Primary 1 Maths exam paper analysis: 2021
PaperLah has 8 Primary 1 Maths exam papers from 2021, set by 4 Singapore primary schools, with 368 questions worth 168 marks. The topics carrying the most questions were Addition and subtraction (33%), Multiplication and division (20%) and Whole numbers (19%); together the top 2 topics account for half of all questions. Addition and subtraction appears in 100% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 7.3% of questions, and 0% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 46 questions and 21 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.
This page is based on 8 papers from 4 schools, so the figures may not be typical (we look for at least 10 papers from 3 schools). See all years for a fuller picture.
Compared with all years: Addition and subtraction took 33% of questions in 2021 (all years: 35%); Multiplication and division took 20% of questions in 2021 (all years: 15%); Whole numbers took 19% of questions in 2021 (all years: 19%).
Where the marks are
Topics ranked by their share of all questions. The blue ones above the line together make up half.
Show as table
| Topic | % of questions | Papers |
|---|---|---|
| Addition and subtraction | 33.2 | in 8 of 8 papers |
| Multiplication and division | 19.8 | in 6 of 8 papers |
| Whole numbers | 19 | in 7 of 8 papers |
| Picture graphs | 6.8 | in 3 of 8 papers |
| Time | 6.5 | in 4 of 8 papers |
| 2D shapes | 4.6 | in 3 of 8 papers |
| Number patterns | 4.3 | in 6 of 8 papers |
| Tables and graphs | 1.6 | in 2 of 8 papers |
| Position and direction | 1.6 | in 2 of 8 papers |
| Length | 0.5 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Quadrilaterals | 0.5 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Word problems | 0.3 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Ratio | 0.3 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Fractions | 0.3 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Algebra | 0.3 | in 1 of 8 papers |
| Money | 0.3 | in 1 of 8 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of questions.
- Number answer 43%
- Fill in the blank 31%
- Drawing or labelling 11%
- Multiple choice 7%
- Other 8%
Show as table
| Format | % of questions |
|---|---|
| Number answer | 42.7 |
| Fill in the blank | 31 |
| Drawing or labelling | 10.9 |
| Multiple choice | 7.3 |
| Short answer | 5.2 |
| Word bank | 2.7 |
| Other | 0.3 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 63% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 27.7 |
| 2 | 9 |
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 | 100 |
| Whole numbers | 87.5 |
| Multiplication and division | 75 |
| Number patterns | 75 |
| Time | 50 |
| Picture graphs | 37.5 |
| 2D shapes | 37.5 |
| Tables and graphs | 25 |
| Position and direction | 25 |
| Length | 12.5 |
| Quadrilaterals | 12.5 |
| Word problems | 12.5 |
| Ratio | 12.5 |
| Fractions | 12.5 |
| Algebra | 12.5 |
| Money | 12.5 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 8 papers, 368 questions, 168 marks, from 4 schools.
- 2 topics carry half of all questions.
- Most-tested topic: Addition and subtraction, 33% of questions.
- Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 100% of papers.
- Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and Other.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 1 Maths exam papers in 2021?
By share of questions, the most-tested topics were Addition and subtraction (33%), Multiplication and division (20%), Whole numbers (19%), Picture graphs (6.8%) and Time (6.5%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 1 Maths paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 46 questions and 21 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?
8 papers from 4 schools, from these exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and Other. 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 questions, 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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