take to travel 210 km at 70 km/h?
Distance ÷ speed.
Worked solution
- hours
Answer: hours
Question 4Exam-styleFoundation
A cyclist rides at 48 km/h for 45 minutes. How far does he travel?
45 min = 0.75 h.
Worked solution
- km
Answer: km
Question 5Exam-styleFoundation
Convert 72 km/h into m/s.
72 000 m in 3600 s.
Worked solution
- m/s
Answer: m/s
Question 6Exam-styleFoundation
A train goes 30 km in 30 minutes, then 50 km in 1 hour. What is its average speed for the whole journey, to 2 decimal places?
Total distance ÷ total time.
Worked solution
- Total distance km; total time h
- km/h
Answer: km/h
Challenge
Question 7ChallengeFoundation
A train leaves at 09:20 and travels 150 km at 100 km/h. What time does it arrive?
Journey time = 1.5 hours.
Worked solution
- hours = 1 hour 30 minutes
- 09:20 + 1 h 30 min = 10:50
Answer: 10:50
Question 8ChallengeFoundation
A car drives 120 km at 60 km/h and returns the same way at 40 km/h. What is its average speed for the round trip?
Times: 2 h there, 3 h back.
Worked solution
- Total distance km; total time h
- km/h
Answer: km/h (not 50)
Common mistakes
- Using 45 minutes as 0.45 hours (it's 0.75).
- Averaging two speeds instead of using total distance ÷ total time.
- Mixing km and m.
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Sources
The questions are our own. The “where it comes up” notes are from each board's published specification, checked on 26 October 2026:
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