AQA GCSE Mathematics Paper 3 (Foundation), June 2025: Question 6

📋 What this question tests

Understanding everyday metric units of length: centimetres (cm), metres (m), and kilometres (km).
Selecting the most sensible and standard unit of measurement based on physical scale.
Carefully recording answers in a multiple-choice grid without disqualifying marks.

Measurement	centimetres (cm)	metres (m)	kilometres (km)
Distance between two villages			✔
Length of a pencil	✔
Height of a building		✔

Mark allocation:
• 3 correct: B3
• 2 correct: B2
• 1 correct: B1

Always compare the item to standard real-world references:

Centimetres (cm): Used for small, handheld objects (e.g., standard pencil ≈ 15 cm to 19 cm; a 30 cm school ruler).
Metres (m): Used for room-sized dimensions, people, and human-scale structures (e.g., door height ≈ 2 m; a 3-storey building ≈ 10 m).
Kilometres (km): Used for geographical distances travelled by vehicle or long walks (e.g., distance between settlements or towns ≈ several km; 1 km = 1000 m).

One tick per row: The question specifies: "Tick one box for each". Checking two boxes in the same row automatically scores zero for that row.
Clear corrections: If you change your mind, clearly cross out your first mark (e.g. put an X through it) and tick the intended box. The mark scheme confirms: "if a tick and a cross are used in the same row, mark the tick."
Think about practical numbers: Ask yourself: "Would I want to write this number with hundreds of thousands of zeroes?" A distance between towns would be millions of cm—unsuitable!

Confusing building height with town distances: Thinking a tall skyscraper is so huge it should be measured in kilometres. Even the world's tallest skyscraper (Burj Khalifa) is under 1 km (828 m), making metres the standard unit.
Over-ticking: Placing multiple ticks in a row hoping the examiner picks the right one. This forfeits the mark for that item entirely.
Selecting mm or inches: Always stick strictly to the columns given in the provided table.

Question