Primary 1 Maths exam paper analysis: 2023
PaperLah has 7 Primary 1 Maths exam papers from 2023, set by 2 Singapore primary schools, with 145 questions worth 177 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Addition and subtraction (36%), Multiplication and division (19%) and Whole numbers (14%); together the top 2 topics account for half of all marks. Addition and subtraction appears in 86% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 12% of marks, and 0% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 21 questions and 25 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 7 papers from 2 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 36% of marks in 2023 (all years: 35%); Multiplication and division took 19% of marks in 2023 (all years: 15%); Whole numbers took 14% of marks in 2023 (all years: 19%).
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 | 35.6 | in 6 of 7 papers |
| Multiplication and division | 19.2 | in 2 of 7 papers |
| Whole numbers | 13.6 | in 6 of 7 papers |
| Number patterns | 6.8 | in 5 of 7 papers |
| Money | 6.8 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Measurement and units | 4 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Position and direction | 3.4 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Picture graphs | 3.4 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Time | 2.3 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Length | 2.3 | in 1 of 7 papers |
| Word problems | 1.7 | in 2 of 7 papers |
| 2D shapes | 1.1 | in 1 of 7 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Fill in the blank 40%
- Number answer 29%
- Multiple choice 12%
- Drawing or labelling 10%
- Other 8%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Fill in the blank | 40.1 |
| Number answer | 29.4 |
| Multiple choice | 12.4 |
| Drawing or labelling | 10.2 |
| Short answer | 6.8 |
| Word bank | 1.1 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 2% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 73.8 |
| 2 | 24.1 |
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 | 85.7 |
| Whole numbers | 85.7 |
| Number patterns | 71.4 |
| Multiplication and division | 28.6 |
| Word problems | 28.6 |
| Money | 14.3 |
| Measurement and units | 14.3 |
| Position and direction | 14.3 |
| Picture graphs | 14.3 |
| Time | 14.3 |
| Length | 14.3 |
| 2D shapes | 14.3 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 7 papers, 145 questions, 177 marks, from 2 schools.
- 2 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Addition and subtraction, 36% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 86% of papers.
- Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and Other.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 1 Maths exam papers in 2023?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Addition and subtraction (36%), Multiplication and division (19%), Whole numbers (14%), Number patterns (6.8%) and Money (6.8%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 1 Maths paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 21 questions and 25 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?
7 papers from 2 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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