Primary 5 Science exam paper analysis: 2012
PaperLah has 28 Primary 5 Science exam papers from 2012, set by 11 Singapore primary schools, with 1,719 questions worth 2,301 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Plant reproduction (8.3%), Plant parts and transport (7.9%) and Heat (7.9%); together the top 7 topics account for half of all marks. Plant parts and transport appears in 86% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 54% of marks, and 0.5% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 61 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: Plant reproduction took 8.3% of marks in 2012 (all years: 9.9%); Plant parts and transport took 7.9% of marks in 2012 (all years: 6.5%); Heat took 7.9% of marks in 2012 (all years: 8.5%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Plant reproduction | 8.3 | in 22 of 28 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 7.9 | in 24 of 28 papers |
| Heat | 7.9 | in 24 of 28 papers |
| Electricity | 7.8 | in 20 of 28 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 7.4 | in 21 of 28 papers |
| Cells | 6.6 | in 23 of 28 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 5.7 | in 20 of 28 papers |
| Matter | 5.3 | in 21 of 28 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 5.3 | in 24 of 28 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 5.1 | in 16 of 28 papers |
| Life cycles | 4.3 | in 23 of 28 papers |
| Magnets | 4.2 | in 21 of 28 papers |
| Light | 4.1 | in 19 of 28 papers |
| Classification | 3.3 | in 20 of 28 papers |
| Materials | 3 | in 18 of 28 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 2.5 | in 12 of 28 papers |
| Digestive system | 2.3 | in 19 of 28 papers |
| Human body systems | 2.1 | in 18 of 28 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 2.1 | in 15 of 28 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 1 | in 12 of 28 papers |
| Energy | 0.8 | in 5 of 28 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 0.7 | in 8 of 28 papers |
| Forces | 0.7 | in 4 of 28 papers |
| Food chains and webs | 0.5 | in 3 of 28 papers |
| Adaptations | 0.4 | in 6 of 28 papers |
| Mosses | 0.1 | in 1 of 28 papers |
| Cloning | 0.1 | in 1 of 28 papers |
| Dissolving | 0 | in 1 of 28 papers |
| Conditions preferred by woodlice | 0 | in 1 of 28 papers |
| Combustion | 0 | in 1 of 28 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 54%
- Open-ended (show working) 26%
- Short answer 11%
- Drawing or labelling 5%
- Other 4%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 53.9 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 26.2 |
| Short answer | 11.1 |
| Drawing or labelling | 4.7 |
| Fill in the blank | 2.4 |
| Word bank | 0.7 |
| Number answer | 0.5 |
| Other | 0.4 |
| Cloze passage | 0.1 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 8% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 48.3 |
| 2 | 43.5 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Plant parts and transport | 85.7 |
| Heat | 85.7 |
| Scientific investigation | 85.7 |
| Cells | 82.1 |
| Life cycles | 82.1 |
| Plant reproduction | 78.6 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 75 |
| Matter | 75 |
| Magnets | 75 |
| Electricity | 71.4 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 71.4 |
| Classification | 71.4 |
| Light | 67.9 |
| Digestive system | 67.9 |
| Materials | 64.3 |
| Human body systems | 64.3 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 57.1 |
| Photosynthesis | 53.6 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 42.9 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 42.9 |
| Living and non-living things | 28.6 |
| Adaptations | 21.4 |
| Energy | 17.9 |
| Forces | 14.3 |
| Food chains and webs | 10.7 |
| Mosses | 3.6 |
| Cloning | 3.6 |
| Dissolving | 3.6 |
| Conditions preferred by woodlice | 3.6 |
| Combustion | 3.6 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 28 papers, 1,719 questions, 2,301 marks, from 11 schools.
- 7 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Plant reproduction, 8.3% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Plant parts and transport, in 86% 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 5 Science exam papers in 2012?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Plant reproduction (8.3%), Plant parts and transport (7.9%), Heat (7.9%), Electricity (7.8%) and Respiratory and circulatory systems (7.4%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 5 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 61 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?
28 papers from 11 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 Hua · Nanyang · Pei Chun · Pei Hwa · Raffles Girls' · Red Swastika · Rosyth · Rulang · Singapore Chinese Girls' · St Hilda's · Tao Nan
Schools with Primary 5 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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