RESUME OF MATHEMATICS
1. STANDARD OF THE PAPER
The Chief Examiners for Mathematics (Core) and Mathematics (Elective) reported that the
standard of the papers compared favourably with that of the previous year.
2. CANDIDATES' PERFORMANCE
The Chief Examiners for both Mathematics (Core) and Mathematics (Elective) stated that
the performance of candidates was better than the previous year.
3. CANDIDATES' STRENGTHS
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Core) listed some of the strengths of candidates as
ability to:
(i) express decimals in their standard forms;
(ii) complete tables for trigonometric equations and draw the associated graph;
(iii) solve questions involving transformation;
(iv) convert numbers from one base to the other;
(v) express irrational numbers in their surd form.
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) also listed the strengths of the candidates
as ability to:
(i) rationalise a given surd;
(ii) find the mean and standard deviation from a given data;
(iii) find the resultant and magnitude of given vectors;
(iv) resolve given forces into component form;
(v) find the determinant and inverse of a given matrix.
4. CANDIDATES' WEAKNESSES
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Core) listed some of the weaknesses of candidates
as difficulty in:
(i) translating word problems into mathematical statements;
(ii) solving probability related problems;
(iii) solving basic computation without the use of calculator;
(iv) solving problems involving mensuration;
(v) showing evidence of reading from a graph.
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) listed some of the weaknesses of
candidates as difficulty in:
(i) finding the coordinates of a point using internal division of a line in a given ratio;
(ii) solving problems on mechanics;
(iii) finding the range of a given inequality;
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(iv) using trigonometric identities to solve trigonometry related problems.
5. SUGGESTED REMEDIES
The Chief Examiners for both Mathematics (Core) and Mathematics (Elective) suggested
that teachers should:
(i) give equal attention to the whole syllabus rather than specializing in few areas in the
syllabus;
(ii) expose candidates to a lot of questions as exercises for them to have a good command
on the topics in the syllabus;
(iii) coach students on the importance of accuracy so that they would work with at least
four decimal places and round off answers after the whole calculation;
(iv) stress on the need to read and understand the demand of the question before answering.
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MATHEMATICS CORE (2)
1. GENERAL COMMENTS
The Chief Examiner stated that the standard of the questions compared favourably with
that of previous years and that the performance of the candidates was better than that of the
previous year.
2. CANDIDATES' STRENGTHS
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Core) listed some of the strengths of candidates as
ability to:
(i) express decimals in their standard forms;
(ii) complete tables for trigonometric equations and draw the associated graph;
(iii) solve questions involving transformation;
(iv) convert numbers from one base to the other.
3. CANDIDATES' WEAKNESSES
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Core) listed some of the weaknesses of candidates
as difficulty in:
(i) translating word problems into mathematical statements;
(ii) solving probability related problems;
(iii) solving basic computation without the use of calculator;
(iv) solving problems involving mensuration;
(v) showing evidence of reading from a graph.
4. SUGGESTED REMEDIES
(i) Teachers should stress on the need for candidates to read and understand the demands
of questions they attempt.
(ii) Sufficient exercises should be given on word-problems for students to practice.
(iii) The concept of mensuration must be taught well in schools.
(iv) Students should be encouraged to show evidence of reading from graphs.
(v) Teachers should teach students the basic concepts in probability.
FURTHER MATHEMATICS/MATHEMATICS (ELECTIVE) 2
1. GENERAL COMMENTS
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) reported that the standard of the paper
compared favourably with that of the previous year and that the performance of candidates
was better than that of the previous year.
2. CANDIDATES' STRENGTHS
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) listed the strengths of the candidates as
ability to:
(i) rationalize a given surd;
(ii) find the mean and standard deviation from a given data;
(iii) find the resultant and magnitude of given vectors;
(iv) resolve given forces into component form;
(v) find the determinant and inverse of a given matrix.
3. CANDIDATES' WEAKNESSES
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) listed some of the weaknesses of
candidates as difficulty in:
(i) finding the coordinates of a point using internal division of a line in a given ratio;
(ii) solving problems on mechanics;
(iii) solving quadratic and linear equations simultaneously;
(iv) using trigonometric identities to solve trigonometry question.
4. SUGGESTED REMEDIES
The Chief Examiner for Mathematics (Elective) suggested that teachers should:
(i) give equal attention to the whole syllabus rather than specializing in few areas in the
syllabus;
(ii) expose candidates to a lot of questions as exercises for them to have a good command
on the topics in the syllabus;
(iii) encourage students to show all steps used in solving a question clearly without
jumping steps by using calculator;
(iv) coach students on the importance of accuracy so that they would work with at least
four decimal places and round off answers after the whole calculation;
(v) Stress on the need to read and understand the demand of the question before
answering.
