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Primary 2 Maths exam paper analysis: 2018

PaperLah has 28 Primary 2 Maths exam papers from 2018, set by 13 Singapore primary schools, with 673 questions worth 996 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Addition and subtraction (20%), Multiplication and division (18%) and Whole numbers (11%); together the top 4 topics account for half of all marks. Addition and subtraction appears in 93% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 28% of marks, and 7.7% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 24 questions and 36 marks.

Based on 28 papers from 13 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 20% of marks in 2018 (all years: 16%); Multiplication and division took 18% of marks in 2018 (all years: 20%); Whole numbers took 11% of marks in 2018 (all years: 9%).

28papers from 13 schools
24questions in a typical paper
36marks in a typical paper
4topics 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 26 of 28 papers19.9%
Multiplication and divisionin 21 of 28 papers17.9%
Whole numbersin 20 of 28 papers10.5%
Moneyin 17 of 28 papers10.1%
Above this line: 4 topics carry half of all marks
Fractionsin 16 of 28 papers8.8%
Massin 16 of 28 papers6.1%
Number patternsin 19 of 28 papers4.2%
Timein 14 of 28 papers4%
Picture graphsin 11 of 28 papers3.9%
Lengthin 16 of 28 papers3.5%
Show as table
Topic% of marksPapers
Addition and subtraction19.9in 26 of 28 papers
Multiplication and division17.9in 21 of 28 papers
Whole numbers10.5in 20 of 28 papers
Money10.1in 17 of 28 papers
Fractions8.8in 16 of 28 papers
Mass6.1in 16 of 28 papers
Number patterns4.2in 19 of 28 papers
Time4in 14 of 28 papers
Picture graphs3.9in 11 of 28 papers
Length3.5in 16 of 28 papers
Volume2.9in 10 of 28 papers
Word problems2.1in 5 of 28 papers
Solid figures and nets2in 10 of 28 papers
2D shapes1.5in 10 of 28 papers
Measurement and units0.7in 2 of 28 papers
Lines0.4in 3 of 28 papers
Tables and graphs0.4in 1 of 28 papers
Algebra0.3in 2 of 28 papers
Position and direction0.2in 1 of 28 papers
Circles0.1in 1 of 28 papers
Equal parts0.1in 1 of 28 papers
Factors and multiples0.1in 1 of 28 papers

What a paper is made of

How children answer, as a share of marks.

  • Number answer 57%
  • Multiple choice 28%
  • Fill in the blank 8%
  • Short answer 4%
  • Other 3%
Show as table
Format% of marks
Number answer56.7
Multiple choice27.9
Fill in the blank7.9
Short answer4.4
Drawing or labelling2
Other0.5
Word bank0.4
Open-ended (show working)0.1

Marks per question

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

1: 50% of questions50%12: 37% of questions37%23: 7% of questions7%34: 1% of questions1%4
Show as table
Marks% of questions
149.8
237.1
36.7
41

How likely a topic comes up

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

Addition and subtraction92.9%
Multiplication and division75%
Whole numbers71.4%
Number patterns67.9%
Money60.7%
Fractions57.1%
Mass57.1%
Length57.1%
Time50%
Picture graphs39.3%
Show as table
Topic% of papers
Addition and subtraction92.9
Multiplication and division75
Whole numbers71.4
Number patterns67.9
Money60.7
Fractions57.1
Mass57.1
Length57.1
Time50
Picture graphs39.3
Volume35.7
Solid figures and nets35.7
2D shapes35.7
Word problems17.9
Lines10.7
Measurement and units7.1
Algebra7.1
Tables and graphs3.6
Circles3.6
Equal parts3.6
Factors and multiples3.6
Position and direction3.6

Exam types

Which school exams these papers come from.

Quiz / Review / Test15 papers53.6%
End-of-Year / SA213 papers46.4%

Key facts

  • 28 papers, 673 questions, 996 marks, from 13 schools.
  • 4 topics carry half of all marks.
  • Most-tested topic: Addition and subtraction, 20% of marks.
  • Most common topic across papers: Addition and subtraction, in 93% of papers.
  • 7.7% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
  • Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and End-of-Year / SA2.

Questions parents ask

What topics come up most in Primary 2 Maths exam papers in 2018?

By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Addition and subtraction (20%), Multiplication and division (18%), Whole numbers (11%), Money (10%) and Fractions (8.8%).

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

A typical paper in this set has about 24 questions and 36 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?

28 papers from 13 schools, from these exam types: Quiz / Review / Test and End-of-Year / SA2. 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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