Sign inStart free

Primary 5 Maths exam paper analysis: 2024

PaperLah has 40 Primary 5 Maths exam papers from 2024, set by 15 Singapore primary schools, with 1,178 questions worth 2,031 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Fractions (15%), Ratio (11%) and Area and perimeter (9.6%); together the top 5 topics account for half of all marks. Area and perimeter appears in 73% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 18% of marks, and 15% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 29 questions and 51 marks.

Based on 40 papers from 15 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: Fractions took 15% of marks in 2024 (all years: 19%); Ratio took 11% of marks in 2024 (all years: 12%); Area and perimeter took 9.6% of marks in 2024 (all years: 9.2%).

40papers from 15 schools
29questions in a typical paper
51marks in a typical paper
5topics 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.

Fractionsin 27 of 40 papers14.7%
Ratioin 25 of 40 papers10.9%
Area and perimeterin 29 of 40 papers9.6%
Moneyin 24 of 40 papers7.8%
Anglesin 14 of 40 papers7.8%
Above this line: 5 topics carry half of all marks
Percentagein 19 of 40 papers6.8%
Volumein 23 of 40 papers6.8%
Whole numbersin 28 of 40 papers4.1%
Averagein 16 of 40 papers3.3%
Number patternsin 15 of 40 papers3.1%
Show as table
Topic% of marksPapers
Fractions14.7in 27 of 40 papers
Ratio10.9in 25 of 40 papers
Area and perimeter9.6in 29 of 40 papers
Money7.8in 24 of 40 papers
Angles7.8in 14 of 40 papers
Percentage6.8in 19 of 40 papers
Volume6.8in 23 of 40 papers
Whole numbers4.1in 28 of 40 papers
Average3.3in 16 of 40 papers
Number patterns3.1in 15 of 40 papers
Rate and speed2.7in 18 of 40 papers
Multiplication and division2.7in 26 of 40 papers
Word problems2.7in 12 of 40 papers
Mass2.4in 16 of 40 papers
Solid figures and nets1.8in 17 of 40 papers
Time1.6in 9 of 40 papers
Decimals1.4in 18 of 40 papers
Order of operations1.3in 23 of 40 papers
Length1.2in 14 of 40 papers
Line graphs1in 10 of 40 papers
Factors and multiples1in 11 of 40 papers
Tables and graphs0.9in 8 of 40 papers
Triangles0.7in 12 of 40 papers
Measurement and units0.7in 7 of 40 papers
Bar graphs0.6in 6 of 40 papers
Quadrilaterals0.4in 4 of 40 papers
Lines0.3in 7 of 40 papers
2D shapes0.3in 3 of 40 papers
Symmetry0.3in 5 of 40 papers
Addition and subtraction0.2in 3 of 40 papers

What a paper is made of

How children answer, as a share of marks.

  • Number answer 69%
  • Multiple choice 18%
  • Short answer 6%
  • Open-ended (show working) 3%
  • Other 4%
Show as table
Format% of marks
Number answer69.3
Multiple choice18.2
Short answer5.6
Open-ended (show working)3
Drawing or labelling2.7
Fill in the blank0.7
Other0.6

Marks per question

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

1: 40% of questions40%12: 42% of questions42%23: 11% of questions11%34: 3% of questions3%45+: 1% of questions1%5+
Show as table
Marks% of questions
140.2
241.5
311.5
43
5+0.6

How likely a topic comes up

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

Area and perimeter72.5%
Whole numbers70%
Fractions67.5%
Multiplication and division65%
Ratio62.5%
Money60%
Volume57.5%
Order of operations57.5%
Percentage47.5%
Rate and speed45%
Show as table
Topic% of papers
Area and perimeter72.5
Whole numbers70
Fractions67.5
Multiplication and division65
Ratio62.5
Money60
Volume57.5
Order of operations57.5
Percentage47.5
Rate and speed45
Decimals45
Solid figures and nets42.5
Average40
Mass40
Number patterns37.5
Angles35
Length35
Word problems30
Triangles30
Factors and multiples27.5
Line graphs25
Time22.5
Tables and graphs20
Measurement and units17.5
Lines17.5
Bar graphs15
Symmetry12.5
Quadrilaterals10
2D shapes7.5
Addition and subtraction7.5

Exam types

Which school exams these papers come from.

Weighted Assessment / CA17 papers42.5%
End-of-Year / SA213 papers32.5%
Quiz / Review / Test10 papers25%

Key facts

  • 40 papers, 1,178 questions, 2,031 marks, from 15 schools.
  • 5 topics carry half of all marks.
  • Most-tested topic: Fractions, 15% of marks.
  • Most common topic across papers: Area and perimeter, in 73% of papers.
  • 15% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
  • Exam types: Weighted Assessment / CA, End-of-Year / SA2 and Quiz / Review / Test.

Questions parents ask

What topics come up most in Primary 5 Maths exam papers in 2024?

By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Fractions (15%), Ratio (11%), Area and perimeter (9.6%), Money (7.8%) and Angles (7.8%).

How many questions and marks are in a Primary 5 Maths paper?

A typical paper in this set has about 29 questions and 51 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?

40 papers from 15 schools, from these exam types: Weighted Assessment / CA, End-of-Year / SA2 and Quiz / Review / Test. 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 Hua · Nanyang · Pei Chun · Pei Hwa · Raffles Girls' · Red Swastika · Rosyth · Rulang · Singapore Chinese Girls' · St Hilda's · Tao Nan

Schools with Primary 5 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.

Practise real Primary 5 Maths papers

One question at a time, marked instantly, with a dashboard that shows which topics need work. Free during the beta.

Start free