Summary report for candidates on the 2014 WACE examination in

Mathematics 2A/2B
Year
2014
2013
2012

Number who sat

131
387
379

Number of absentees
45
36
41

Examination score distribution

Summary
The examination had a mean of 57.28%. Candidate scores for the examination ranged from a
minimum of 7.33% to a maximum of 89.67%. The standard deviation was 15.55%. The section
means were: Section One: Calculator-free 54.52% and Section Two: Calculator-assumed 59.12%.
The correlations of the two sections with the entire examination were high with the calculator-free
section having a correlation of 0.85 and the calculator-assumed a correlation of 0.97.

General comments
All questions were attempted by a majority of candidates, with Question 20 having the lowest
response rate. This was the last question on the paper and required interpretation of the question
and contained some complex parts, so the drop in response rate was not surprising. The majority
of the paper was well received by candidates who were able to be complete it in the given time.
The easiest question was Question 14 on graphs representing water filling different containers,
with a mean of 88.02%. As this was a simple matching question with four containers and four
graphs given, it was not surprising that candidates did well. In Section One, candidates performed
well in Question 5 with a mean of 86.43%. A well-practiced task of reading information from a table
and a pie chart containing percentages made this question easily accessible to most candidates.
The question candidates found the most difficult was Question 2 (time series data) with a mean of
32.46%. The complexity of this question was due to the variations in the data candidates
searched for seasonal changes rather than looking at overall trends. Also, it involved sketching
notional trends, made complex with a decreasing usage rate.
In Section Two candidates found Question 18 (on Pythagoras theorem and trigonometric ratios)
the most difficult with a mean of 32.63%. Part (a) had a much lower than expected mean as
candidates frequently only determined the length of the diagonal and failed to read the
requirements of the question. The diagram in part (b) was more complex due to the embedded
nature of the triangles and candidates struggled to extract the required information. It was
interesting to note that the most difficult part questions in the paper were Question 11 (c) and
Question 2 (b). Question 11 (c) required candidates to explain why it was reasonable to join the
points on the axes. Question 2 (b) was not a complex question, but the overall trend seems to still
be confusing.
The least attempted was Question 20 (d) on applied measurement, 18 (b) (ii) on trigonometry, and
question 4 (b) on solving an exponential equation graphically. Question 20 (d) had a mean of
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WACE Examination Report: Mathematics 2A/2B

46.53%; Question 18 (b) (ii) had a mean of 29.45%, while Question 4 (b) had a mean of 46.25%.
Question 20 (d) was more complex as it required candidates to set up and solve an equation using
a measurement formula. The low response rate for Questions 18 (b) (ii) and 4 (b) may have been
due to the more complex nature of interpreting the diagrams.
Advice for candidates
Show details of the method you are using, especially when using your calculators to solve
problems.
Work to improve accuracy with basic arithmetic calculations.
Basic algebraic manipulations should be practiced as errors in these questions were common.
The use of correct terminology needs to be improved when giving explanations.
Read the question carefully and make sure you are doing what is being asked.
Ensure that solutions to financial questions are rounded correctly to two decimal places.

WACE Examination Report: Mathematics 2A/2B