GCSE · Compound units & rates

Speed, distance and timeExam-style questions

Why speed is a rate (distance per one unit of time), how the three formulas are one relationship, why time must be in decimal hours, and why average speed is total distance over total time — never the mean of the speeds.

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14 questions · GCSE (Higher) level · mark scheme and worked solution on each · no sign-up to try

DifficultyAll Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

1
A drone flies 27 km at an average speed of 36 km/h. Work out how long the flight takes. Give your answer in minutes.
Level 4 · 3 marksTry it
2
A train travels for 40 minutes at an average speed of 90 km/h, and then for 20 minutes at an average speed of 120 km/h. Work out the average speed for the whole journey, in km/h.
Level 4 · 4 marksTry it
3
Priya drives $90$ km at an average speed of $72$ km/h. She then stops at a service station for $15$ minutes, and finally drives a further $30$ km at an average speed of $60$ km/h.

Work out her average speed for the whole journey, including the stop.
Level 4 · 4 marksTry it
4
A lorry makes a delivery journey of $280$ km in exactly $4$ hours.

For the first $1.5$ hours it travels at an average speed of $80$ km/h.

Work out its average speed over the rest of the journey.
Level 4 · 4 marksTry it