Primary 5 Science exam paper analysis: 2023
PaperLah has 33 Primary 5 Science exam papers from 2023, set by 12 Singapore primary schools, with 1,167 questions worth 1,619 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Electricity (12%), Heat (9.1%) and Respiratory and circulatory systems (9%); together the top 6 topics account for half of all marks. Heat appears in 79% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 49% of marks, and 0.4% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 35 questions and 49 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 12% of marks in 2023 (all years: 11%); Heat took 9.1% of marks in 2023 (all years: 8.5%); Respiratory and circulatory systems took 9% of marks in 2023 (all years: 6.5%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | 12 | in 16 of 33 papers |
| Heat | 9.1 | in 26 of 33 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 9 | in 20 of 33 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 8.6 | in 21 of 33 papers |
| Matter | 8.2 | in 25 of 33 papers |
| Plant reproduction | 8 | in 20 of 33 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 7.2 | in 22 of 33 papers |
| Cells | 6.5 | in 19 of 33 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 4 | in 17 of 33 papers |
| Light | 3.8 | in 15 of 33 papers |
| Magnets | 3.4 | in 14 of 33 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 3.3 | in 17 of 33 papers |
| Life cycles | 3.3 | in 18 of 33 papers |
| Materials | 2.7 | in 13 of 33 papers |
| Classification | 2.1 | in 10 of 33 papers |
| Human body systems | 2.1 | in 10 of 33 papers |
| Digestive system | 1.9 | in 14 of 33 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 1.8 | in 7 of 33 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 1.1 | in 8 of 33 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 0.9 | in 5 of 33 papers |
| Forces | 0.6 | in 1 of 33 papers |
| Energy | 0.2 | in 1 of 33 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 0.2 | in 3 of 33 papers |
| Adaptations | 0.1 | in 1 of 33 papers |
| Mosquitoes and disease transmission | 0.1 | in 1 of 33 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 49%
- Open-ended (show working) 36%
- Short answer 8%
- Drawing or labelling 4%
- Other 4%
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| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 48.9 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 35.6 |
| Short answer | 8 |
| Drawing or labelling | 3.8 |
| Fill in the blank | 1.9 |
| Number answer | 1 |
| Other | 0.6 |
| Word bank | 0.3 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 9% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
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| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 43.5 |
| 2 | 47.5 |
| 3 | 0.4 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
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| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Heat | 78.8 |
| Matter | 75.8 |
| Plant parts and transport | 66.7 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 63.6 |
| Plant reproduction | 60.6 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 60.6 |
| Cells | 57.6 |
| Life cycles | 54.5 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 51.5 |
| Scientific investigation | 51.5 |
| Electricity | 48.5 |
| Light | 45.5 |
| Magnets | 42.4 |
| Digestive system | 42.4 |
| Materials | 39.4 |
| Classification | 30.3 |
| Human body systems | 30.3 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 24.2 |
| Photosynthesis | 21.2 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 15.2 |
| Living and non-living things | 9.1 |
| Forces | 3 |
| Energy | 3 |
| Adaptations | 3 |
| Mosquitoes and disease transmission | 3 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 33 papers, 1,167 questions, 1,619 marks, from 12 schools.
- 6 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Electricity, 12% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Heat, in 79% of papers.
- 0.4% 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 Science exam papers in 2023?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Electricity (12%), Heat (9.1%), Respiratory and circulatory systems (9%), Changes of state and water cycle (8.6%) and Matter (8.2%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 5 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 35 questions and 49 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?
33 papers from 12 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 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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