Q: Giving vague or purely verbal answers on explanation questions (such as spotting Rupa's bar chart errors or Callum's area conversions) without displaying numerical calculations or citing formal mathematical definitions.

Always show complete, step-by-step arithmetic or state the precise rule violated (e.g., 'He forgot to square the linear scale factor when converting area units') followed by a clear, concluding decision.

Q: Calculating simple annual interest or decay and multiplying by the number of years instead of compounding step-by-step (e.g., over a 3-year period).

Use the exponential formula for compound growth/decay: Initial Value x (Multiplier)^n, or calculate the interest year-by-year, adding it to the principal before starting the next year.

Q: Treating minutes as decimals directly in speed calculations (e.g., assuming 1 hour 45 minutes equals 1.45 hours).

Always convert minutes to decimal hours by dividing by 60 (e.g., 45 minutes / 60 = 0.75, so the total time is 1.75 hours) before applying speed/distance formulae.

Q: Failing to write down precise, standard geometric terms for angle calculations, such as writing 'angles in a circle' instead of 'angles at a point add up to 360'.

Learn the exact, examiner-approved wording of core angle rules (e.g., 'angles on a straight line add up to 180' and 'angles at a point add up to 360') and write them out in full.

Q: Rounding final values too early in multi-step proportional calculations (such as travel time or mean weights), leading to minor errors in the final answer.

Keep the full, unrounded value stored in your calculator memory until you calculate the final answer, then round to the requested degree of accuracy (e.g., 3 significant figures).

Q: Misinterpreting the area scale factor for transformations or unit conversions, such as assuming 1 m^2 equals 100 cm^2.

Remember that the area scale factor is the square of the linear scale factor. Since 1 m = 100 cm, then 1 m^2 = (100)^2 cm^2 = 10,000 cm^2.

Question 1

Failing to convert a final calculated answer back to correct standard form notation, leaving coefficients outside the valid 1 to 10 range (e.g., leaving 24 x 10^-2).

Accepted Answer

Always check that your final standard form coefficient A is between 1 and 10 (1 <= A < 10). Rewrite 24 x 10^-2 as 2.4 x 10^-1 by dividing the coefficient by 10 and adding 1 to the exponent.

Question 2

Giving vague or purely verbal answers on explanation questions (such as spotting Rupa's bar chart errors or Callum's area conversions) without displaying numerical calculations or citing formal mathematical definitions.

Accepted Answer

Always show complete, step-by-step arithmetic or state the precise rule violated (e.g., 'He forgot to square the linear scale factor when converting area units') followed by a clear, concluding decision.

Question 3

Calculating simple annual interest or decay and multiplying by the number of years instead of compounding step-by-step (e.g., over a 3-year period).

Accepted Answer

Use the exponential formula for compound growth/decay: Initial Value x (Multiplier)^n, or calculate the interest year-by-year, adding it to the principal before starting the next year.

Question 4

Treating minutes as decimals directly in speed calculations (e.g., assuming 1 hour 45 minutes equals 1.45 hours).

Accepted Answer

Always convert minutes to decimal hours by dividing by 60 (e.g., 45 minutes / 60 = 0.75, so the total time is 1.75 hours) before applying speed/distance formulae.

Question 5

Failing to write down precise, standard geometric terms for angle calculations, such as writing 'angles in a circle' instead of 'angles at a point add up to 360'.

Accepted Answer

Learn the exact, examiner-approved wording of core angle rules (e.g., 'angles on a straight line add up to 180' and 'angles at a point add up to 360') and write them out in full.

Question 6

Rounding final values too early in multi-step proportional calculations (such as travel time or mean weights), leading to minor errors in the final answer.

Accepted Answer

Keep the full, unrounded value stored in your calculator memory until you calculate the final answer, then round to the requested degree of accuracy (e.g., 3 significant figures).

Question 7

Misinterpreting the area scale factor for transformations or unit conversions, such as assuming 1 m^2 equals 100 cm^2.

Accepted Answer

Remember that the area scale factor is the square of the linear scale factor. Since 1 m = 100 cm, then 1 m^2 = (100)^2 cm^2 = 10,000 cm^2.

试卷	时间	分数	题数	比重	题型
Paper 1 (Non-Calculator)	1小时 30分钟	80	28	33.33%	Short Answer, Structured Problem Solving, Multi-Step Application
Paper 2 (Calculator)	1小时 30分钟	80	28	33.33%	Short Answer, Structured Problem Solving, Multi-Step Application
Paper 3 (Calculator)	1小时 30分钟	80	29	33.33%	Short Answer, Structured Problem Solving, Multi-Step Application

Mathematics (1MA1) 考试技巧

试卷概览

计算器程序

Table mode for roots & turning points

Statistics mode (mean, SD & regression)

Carry exact values with Ans & memory

Equation solver — to CHECK your working

常见错误

将技巧化为佳绩