Category: Exam matters

2024 J1 students taking h2 maths alevel in 2025 will be affected by the changes in syllabus.

Many students just received their promo results for 2023. In one JC, the average score for promo is only 49%. So many students scored D or E and wonder they can get A in alevel.

Around 50% of the entire alevel cohort got distinction in h2 maths. If you in an above average JC, the percentage of students eventually getting A in alevel for h2 maths will be higher than 50%. So as long as you are above 50 percentile or score above median, in above average JC, you are ok, no matter what your school grade is.

In top JC like RI, HCI, NY, VJC, more than 60% of their students get A in alevel for h2 maths. So as long as the student is at least 40 percentile in their school, they are on track for alevel distinction.

If you are in neighborhood school, you should aim to be above 60 percentile to be on track for alevel distinction.

Full papers

For strong students who can score A in alevel papers: RI, NY, AC, EJ, DHS, NJC, RV

For other students: JPJC, MI, YI, CJC, TMJC

Good questions to do

RI p1: 2, 3, 4b,6, 8, 9a, 10, 11a, 12

RI p2: 1, 2, 4, 6c, 7, 8c, 8e, 10

NY p1: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9b, 10

NY p2: 2, 3a, 4b, 4c, 5, 6, 7, 9d, 10e

AC p1: 1, 3, 7, 10, 11, 12

AC p2: 2, 3, 4, 7i, 7ii, 8, 9, 10b, 11iv

EJ p1: 1, 3, 6, 10, 11, 12

EJ p2: 4, 5, 6, 8d, 9, 10 a, 10e, 10g

NJ p1: 1, 3d, 4, 5a, 7, 9, 11

NJ p2: 1, 2, 10b, 11

RV p1: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12

RV p2: 1, 4iii, 4iv, 5ii, 6, 7, 8, 9iii, 9iv, 10a, 10b iv, 11 ii 11 iii, 12i, 12 iii

TJ p1: 11

TJ p2: 1, 5, 6c, 6d, 8, 9

DHS p1: 1, 2b, 4, 9a, 9b, 10, 11c, 11d

DHS p2:1, 2, 5, 6, 8

VJC p1: 2, 8, 10b, 12

VJC p2: 3, 4, 6, 7, 10a

HCI p1: 5, 7, 11

HCI p2: 3, 9

ASR p1: 9

ASR p2: 2, 5

CJC p1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

JP p1: 5, 8, 9b, 10, 11,

JP p2: 3c, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10

MI p1: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10a

MI p2: 5

SA p1: 1, 3, 6, 8,

SA p2: 4, 5, 6, 7, 10

TM p1: 8b, 9, 10

TM p2: 3, 4, 5, 6, 10

YI p1: 1, 4c, 5

YI p2: 1, 2, 4, 6

Do alevel 2017-2023 under exam condition. Then compare your score below:

2017: 77%

2018: 72%

2019: 77%

2020: 77%

2021: 77%

2022: 66%

2023: 74%

Above is my estimate to get A, based on students who counted their score by comparing the solutions, and got A.

2018 and 2022 are the hardest alevel paper. 2022 stats killer question build on the stats killer question in 2018. So prepare to handle challenging question that evolves.

The more papers that you meet the distinction standard, the higher the chance of getting A in alevel.

Level 1 (Most questions are alevel standard)

1. YIJC (Recommended)
2. JPJC 
3. TMJC 
4. CJC
5. MI

Level 2 (Harder than alevel)

1. NYJC (Recommended)
2. ACJC
3. DHS
4. TJC
5. SAJC
6. ASR
7. RVHS

Level 3 (Much harder than alevel. For strong students who scored A to C in prelim)

1. RI (Recommended)
2. VJC (Recommended)
3. EJC (Recommended)
4. HCI (Recommended)
5. NJC

Level 1 (Most questions are alevel standard)

1. TMJC (Recommended)
2. YIJC (Recommended)
3. JPJC (Recommended)
4. CJC (Recommended to do P2 Q5)
5. MI

Level 2 (Harder than alevel)

1. EJC (Recommended)
2. RVHS Stats (Recommended)
3. ASR (Recommended)
4. SAJC

Level 3 (Much harder than alevel. For strong students who scored A to C in prelim)

1. NYJC (Recommended)
2. NJC (Recommended)
3. RI (Recommended)
4. ACJC (Recommended)
5. VJC (Recommended)
6. TJC (Recommended to do P1 Q1, 10, 11 and P2 Q9)
7. HCI (Recommended to do P1 Q7, 10 and P2 Q1, 2b, 4, 6, 7)
8. DHS (Recommended to do P1 Q11 and P2 Q4b, 8)

Level 1 (Similar to 2019 and 2020 alevel standard)

1. YIJC (Recommended)
2. JPJC stats (Recommended)
3. MI
4. TMJC
5. CJC

Level 2 (Harder than 2019 and 2020 alevel, similar to 2018 alevel standard)

1. EJC (Recommended)
2. DHS
3. RI
4. RVHS

Level 2+ (Questions similar to alevel style but harder)

1. NYJC (Recommended)
2. NJC
3. SAJC

Level 2++

1. ACJC (Recommended, many good contextual questions)
2. HCI stats (Recommended)
3. TJC P1 (Recommended)
4. VJC Pure maths (Recommended)
5. ASR stats (Recommended)

If the student struggle with amaths despite working hard, it is better to take H1 maths. This is because if the student cannot cope with amaths, they will not be able to cope with the much harder h2 maths.

If the student has not taken amaths before, the student can attempt the important amaths topics” Differentiation, integration, trigo, logarithm, surds, indices” and see whether they can cope with it. If they think they can handle h2 maths, be prepared to work twice as hard if they want to take h2 maths.

Students who did not do well in amaths, is still possible to do well in H2 maths.

After their school prelim exams, students should do 2017 and 2018 alevel. Then attempt the following 2019 prelim to prepare for alevel.

Good papers to do post prelim

1. JPJC
2. YIJC
3. TMJC
4. MI
5. CJC
6. EJC
7. RI
8. TJC P1

Good questions to do post prelim

1. HCI P1: 4,9,10,11,12
2. HCI P2: 1, 2,3,5,7,8,10
3. ACJC P1: 3,6,7,8,12
4. ACJC P2: 3
5. ASRJC P1: 6,7,9
6. DHS P1: 5a, 10c,11,12
7. DHS P2: 7, 10
8. NJC P2: 3
9. NYJC P1: 12
10. NYJC P2: 2,3,4,5,6,7,9
11. SAJC P1: 1,2,9ii,10
12. SAJC P2: 1,3,4,8
13. VJC P1: 9
14. VJC P2: 8,10

Students can get the papers from their school.

Many students commented that 2018 alevel is very difficult. There are many non-routine questions that require students to think on their feet.

Trends from 2017 and 2018 alevel:

1. Solving in terms of a and b. Students need to know how to generalize a solution when the question is not given numbers. Need to know how to sketch graph in terms of a and b.
2. Solve inequality involving modulus in exact form.
3. Secondary school syllabus like remainder theorem appear in N2017. R-formula appear in specimen paper.
4. Using integration techniques to solve questions outside h2 maths syllabus: such as evaluate arc length given the formula. This is actually Further Maths.
5. Applications of 1st order Differential equation: Motion with resistance proportional to velocity came out in N2017.
6. Applications of 2nd order Differential equation: Electric circuits came out in N2018. This is again Further Maths. That’s why further maths students have advantage in 2018 alevel.
7. A differentiation question is actually disguised as a Differential Equation. 2018 P1 Q10.
8. A lot of algebra manipulation. So students need to strengthen their algebra manipulation skills.
9. Application questions are packaged. More wordings. Students need to understand what concept the question is testing. Peel away the outer layer of packaging and is the same as the old syllabus 9740.

Recommended Learning to familiarize

1. Applications of integration such as arc length, surface area of revolution and centroid.
2. Applications of 1st order DE such as motion, population growth, orthogonal trajectories, mixture problems, Torricelli’s Law, Newton’s Law of cooling.
3. Applications of 2nd order DE such as vibrating springs and electric circuits
4. Odd/even functions, floor/ceiling functions

Drilling ten year series is no longer enough to get A in alevel. Students need to think on their feet to solve non-routine questions. To train their problem solving skills, students should train to solve non-routine questions. If they are stuck on a problem, do not look at the solution immediately. Sleep over it. Let the subconscious work on it. Give yourself two days to solve a problem. After that, if still stuck, can glance at the solution for hints. Once understand how to do, close the solution and solve the question. And then try a similar problem. Problem solving skills and speed will improve and eventually students can solve non-routine questions in exams.

Don’t have to worry about the paper getting more difficult. The grade boundaries for A will be lowered accordingly. Easy paper requires 75 to 80 to get A. In 2018, the grade required to get A is lowered to around 72. % of students getting A remains the same about 1 in 2. To get A, students need to make sure they are in the better half of the whole cohort taking the national exams.

A good way to predict grades is percentile. For example, since about 68% of VJC students get A in alevel, if a VJC student get above 32 percentile in major school exams, that student is on track for alevel distinction. So if student is below that “A percentile”, work hard and/or get a tutor to improve to be on track for alevel distinction.