Primary 4 Science exam paper analysis: 2024
PaperLah has 41 Primary 4 Science exam papers from 2024, set by 15 Singapore primary schools, with 1,477 questions worth 2,060 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Heat (17%), Matter (16%) and Light (15%); together the top 4 topics account for half of all marks. Matter appears in 80% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 55% of marks, and 0.3% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 36 questions and 50 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 17% of marks in 2024 (all years: 13%); Matter took 16% of marks in 2024 (all years: 15%); Light took 15% of marks in 2024 (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.
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| Topic | % of marks | Papers |
|---|---|---|
| Heat | 16.8 | in 27 of 41 papers |
| Matter | 16.4 | in 33 of 41 papers |
| Light | 15 | in 29 of 41 papers |
| Life cycles | 8.7 | in 23 of 41 papers |
| Magnets | 7.3 | in 24 of 41 papers |
| Digestive system | 7.1 | in 28 of 41 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 6.8 | in 26 of 41 papers |
| Materials | 5.8 | in 25 of 41 papers |
| Classification | 4.2 | in 21 of 41 papers |
| Human body systems | 3.3 | in 21 of 41 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 2.9 | in 28 of 41 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 2.6 | in 19 of 41 papers |
| Electricity | 0.8 | in 6 of 41 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 0.7 | in 7 of 41 papers |
| Plant reproduction | 0.6 | in 7 of 41 papers |
| Forces | 0.3 | in 4 of 41 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 0.1 | in 2 of 41 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 0.1 | in 2 of 41 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 0.1 | in 3 of 41 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 0.1 | in 2 of 41 papers |
| Energy | 0.1 | in 1 of 41 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 0.1 | in 1 of 41 papers |
| Water level | 0 | in 1 of 41 papers |
| Adaptations | 0 | in 1 of 41 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 55%
- Open-ended (show working) 25%
- Short answer 10%
- Fill in the blank 4%
- Other 5%
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| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 55.4 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 25.4 |
| Short answer | 10.4 |
| Fill in the blank | 4.1 |
| Word bank | 1.8 |
| Number answer | 1.5 |
| Drawing or labelling | 0.7 |
| Other | 0.6 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 10% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
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| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 40.5 |
| 2 | 49.2 |
| 3 | 0.3 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
Show as table
| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Matter | 80.5 |
| Light | 70.7 |
| Digestive system | 68.3 |
| Scientific investigation | 68.3 |
| Heat | 65.9 |
| Plant parts and transport | 63.4 |
| Materials | 61 |
| Magnets | 58.5 |
| Life cycles | 56.1 |
| Classification | 51.2 |
| Human body systems | 51.2 |
| Living and non-living things | 46.3 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 17.1 |
| Plant reproduction | 17.1 |
| Electricity | 14.6 |
| Forces | 9.8 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 7.3 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 4.9 |
| Photosynthesis | 4.9 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 4.9 |
| Water level | 2.4 |
| Energy | 2.4 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 2.4 |
| Adaptations | 2.4 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 41 papers, 1,477 questions, 2,060 marks, from 15 schools.
- 4 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Heat, 17% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Matter, in 80% of papers.
- 0.3% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
- Exam types: Quiz / Review / Test, End-of-Year / SA2, Weighted Assessment / CA and Practice paper.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 4 Science exam papers in 2024?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Heat (17%), Matter (16%), Light (15%), Life cycles (8.7%) and Magnets (7.3%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 4 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 36 questions and 50 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?
41 papers from 15 schools, from these exam types: Quiz / Review / Test, End-of-Year / SA2, Weighted Assessment / CA and Practice paper. 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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