Primary 6 Maths exam paper analysis: 2021
PaperLah has 28 Primary 6 Maths exam papers from 2021, set by 15 Singapore primary schools, with 1,624 questions worth 2,779 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Area and perimeter (14%), Angles (13%) and Fractions (12%); together the top 5 topics account for half of all marks. Angles appears in 100% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 21% of marks, and 13% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 58 questions and 99 marks.
These figures describe the school papers in PaperLah's collection, including prelims, not official PSLE papers or topic weightings. They help with planning revision; they can't predict a particular exam.
Compared with all years: Area and perimeter took 14% of marks in 2021 (all years: 12%); Angles took 13% of marks in 2021 (all years: 9.9%); Fractions took 12% of marks in 2021 (all years: 14%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Area and perimeter | 13.8 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Angles | 12.7 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Fractions | 12.2 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Ratio | 9.2 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Percentage | 6.9 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Money | 5.2 | in 27 of 28 papers |
| Volume | 4.9 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Average | 3.8 | in 27 of 28 papers |
| Algebra | 3.2 | in 28 of 28 papers |
| Rate and speed | 3.2 | in 21 of 28 papers |
| Number patterns | 2.5 | in 20 of 28 papers |
| Whole numbers | 2.4 | in 25 of 28 papers |
| Bar graphs | 2.1 | in 19 of 28 papers |
| Word problems | 1.8 | in 14 of 28 papers |
| Tables and graphs | 1.7 | in 16 of 28 papers |
| Mass | 1.4 | in 16 of 28 papers |
| Time | 1.3 | in 22 of 28 papers |
| Length | 1.2 | in 15 of 28 papers |
| Solid figures and nets | 1.2 | in 13 of 28 papers |
| Measurement and units | 1.1 | in 16 of 28 papers |
| Multiplication and division | 0.9 | in 14 of 28 papers |
| Decimals | 0.9 | in 17 of 28 papers |
| Factors and multiples | 0.9 | in 16 of 28 papers |
| Quadrilaterals | 0.8 | in 13 of 28 papers |
| 2D shapes | 0.8 | in 11 of 28 papers |
| Line graphs | 0.7 | in 12 of 28 papers |
| Triangles | 0.6 | in 11 of 28 papers |
| Symmetry | 0.6 | in 14 of 28 papers |
| Order of operations | 0.4 | in 11 of 28 papers |
| Lines | 0.4 | in 10 of 28 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Number answer 64%
- Multiple choice 21%
- Short answer 7%
- Drawing or labelling 4%
- Other 3%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Number answer | 64.1 |
| Multiple choice | 21.2 |
| Short answer | 7.5 |
| Drawing or labelling | 3.7 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 2.4 |
| Other | 0.5 |
| Fill in the blank | 0.3 |
| Word bank | 0.2 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 1% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 42.1 |
| 2 | 43.8 |
| 3 | 9.4 |
| 4 | 2.8 |
| 5+ | 0.4 |
How likely a topic comes up
The share of papers with at least one question on the topic.
Show as table
| Topic | % of papers |
|---|---|
| Angles | 100 |
| Area and perimeter | 100 |
| Fractions | 100 |
| Ratio | 100 |
| Percentage | 100 |
| Volume | 100 |
| Algebra | 100 |
| Money | 96.4 |
| Average | 96.4 |
| Whole numbers | 89.3 |
| Time | 78.6 |
| Rate and speed | 75 |
| Number patterns | 71.4 |
| Bar graphs | 67.9 |
| Decimals | 60.7 |
| Tables and graphs | 57.1 |
| Mass | 57.1 |
| Measurement and units | 57.1 |
| Factors and multiples | 57.1 |
| Length | 53.6 |
| Word problems | 50 |
| Multiplication and division | 50 |
| Symmetry | 50 |
| Solid figures and nets | 46.4 |
| Quadrilaterals | 46.4 |
| Line graphs | 42.9 |
| 2D shapes | 39.3 |
| Triangles | 39.3 |
| Order of operations | 39.3 |
| Lines | 35.7 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 28 papers, 1,624 questions, 2,779 marks, from 15 schools.
- 5 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Area and perimeter, 14% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Angles, in 100% of papers.
- 13% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
- Exam types: Prelim (P6) and Mid-Year / SA1.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 6 Maths exam papers in 2021?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Area and perimeter (14%), Angles (13%), Fractions (12%), Ratio (9.2%) and Percentage (6.9%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 6 Maths paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 58 questions and 99 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 15 schools, from these exam types: Prelim (P6) and Mid-Year / SA1. 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 · Christian Brothers · Henry Park · Maha Bodhi · Maris Stella High · Methodist Girls' · Nan Chiau · Nan Hua · Nanyang · Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' · Pei Chun · Pei Hwa · Raffles Girls' · Red Swastika · River Valley · Rosyth · Singapore Chinese Girls' · Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan · St Hilda's · Tao Nan · Temasek
Schools with Primary 6 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.
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