Primary 1 Maths exam paper analysis: 2012
PaperLah has 38 Primary 1 Maths exam papers from 2012, set by 13 Singapore primary schools, with 833 questions worth 1,031 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Addition and subtraction (30%), Whole numbers (16%) and Multiplication and division (16%); together the top 3 topics account for half of all marks. Addition and subtraction appears in 92% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 24% of marks, and 5.4% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 22 questions and 27 marks.
These figures describe the school papers in PaperLah's collection, not official MOE or SEAB weightings. They help with planning revision; they can't predict a particular exam.
Compared with all years: Addition and subtraction took 30% of marks in 2012 (all years: 35%); Whole numbers took 16% of marks in 2012 (all years: 19%); Multiplication and division took 16% of marks in 2012 (all years: 15%).
Where the marks are
Topics ranked by their share of all marks. The blue ones above the line together make up half.
Show as table
| Topic | % of marks | Papers |
|---|---|---|
| Addition and subtraction | 29.8 | in 35 of 38 papers |
| Whole numbers | 16.3 | in 33 of 38 papers |
| Multiplication and division | 15.6 | in 14 of 38 papers |
| Money | 8.1 | in 10 of 38 papers |
| Number patterns | 6.9 | in 26 of 38 papers |
| Time | 5.1 | in 10 of 38 papers |
| Length | 4.5 | in 11 of 38 papers |
| Picture graphs | 4.4 | in 7 of 38 papers |
| Mass | 3.4 | in 6 of 38 papers |
| 2D shapes | 1.9 | in 8 of 38 papers |
| Word problems | 1.9 | in 13 of 38 papers |
| Measurement and units | 0.7 | in 5 of 38 papers |
| Position and direction | 0.7 | in 3 of 38 papers |
| Tables and graphs | 0.2 | in 1 of 38 papers |
| Solid figures and nets | 0.1 | in 1 of 38 papers |
| Triangles | 0.1 | in 1 of 38 papers |
| Circles | 0.1 | in 1 of 38 papers |
| Following instructions | 0 | in 1 of 38 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Number answer 40%
- Multiple choice 24%
- Fill in the blank 19%
- Drawing or labelling 10%
- Other 8%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Number answer | 40.2 |
| Multiple choice | 24 |
| Fill in the blank | 18.7 |
| Drawing or labelling | 9.5 |
| Short answer | 4.8 |
| Word bank | 1.6 |
| Other | 1 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 0.4 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 21% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 42.9 |
| 2 | 31.1 |
| 3 | 2.9 |
| 4 | 2.5 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
Show as table
| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Addition and subtraction | 92.1 |
| Whole numbers | 86.8 |
| Number patterns | 68.4 |
| Multiplication and division | 36.8 |
| Word problems | 34.2 |
| Length | 28.9 |
| Money | 26.3 |
| Time | 26.3 |
| 2D shapes | 21.1 |
| Picture graphs | 18.4 |
| Mass | 15.8 |
| Measurement and units | 13.2 |
| Position and direction | 7.9 |
| Tables and graphs | 2.6 |
| Following instructions | 2.6 |
| Solid figures and nets | 2.6 |
| Triangles | 2.6 |
| Circles | 2.6 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 38 papers, 833 questions, 1,031 marks, from 13 schools.
- 3 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Addition and subtraction, 30% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 92% of papers.
- 5.4% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
- Exam types: Weighted Assessment / CA, End-of-Year / SA2 and Mid-Year / SA1.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 1 Maths exam papers in 2012?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Addition and subtraction (30%), Whole numbers (16%), Multiplication and division (16%), Money (8.1%) and Number patterns (6.9%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 1 Maths paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 22 questions and 27 marks. Papers vary by school and by exam (weighted assessments are shorter than mid-year and end-of-year exams).
Which exams and schools are included?
38 papers from 13 schools, from these exam types: Weighted Assessment / CA, End-of-Year / SA2 and Mid-Year / SA1. The schools are listed further down this page.
Can I download these papers?
No. PaperLah doesn't share the papers as downloads. Children practise them online one question at a time, with instant marking, and parents see which topics need work.
Schools included
ACS (Primary) · Ai Tong · Anglo-Chinese School · CHIJ · CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' · Catholic High · Henry Park · Holy Innocents · Maha Bodhi · Maris Stella High · Methodist Girls' · Nan Hua · Nanyang · Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' · Pei Chun · Pei Hwa · Raffles Girls' · Red Swastika · Rosyth · Rulang · Singapore Chinese Girls' · St Andrew's · Tanjong Katong · Tao Nan · Temasek
Schools with Primary 1 Maths papers in the collection (all years). Papers are past school assessments; PaperLah is not affiliated with MOE, SEAB or the schools.
How this analysis is made
Every question in each paper is tagged with its topic, format and marks as printed. The figures above are counts over those questions: a topic's share of marks, the share of papers that include it, and so on. Topic names come from the papers and their answer keys, so similar topics can appear under slightly different names. Only aggregate figures are shown here; the questions themselves are practised inside PaperLah.
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