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Primary 1 Maths exam paper analysis: 2022

PaperLah has 27 Primary 1 Maths exam papers from 2022, set by 14 Singapore primary schools, with 571 questions worth 548 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Addition and subtraction (34%), Multiplication and division (18%) and Whole numbers (16%); together the top 2 topics account for half of all marks. Addition and subtraction appears in 78% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 24% of marks, and 2.3% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 21 questions and 20 marks.

Based on 27 papers from 14 schools · Updated 2026-10-13

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 34% of marks in 2022 (all years: 35%); Multiplication and division took 18% of marks in 2022 (all years: 15%); Whole numbers took 16% of marks in 2022 (all years: 19%).

27papers from 14 schools
21questions in a typical paper
20marks in a typical paper
2topics carry half of all marks

Where the marks are

Topics ranked by their share of all marks. The blue ones above the line together make up half.

Addition and subtractionin 21 of 27 papers34.3%
Multiplication and divisionin 11 of 27 papers18.1%
Above this line: 2 topics carry half of all marks
Whole numbersin 16 of 27 papers15.9%
Moneyin 6 of 27 papers9.5%
Number patternsin 14 of 27 papers5.7%
Lengthin 5 of 27 papers4.6%
Picture graphsin 4 of 27 papers2.9%
Timein 6 of 27 papers2.4%
Algebrain 1 of 27 papers2.2%
2D shapesin 7 of 27 papers1.6%
Show as table
Topic% of marksPapers
Addition and subtraction34.3in 21 of 27 papers
Multiplication and division18.1in 11 of 27 papers
Whole numbers15.9in 16 of 27 papers
Money9.5in 6 of 27 papers
Number patterns5.7in 14 of 27 papers
Length4.6in 5 of 27 papers
Picture graphs2.9in 4 of 27 papers
Time2.4in 6 of 27 papers
Algebra2.2in 1 of 27 papers
2D shapes1.6in 7 of 27 papers
Word problems1.5in 5 of 27 papers
Tables and graphs0.5in 1 of 27 papers
Fractions0.4in 1 of 27 papers
Position and direction0.2in 4 of 27 papers
Alphabetical order0.2in 1 of 27 papers
Ratio0in 1 of 27 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 7%
  • Other 10%
Show as table
Format% of marks
Number answer40.3
Multiple choice24.1
Fill in the blank18.6
Drawing or labelling6.9
Short answer6
Word bank2.2
Open-ended (show working)1.1
Other0.7

Marks per question

Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 34% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.

1: 39% of questions39%12: 25% of questions25%23: 2% of questions2%34: 1% of questions1%4
Show as table
Marks% of questions
138.9
225
31.8
40.5

How likely a topic comes up

The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.

Addition and subtraction77.8%
Whole numbers59.3%
Number patterns51.9%
Multiplication and division40.7%
2D shapes25.9%
Money22.2%
Time22.2%
Length18.5%
Word problems18.5%
Picture graphs14.8%
Show as table
Topic% of papers
Addition and subtraction77.8
Whole numbers59.3
Number patterns51.9
Multiplication and division40.7
2D shapes25.9
Money22.2
Time22.2
Length18.5
Word problems18.5
Picture graphs14.8
Position and direction14.8
Algebra3.7
Tables and graphs3.7
Alphabetical order3.7
Fractions3.7
Ratio3.7

Exam types

Which school exams these papers come from.

Quiz / Review / Test23 papers85.2%
Other4 papers14.8%

Key facts

  • 27 papers, 571 questions, 548 marks, from 14 schools.
  • 2 topics carry half of all marks.
  • Most-tested topic: Addition and subtraction, 34% of marks.
  • Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 78% of papers.
  • 2.3% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
  • Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and Other.

Questions parents ask

What topics come up most in Primary 1 Maths exam papers in 2022?

By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Addition and subtraction (34%), Multiplication and division (18%), Whole numbers (16%), Money (9.5%) and Number patterns (5.7%).

How many questions and marks are in a Primary 1 Maths paper?

A typical paper in this set has about 21 questions and 20 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?

27 papers from 14 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 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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