Primary 6 Science exam paper analysis: 2013
PaperLah has 23 Primary 6 Science exam papers from 2013, set by 10 Singapore primary schools, with 1,441 questions worth 2,065 marks. The topics carrying the most marks were Forces (9.3%), Energy (7.9%) and Environment and ecosystems (7%); together the top 8 topics account for half of all marks. Heat appears in 96% of the papers. Multiple-choice questions make up 57% of marks, and 0.2% of questions are worth 3 marks or more, which usually means showing working. A typical paper has about 63 questions and 90 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: Forces took 9.3% of marks in 2013 (all years: 9%); Energy took 7.9% of marks in 2013 (all years: 8.2%); Environment and ecosystems took 7% of marks in 2013 (all years: 6.1%).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Forces | 9.3 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Energy | 7.9 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Environment and ecosystems | 7 | in 22 of 23 papers |
| Electricity | 7 | in 20 of 23 papers |
| Heat | 6.7 | in 22 of 23 papers |
| Food chains and webs | 5.6 | in 19 of 23 papers |
| Plant reproduction | 5 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Scientific investigation | 4.9 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 4.4 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Matter | 4 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Adaptations | 3.8 | in 15 of 23 papers |
| Light | 3.7 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 3.5 | in 20 of 23 papers |
| Life cycles | 3.5 | in 20 of 23 papers |
| Classification | 3.4 | in 21 of 23 papers |
| Plant parts and transport | 3.1 | in 19 of 23 papers |
| Photosynthesis | 3 | in 17 of 23 papers |
| Magnets | 2.6 | in 19 of 23 papers |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 2.5 | in 17 of 23 papers |
| Cells | 2.1 | in 20 of 23 papers |
| Materials | 2.1 | in 15 of 23 papers |
| Digestive system | 1.5 | in 15 of 23 papers |
| Fungi and bacteria | 1.4 | in 8 of 23 papers |
| Human body systems | 0.9 | in 7 of 23 papers |
| Living and non-living things | 0.4 | in 3 of 23 papers |
| Indicators | 0.1 | in 1 of 23 papers |
| Effects of salt on ice | 0.1 | in 1 of 23 papers |
| Ocean zones | 0.1 | in 1 of 23 papers |
| Recycling | 0.1 | in 1 of 23 papers |
| Tropical rainforest | 0 | in 1 of 23 papers |
What a paper is made of
How children answer, as a share of marks.
- Multiple choice 57%
- Open-ended (show working) 29%
- Short answer 7%
- Drawing or labelling 5%
- Other 2%
Show as table
| Format | % of marks |
|---|---|
| Multiple choice | 56.8 |
| Open-ended (show working) | 28.9 |
| Short answer | 7.3 |
| Drawing or labelling | 5 |
| Fill in the blank | 1.7 |
| Number answer | 0.4 |
| Other | 0 |
Marks per question
Share of questions worth 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ marks. 6% have no marks printed. Higher-mark questions usually need working.
Show as table
| Marks | % of questions |
|---|---|
| 1 | 43.9 |
| 2 | 50.4 |
| 3 | 0.1 |
| 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 | 95.7 |
| Environment and ecosystems | 95.7 |
| Forces | 91.3 |
| Energy | 91.3 |
| Plant reproduction | 91.3 |
| Scientific investigation | 91.3 |
| Changes of state and water cycle | 91.3 |
| Matter | 91.3 |
| Light | 91.3 |
| Classification | 91.3 |
| Electricity | 87 |
| Respiratory and circulatory systems | 87 |
| Life cycles | 87 |
| Cells | 87 |
| Food chains and webs | 82.6 |
| Plant parts and transport | 82.6 |
| Magnets | 82.6 |
| Photosynthesis | 73.9 |
| Reproduction in humans and animals | 73.9 |
| Adaptations | 65.2 |
| Materials | 65.2 |
| Digestive system | 65.2 |
| Fungi and bacteria | 34.8 |
| Human body systems | 30.4 |
| Living and non-living things | 13 |
| Indicators | 4.3 |
| Ocean zones | 4.3 |
| Effects of salt on ice | 4.3 |
| Recycling | 4.3 |
| Tropical rainforest | 4.3 |
Exam types
Which school exams these papers come from.
Key facts
- 23 papers, 1,441 questions, 2,065 marks, from 10 schools.
- 8 topics carry half of all marks.
- Most-tested topic: Forces, 9.3% of marks.
- Most common topic across papers: Heat, in 96% of papers.
- 0.2% of questions are worth 3 marks or more.
- Exam types: Mid-Year / SA1, Prelim (P6), Weighted Assessment / CA and End-of-Year / SA2.
Questions parents ask
What topics come up most in Primary 6 Science exam papers in 2013?
By share of marks, the most-tested topics were Forces (9.3%), Energy (7.9%), Environment and ecosystems (7%), Electricity (7%) and Heat (6.7%).
How many questions and marks are in a Primary 6 Science paper?
A typical paper in this set has about 63 questions and 90 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?
23 papers from 10 schools, from these exam types: Mid-Year / SA1, Prelim (P6), Weighted Assessment / CA and End-of-Year / SA2. 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 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 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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