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Primary 2 Maths exam paper analysis: 2023

PaperLah has 20 Primary 2 Maths exam papers from 2023, set by 9 Singapore primary schools, with 405 questions worth 322 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Multiplication and division (44%), Addition and subtraction (16%) and Fractions (11%); together the top 2 topics account for half of all marks. Multiplication and division appears in 70% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 23% of marks, and 3.2% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 20 questions and 16 marks.

Based on 20 papers from 9 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 44% of marks in 2023 (all years: 20%); Addition and subtraction took 16% of marks in 2023 (all years: 16%); Fractions took 11% of marks in 2023 (all years: 8.7%).

20papers from 9 schools
20questions in a typical paper
16marks 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.

Multiplication and divisionin 14 of 20 papers43.8%
Addition and subtractionin 13 of 20 papers16.5%
Above this line: 2 topics carry half of all marks
Fractionsin 7 of 20 papers10.9%
Whole numbersin 7 of 20 papers6.2%
Lengthin 6 of 20 papers5.6%
Volumein 3 of 20 papers4.3%
Massin 5 of 20 papers4%
Number patternsin 9 of 20 papers1.9%
Moneyin 3 of 20 papers1.6%
Word problemsin 2 of 20 papers1.2%
Show as table
Topic% of marksPapers
Multiplication and division43.8in 14 of 20 papers
Addition and subtraction16.5in 13 of 20 papers
Fractions10.9in 7 of 20 papers
Whole numbers6.2in 7 of 20 papers
Length5.6in 6 of 20 papers
Volume4.3in 3 of 20 papers
Mass4in 5 of 20 papers
Number patterns1.9in 9 of 20 papers
Money1.6in 3 of 20 papers
Word problems1.2in 2 of 20 papers
Measurement and units0.9in 4 of 20 papers
Solid figures and nets0.6in 4 of 20 papers
Time0.6in 2 of 20 papers
Difference0.6in 1 of 20 papers
Tables and graphs0.3in 2 of 20 papers
Picture graphs0.3in 2 of 20 papers
Lines0.3in 2 of 20 papers
Equal parts0.3in 1 of 20 papers
2D shapes0in 2 of 20 papers

What a paper is made of

How children answer, as a share of marks.

  • Number answer 55%
  • Multiple choice 23%
  • Fill in the blank 12%
  • Drawing or labelling 3%
  • Other 6%
Show as table
Format% of marks
Number answer55.3
Multiple choice23.3
Fill in the blank12.1
Drawing or labelling3.4
Short answer2.8
Open-ended (show working)1.6
Word bank0.9
Other0.6

Marks per question

Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 43% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.

1: 38% of questions38%12: 16% of questions16%23: 3% of questions3%34: 0% of questions0%4
Show as table
Marks% of questions
138.3
215.6
32.7
40.5

How likely a topic comes up

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

Multiplication and division70%
Addition and subtraction65%
Number patterns45%
Fractions35%
Whole numbers35%
Length30%
Mass25%
Solid figures and nets20%
Measurement and units20%
Volume15%
Show as table
Topic% of papers
Multiplication and division70
Addition and subtraction65
Number patterns45
Fractions35
Whole numbers35
Length30
Mass25
Solid figures and nets20
Measurement and units20
Volume15
Money15
2D shapes10
Time10
Tables and graphs10
Picture graphs10
Word problems10
Lines10
Difference5
Equal parts5

Exam types

Which school exams these papers come from.

Quiz / Review / Test17 papers85%
Weighted Assessment / CA2 papers10%
End-of-Year / SA21 papers5%

Key facts

  • 20 papers, 405 questions, 322 marks, from 9 schools.
  • 2 topics carry half of all marks.
  • Most-tested topic: Multiplication and division, 44% of marks.
  • Most common topic across papers: Multiplication and division, in 70% of papers.
  • 3.2% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
  • Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test, Weighted Assessment / CA and End-of-Year / SA2.

Questions parents ask

What topics come up most in Primary 2 Maths exam papers in 2023?

By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Multiplication and division (44%), Addition and subtraction (16%), Fractions (11%), Whole numbers (6.2%) and Length (5.6%).

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

A typical paper in this set has about 20 questions and 16 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?

20 papers from 9 schools, from these exam types: Quiz / Review / Test, Weighted Assessment / CA 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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