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GCSE & IGCSE maths practice

Volume and surface area questions and answers

Volume of a prism = area of cross-section × length (a cuboid and a cylinder are prisms). Surface area is the total area of all the faces. Spheres, cones and pyramids have their own formulas: V=43πr3V = \tfrac{4}{3}\pi r^3 for a sphere, V=13πr2hV = \tfrac{1}{3}\pi r^2 h for a cone.

8 questions · Foundation tier · Every answer is checked as you type it, with a full worked solution. Updated .

Where volume and surface area comes up

GCSE (AQA, Edexcel, OCR)Foundation and Higher: volume of cuboids and right prisms, including cylinders, and surface area. Foundation and Higher (additional content): surface area and volume of spheres, pyramids, cones and composite solids.
Cambridge IGCSE (0580)Core and Extended: surface area and volume of a cuboid, prism, cylinder, sphere, pyramid and cone (the sphere, pyramid and cone formulas are given).

The method

  1. Prism: cross-section area × length.
  2. Cylinder: V = πr²h; total surface area = 2πr² + 2πrh.
  3. Sphere: V = 4/3 πr³. Cone: V = 1/3 πr²h.
  4. Missing length: put the volume into the formula and solve.

Volume and surface area questions

Try each one before looking at the hint. If you're stuck, the AI tutor can talk you through it step by step.

Warm-up

Question 1Warm-upFoundation

Find the volume of a cuboid 5 cm by 4 cm by 3 cm.

Question 2Warm-upFoundation

Find the surface area of a cuboid 5 cm by 4 cm by 3 cm.

Exam-style

Question 3Exam-styleFoundation

A prism has a cross-section of area 12 cm² and length 10 cm. Find its volume.

Question 4Exam-styleFoundation

Find the volume of a cylinder of radius 3 cm and height 10 cm, to 1 decimal place.

Question 5Exam-styleFoundation

Find the total surface area of a cylinder of radius 3 cm and height 10 cm, to 3 significant figures.

Question 6Exam-styleFoundation

Find the volume of a sphere of radius 6 cm, to 1 decimal place.

Challenge

Question 7ChallengeFoundation

Find the volume of a cone with radius 3 cm and height 4 cm, to 1 decimal place.

Question 8ChallengeFoundation

A cylinder has volume 500 cm³ and radius 5 cm. Find its height, to 3 significant figures.

Common mistakes

  • Adding instead of multiplying for volume.
  • Missing faces (a cuboid has 6).
  • Leaving out the 1/3 for a cone or pyramid.

Stuck on one of these?

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More maths questions

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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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