Primary 4 Science exam paper analysis: 2013
PaperLah has 30 Primary 4 Science exam papers from 2013, set by 12 Singapore primary schools, with 1,707 questions worth 2,454 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Heat (16%), Matter (14%) and Light (13%); together the top 4 topics account for half of all marks. Classification appears in 93% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 57% of marks, and 0.5% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 57 questions and 82 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.
Compared with all years: Heat took 16% of marks in 2013 (all years: 13%); Matter took 14% of marks in 2013 (all years: 15%); Light took 13% of marks in 2013 (all years: 13%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Heat | 15.8 | in 23 of 30 papers |
| Matter | 14.3 | in 27 of 30 papers |
| Light | 13.5 | in 23 of 30 papers |
| Life cycles | 8.4 | in 24 of 30 papers |
| Magnets | 8.3 | in 21 of 30 papers |
| Classification | 8.1 | in 28 of 30 papers |
| Materials | 6.5 | in 26 of 30 papers |
| Digestive system | 5 | in 21 of 30 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 4.8 | in 25 of 30 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 4.3 | in 27 of 30 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 2.6 | in 20 of 30 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 1.6 | in 6 of 30 papers |
| Plant reproduction | 1.5 | in 16 of 30 papers |
| Human body systems | 1.4 | in 13 of 30 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 0.9 | in 11 of 30 papers |
| Electricity | 0.7 | in 7 of 30 papers |
| Adaptations | 0.7 | in 8 of 30 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 0.5 | in 4 of 30 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 0.3 | in 5 of 30 papers |
| Forces | 0.3 | in 4 of 30 papers |
| Testing for starch | 0.2 | in 1 of 30 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 0.2 | in 2 of 30 papers |
| Energy | 0.1 | in 1 of 30 papers |
| Conditions for egg development | 0.1 | in 1 of 30 papers |
| Food preferences | 0 | in 1 of 30 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 0 | in 1 of 30 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 57%
- Open-ended (show working) 23%
- Short answer 11%
- Fill in the blank 3%
- Other 6%
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| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 56.7 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 22.9 |
| Short answer | 11.1 |
| Fill in the blank | 3.3 |
| Drawing or labelling | 2.9 |
| Word bank | 1.8 |
| Number answer | 1 |
| Other | 0.4 |
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.
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| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 44.5 |
| 2 | 49.7 |
| 3 | 0.5 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
Show as table
| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Classification | 93.3 |
| Matter | 90 |
| Scientific investigation | 90 |
| Materials | 86.7 |
| Plant parts and transport | 83.3 |
| Life cycles | 80 |
| Heat | 76.7 |
| Light | 76.7 |
| Magnets | 70 |
| Digestive system | 70 |
| Living and non-living things | 66.7 |
| Plant reproduction | 53.3 |
| Human body systems | 43.3 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 36.7 |
| Adaptations | 26.7 |
| Electricity | 23.3 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 20 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 16.7 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 13.3 |
| Forces | 13.3 |
| Photosynthesis | 6.7 |
| Testing for starch | 3.3 |
| Energy | 3.3 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 3.3 |
| Conditions for egg development | 3.3 |
| Food preferences | 3.3 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 30 papers, 1,707 questions, 2,454 marks, from 12 schools.
- 4 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Heat, 16% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Classification, in 93% of papers.
- 0.5% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
- Exam types: Mid-Year / SA1, End-of-Year / SA2 and Weighted Assessment / CA.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 4 Science exam papers in 2013?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Heat (16%), Matter (14%), Light (13%), Life cycles (8.4%) and Magnets (8.3%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 4 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 57 questions and 82 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?
30 papers from 12 schools, from these exam types: Mid-Year / SA1, End-of-Year / SA2 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 · 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 Hilda's · St Joseph's · Tao Nan · Temasek
Schools with Primary 4 Science 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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