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Primary 2 Maths exam paper analysis: 2017

PaperLah has 29 Primary 2 Maths exam papers from 2017, set by 11 Singapore primary schools, with 763 questions worth 1,140 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Multiplication and division (21%), Addition and subtraction (19%) and Whole numbers (12%); together the top 3 topics account for half of all marks. Addition and subtraction appears in 97% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 31% of marks, and 6.8% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 26 questions and 39 marks.

Based on 29 papers from 11 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: Multiplication and division took 21% of marks in 2017 (all years: 20%); Addition and subtraction took 19% of marks in 2017 (all years: 16%); Whole numbers took 12% of marks in 2017 (all years: 9%).

29papers from 11 schools
26questions in a typical paper
39marks in a typical paper
3topics 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.

Multiplication and divisionin 21 of 29 papers21.1%
Addition and subtractionin 28 of 29 papers19.3%
Whole numbersin 21 of 29 papers12.4%
Above this line: 3 topics carry half of all marks
Lengthin 18 of 29 papers8.3%
Massin 14 of 29 papers6.6%
Fractionsin 12 of 29 papers6.1%
Moneyin 12 of 29 papers6%
Number patternsin 19 of 29 papers4.6%
Timein 12 of 29 papers4%
Picture graphsin 10 of 29 papers3.5%
Show as table
Topic% of marksPapers
Multiplication and division21.1in 21 of 29 papers
Addition and subtraction19.3in 28 of 29 papers
Whole numbers12.4in 21 of 29 papers
Length8.3in 18 of 29 papers
Mass6.6in 14 of 29 papers
Fractions6.1in 12 of 29 papers
Money6in 12 of 29 papers
Number patterns4.6in 19 of 29 papers
Time4in 12 of 29 papers
Picture graphs3.5in 10 of 29 papers
Volume2.6in 8 of 29 papers
Word problems1.8in 6 of 29 papers
Solid figures and nets1.2in 8 of 29 papers
Measurement and units0.8in 3 of 29 papers
2D shapes0.8in 6 of 29 papers
Tables and graphs0.3in 1 of 29 papers
Position and direction0.2in 1 of 29 papers
Area and perimeter0.2in 1 of 29 papers
Quadrilaterals0.2in 1 of 29 papers

What a paper is made of

How children answer, as a share of marks.

  • Number answer 52%
  • Multiple choice 31%
  • Fill in the blank 7%
  • Short answer 5%
  • Other 5%
Show as table
Format% of marks
Number answer51.9
Multiple choice30.9
Fill in the blank7.1
Short answer5.1
Drawing or labelling4.7
Word bank0.2
Open-ended (show working)0.1

Marks per question

Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 6% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.

1: 46% of questions46%12: 41% of questions41%23: 6% of questions6%34: 1% of questions1%4
Show as table
Marks% of questions
146.4
241
36
40.8

How likely a topic comes up

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

Addition and subtraction96.6%
Multiplication and division72.4%
Whole numbers72.4%
Number patterns65.5%
Length62.1%
Mass48.3%
Money41.4%
Fractions41.4%
Time41.4%
Picture graphs34.5%
Show as table
Topic% of papers
Addition and subtraction96.6
Multiplication and division72.4
Whole numbers72.4
Number patterns65.5
Length62.1
Mass48.3
Money41.4
Fractions41.4
Time41.4
Picture graphs34.5
Volume27.6
Solid figures and nets27.6
Word problems20.7
2D shapes20.7
Measurement and units10.3
Tables and graphs3.4
Position and direction3.4
Area and perimeter3.4
Quadrilaterals3.4

Exam types

Which school exams these papers come from.

End-of-Year / SA211 papers37.9%
Mid-Year / SA19 papers31%
Weighted Assessment / CA9 papers31%

Key facts

  • 29 papers, 763 questions, 1,140 marks, from 11 schools.
  • 3 topics carry half of all marks.
  • Most-tested topic: Multiplication and division, 21% of marks.
  • Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 97% of papers.
  • 6.8% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
  • Exam types: End-of-Year / SA2, Mid-Year / SA1 and Weighted Assessment / CA.

Questions parents ask

What topics come up most in Primary 2 Maths exam papers in 2017?

By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Multiplication and division (21%), Addition and subtraction (19%), Whole numbers (12%), Length (8.3%) and Mass (6.6%).

How many questions and marks are in a Primary 2 Maths paper?

A typical paper in this set has about 26 questions and 39 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?

29 papers from 11 schools, from these exam types: End-of-Year / SA2, Mid-Year / SA1 and Weighted Assessment / CA. 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 (Junior) · 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 Chiau · Nan Hua · Nanyang · Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' · Pei Chun · Pei Hwa · Raffles Girls' · Red Swastika · Rosyth · Rulang · Singapore Chinese Girls' · St Andrew's · St Hilda's · Tao Nan · Temasek

Schools with Primary 2 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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