Primary 5 Science exam paper analysis: 2018
PaperLah has 31 Primary 5 Science exam papers from 2018, set by 13 Singapore primary schools, with 1,901 questions worth 2,720 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Electricity (10%), Heat (9.7%) and Plant reproduction (9.2%); together the top 7 topics account for half of all marks. Heat appears in 90% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 52% of marks, and 0.1% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 61 questions and 88 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: Electricity took 10% of marks in 2018 (all years: 11%); Heat took 9.7% of marks in 2018 (all years: 8.5%); Plant reproduction took 9.2% of marks in 2018 (all years: 9.9%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 10 | in 22 of 31 papers |
| Heat | 9.7 | in 28 of 31 papers |
| Plant reproduction | 9.2 | in 27 of 31 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 6.9 | in 25 of 31 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 6.5 | in 26 of 31 papers |
| Matter | 6 | in 26 of 31 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 5.6 | in 22 of 31 papers |
| Cells | 5.5 | in 26 of 31 papers |
| Magnets | 5.2 | in 25 of 31 papers |
| Life cycles | 4.6 | in 27 of 31 papers |
| Light | 4.4 | in 23 of 31 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 4.2 | in 26 of 31 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 4.1 | in 27 of 31 papers |
| Materials | 3.8 | in 25 of 31 papers |
| Classification | 2.8 | in 20 of 31 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 2.5 | in 13 of 31 papers |
| Digestive system | 2.2 | in 22 of 31 papers |
| Human body systems | 1.4 | in 13 of 31 papers |
| Energy | 1.1 | in 6 of 31 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 1.1 | in 14 of 31 papers |
| Forces | 1.1 | in 6 of 31 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 0.9 | in 13 of 31 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 0.5 | in 6 of 31 papers |
| Adaptations | 0.2 | in 3 of 31 papers |
| Water changing state | 0.1 | in 1 of 31 papers |
| Changes in water amount over time | 0.1 | in 1 of 31 papers |
| Bones | 0.1 | in 1 of 31 papers |
| Scientific inquiry | 0 | in 1 of 31 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 52%
- Open-ended (show working) 35%
- Short answer 8%
- Drawing or labelling 2%
- Other 2%
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| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 52.5 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 34.8 |
| Short answer | 8.3 |
| Drawing or labelling | 2.2 |
| Fill in the blank | 1.5 |
| Number answer | 0.3 |
| Other | 0.2 |
| Word bank | 0.1 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 7% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
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| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 42.7 |
| 2 | 50.4 |
| 3 | 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 | 90.3 |
| Plant reproduction | 87.1 |
| Scientific investigation | 87.1 |
| Life cycles | 87.1 |
| Plant parts and transport | 83.9 |
| Cells | 83.9 |
| Matter | 83.9 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 83.9 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 80.6 |
| Magnets | 80.6 |
| Materials | 80.6 |
| Light | 74.2 |
| Electricity | 71 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 71 |
| Digestive system | 71 |
| Classification | 64.5 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 45.2 |
| Photosynthesis | 41.9 |
| Human body systems | 41.9 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 41.9 |
| Forces | 19.4 |
| Energy | 19.4 |
| Living and non-living things | 19.4 |
| Adaptations | 9.7 |
| Water changing state | 3.2 |
| Changes in water amount over time | 3.2 |
| Scientific inquiry | 3.2 |
| Bones | 3.2 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 31 papers, 1,901 questions, 2,720 marks, from 13 schools.
- 7 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Electricity, 10% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Heat, in 90% of papers.
- 0.1% 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 2018?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Electricity (10%), Heat (9.7%), Plant reproduction (9.2%), Changes of state and water cycle (6.9%) and Plant parts and transport (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 88 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?
31 papers from 13 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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