Primary 5 Science exam paper analysis: 2015
PaperLah has 27 Primary 5 Science exam papers from 2015, set by 12 Singapore primary schools, with 1,658 questions worth 2,298 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Plant reproduction (12%), Heat (8.5%) and Electricity (8.4%); together the top 7 topics account for half of all marks. Heat appears in 93% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 56% of marks, and 0.4% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 61 questions and 85 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 12% of marks in 2015 (all years: 9.9%); Heat took 8.5% of marks in 2015 (all years: 8.5%); Electricity took 8.4% of marks in 2015 (all years: 11%).
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 | 11.7 | in 24 of 27 papers |
| Heat | 8.5 | in 25 of 27 papers |
| Electricity | 8.4 | in 18 of 27 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 8.4 | in 22 of 27 papers |
| Matter | 6.5 | in 24 of 27 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 6.4 | in 24 of 27 papers |
| Cells | 6.2 | in 21 of 27 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 5.4 | in 23 of 27 papers |
| Light | 4.6 | in 20 of 27 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 4.5 | in 24 of 27 papers |
| Magnets | 4.4 | in 21 of 27 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 4.4 | in 17 of 27 papers |
| Life cycles | 3.9 | in 20 of 27 papers |
| Classification | 3.8 | in 19 of 27 papers |
| Human body systems | 2.5 | in 18 of 27 papers |
| Materials | 2.4 | in 17 of 27 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 2.3 | in 12 of 27 papers |
| Digestive system | 1.4 | in 15 of 27 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 1.3 | in 12 of 27 papers |
| Forces | 1 | in 4 of 27 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 0.6 | in 10 of 27 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 0.6 | in 7 of 27 papers |
| Adaptations | 0.2 | in 4 of 27 papers |
| Food chains and webs | 0.2 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Animal gestation | 0.1 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Scientific inquiry | 0.1 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Cycles | 0.1 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Movement of substances | 0.1 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Energy | 0.1 | in 1 of 27 papers |
| Factors affecting the rate of dissolving | 0 | in 1 of 27 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 56%
- Open-ended (show working) 28%
- Short answer 9%
- Drawing or labelling 3%
- Other 3%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 56.1 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 28.2 |
| Short answer | 9.5 |
| Drawing or labelling | 3 |
| Fill in the blank | 1.4 |
| Word bank | 0.9 |
| Number answer | 0.5 |
| Other | 0.4 |
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.
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| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 44 |
| 2 | 47.6 |
| 3 | 0.3 |
| 4 | 0.1 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
Show as table
| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Heat | 92.6 |
| Plant reproduction | 88.9 |
| Plant parts and transport | 88.9 |
| Matter | 88.9 |
| Scientific investigation | 88.9 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 85.2 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 81.5 |
| Cells | 77.8 |
| Magnets | 77.8 |
| Light | 74.1 |
| Life cycles | 74.1 |
| Classification | 70.4 |
| Electricity | 66.7 |
| Human body systems | 66.7 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 63 |
| Materials | 63 |
| Digestive system | 55.6 |
| Photosynthesis | 44.4 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 44.4 |
| Living and non-living things | 37 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 25.9 |
| Forces | 14.8 |
| Adaptations | 14.8 |
| Food chains and webs | 3.7 |
| Animal gestation | 3.7 |
| Scientific inquiry | 3.7 |
| Factors affecting the rate of dissolving | 3.7 |
| Cycles | 3.7 |
| Movement of substances | 3.7 |
| Energy | 3.7 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 27 papers, 1,658 questions, 2,298 marks, from 12 schools.
- 7 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Plant reproduction, 12% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Heat, in 93% of papers.
- 0.4% 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 2015?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Plant reproduction (12%), Heat (8.5%), Electricity (8.4%), Changes of state and water cycle (8.4%) and Matter (6.5%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 5 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 61 questions and 85 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?
27 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 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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