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# The Day of Mathematical Armageddon & The O-Level Oct/Nov 2008 AMaths Solutions Scribbled In Miss Loi’s Notorious Handwriting

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Tuition given in the topic of Miss Loi the Tutor from the desk of at 2:58 pm (Singapore time)

Updated on

Blackened was the cursed sun as the skies darkened on Friday morning, the Day of Mathematical Armageddon, as restless O-Level students amassed at icy-cold exam halls (some with aircon apparently set too low) across the land where the combined might of the vast E-Maths and A-Maths armies await them.

The mighty offensive began as prophesied when the bell tolled at 8am, and for many would not end till 5pm.

And so they charged. Like beings possessed by years of math notes, TYS solutions, exam papers, teachers/tutors’ scoldings etc., they stormed towards their Mathematical destinies …

Thx for all the tips tat u’ve given. You were really spot on about the topics!

… and they charged, aiming their sharpened compass tips like lances on their way to bisect that line perpendicularly in two, dodging lethal swarms of tiny 1-mark pallets launched in their direction.

Ms Loi surprisingly i can do e whole paper!

… and they charged, with eyes glowing white from their 阴阳眼s as they rushed towards that fearsome Plane Geometry monster.

More difficult than TYS! Yeah. Lots of people say difficult!

The hordes finally clashed under a blood red sky, and the ensuing battle was brutal and frightening, and those present told of some of the most gruesome scenes ever witnessed in O-Level exam halls. The following is NOT suitable for PSLE children!:

Erasers were rubbed until oblivion. Compasses were impaled on papers. Lead were disemboweled and fell out from mechanical pencils. Curve rulers were twisted and bent beyond recognition. And calculator buttons were furiously punched so hard and fast till they were dislodged.

*Eeeewwww!*

Oh Miss Loi had to cover her eyes as she couldn’t bear to watch any longer! *Switches channel to family-friendly Hong Kong TVB Drama*

Cher, the paper is bloody ez. Sure a1!

When the cries of war finally died down, Miss Loi turned off her Starhub TV and rushed to the battlefield to survey the aftermath and tend to the wounded.

Miss Loi! Die alrdy! Paper 2 so difficult!

As expected, the Enemy saved its main forces for Friday, and there are now mixed tidings from the frontline.

Miss Loi managed an ironic smile. At least there won’t be too much moderation this time round.

I only lose marks at the similarity one. Cause I anyhow give reason. But maybe also correct.

At this moment, a gentle breeze picked up suddenly and landed these two pieces of war fragments in her arms.

Without delay, Miss Loi proceeded to decode them feverishly with her notorious handwriting and enshrine them here, so that future generations may learn and not forget what happened on this Day of Mathematical Armageddon:

O-Level October/November 2008 AMaths 4038 Solutions

… if they can read her notorious handwriting.

P.S. Obviously, these solutions were scribbled down pretty quickly. Please inform Miss Loi should you discover any mistake. Also, feel free to discuss in the comments below should you vehemently disagree with any of the answers/approaches described within.

P.P.S. If you happen to have the questions for the rest of the papers i.e. EMaths (4016/4017), AMaths (4018) in your possession, feel free to summon up a gentle breeze and send them to Miss Loi’s arms, and she’ll try to work out for solutions for these as well 😉

### Revision Exercise

To show that you have understood what Miss Loi just taught you from the centre, you must:

1. Passer-by commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
6:22pm

1

Hi, for question 10(i), they asked for the co-ordinates of the mid point of QR, not the individual co-ordinates of Q and R.

2. Passer-by commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
6:27pm

2

For question 9(ii), square root 20 should be simplified to 2 square root 5!

3. Maisurah commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
9:11pm

3

Hi Miss Loi! Looking at your answers, I have to take back my words. I no longer think I did that badly now! 😀 The world suddenly looks like brighter!

...though I'm pretty sure I died at questions 5 and 6(ii). =P

4. Alvin commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
10:14pm

4

Based on your answers, I got almost full marks for paper 1, just for 11 ii) I think I accidentally wrote + instead of - and got 22 instead.

I did much worse for paper 2, around -20 maybe less in case there are working marks awarded. What did you mean by not too much moderation?

5. Anoneemers commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
10:45pm

5

Any idea what's gonna come out for Emath Paper 2? I know confirm have probability---as in the topic, 90% chance got vectors (but vectors came out in P1), matrix and 3D diagrams...
Some other wild guesses are money and cumulative freq curve

6. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
11:26pm

6

Thanks for highlighting, Passer-by! Knew there would be some anomalies hidden within all that scribbling!

Mid-Point of QR = = (4, 6)

UPDATE: Oops just saw something missing again 😛 For Paper 2 Qn 7 (iii), the min point is (90°, -6)

Let's try to consolidate all further errata in the comments here and Miss Loi will modify the solutions later on in one fell swoop ok? Keep them coming!

7. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
27
Mon
11:48pm

7

Maisurah: Yay-ness! Glad that those scribbled handwriting managed to clear the weather for you 😀

Alvin: In general, Miss Loi has always held the opinion that one needs at least 85% to attain an A1 for A-Maths, given the "Wah the paper was soooo easy!", "Wow the paper was like insulting my intelligence man!!!" etc. etc. she has been hearing in most years.

However it seems that this year's AMaths Paper 2 is actually of moderate difficulty (given the mixed feedback). So in her opinion less moderation would be required to separate the grades and we might see a lower cutoff point for A1.

8. Michael commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
12:32am

8

Dear passer-by:

There is no need to simplify to

And Miss Loi:

All the best for your students' results this year.

9. Alvin commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
1:44am

9

How will the total marks be calculated?

(paper 1 + paper 2)/180?
or 0.44(paper 1) + o.56(paper 2)?

10. Maple commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
4:37am

10

Msloi! Your site is getting cooler and cooler! =D

11. cheryl commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
10:36am

11

Hey Miss Loi, thanks for the answers 🙂
If the cut off point for A1 is lowered, could it be below 75 even?

12. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
7:26pm

12

Anoneemers: Actually Miss Loi is writing a blog post on this but since you asked ...

The maybes (since they have already appeared in Paper I but in very small portions):

• Vectors
• Matrices - those questions where you may be required to form matrices from a table of data e.g.

The table shows the daily production of two types of sweets X and Y, and the percentages of ingredients A, B and C required to produce them.

Sweet TypeABCDaily Production (kg)
X603010300
Y504010240

Given that the costs per kilogram of A, B and C are $4,$6 and \$8 respectively, use matrix multiplication to obtain the total cost of daily production.

• Sets & Venn Diagrams (Note: a very minor 'shading' qn has already appeared in Paper I)
• Simple interest/compound interest, taxes/GST etc.

Did Miss Loi miss out anything? Do feel free to add to this list should you "sixth sense" suddenly kick in and you begin to hear voices telling you what would appear on Thursday's paper 😛

13. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
28
Tue
8:30pm

13

Thanks for dropping by Michael! It's always nice to see a fellow Champion for the Cause! Good luck for your students too, though Miss Loi believe that they're already in good hands 😉

P.S. Changed your LaTeX expression to square brackets in order for them to appear here.

Alvin: If you've read the official syllabus document, it says Paper 1 (80 marks/50%) and Paper 2 (100 marks/50%).

Having said that, the final marks should be calculated from the average of the two normalized marks from Papers 1 and 2 i.e. [P1/80 + P2/100]/2

MAPLE! *Hugz*

Cheryl: Being not from the SEAB or MOE, Miss Loi can't say for sure but don't think it'll go as low as 75.

For a more detailed analysis, Miss Loi shall reproduce Michael's by-now immortal words here for your digestion:

... the outcome is still in the balance as my opinion of paper 1 is that no one capable of an A1 should lose more than 10 marks. And paper 2 being of an average standard... loss of 15 marks would be justified. Which in my opinion... any losses more than 30 marks will 99% not be an A1. A2 should be definitely be above 140 marks. Translated in percentage... this should be 87% for A1 and 80% for A2.

But whatever the case, your main concern should be about getting as many marks as possible!

14. zzz commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
29
Wed
10:13am

14

ZZZ i thought Amaths is 0.45(M/80 x 100) + 0.56 (M)
where M is the marks attained?

15. zzz commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
29
Wed
10:15am
16. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Oct
29
Wed
10:24am

16

Oops sorry zzz you're right. What Miss Loi has mentioned in Comment #13 is for EMaths.

For AMaths it should be 0.44(P1/80 x 100) + 0.56(P2) as detailed in this SEAB document (instead of the EMaths one mentioned in comment #13).

Think Miss Loi's mind has been too preoccupied with EMaths these couple of days 🙁

17. Firdaus commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
2
Sun
6:40pm

17

Hi Miss Loi.do u have the O level Emaths 4017 2008 question papers & solutions inside ur blog?

18. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
2
Sun
7:56pm

18

Firdaus: Yes over here! (specifically this file for 4017)

*waves frantically*

But only Paper 2 though - unless you are able to supply the list of Paper 1 questions?

19. Li-sa commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
3
Mon
10:02pm
20. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
4
Tue
1:19am

20

*whispers to Li-sa*: Coz there were two O-Level math papers (EMaths in the morning + AMaths in the afternoon) on that fateful day!

21. meiyan commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
5
Wed
10:36pm

21

is it possible to get A1 if you score 85 for amaths?

22. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
7
Fri
7:11pm

22

meiyan: Well, these days Miss Loi won't be able to say for sure if 85 will get you an A1, but it should definitely be enough to get you a Distinction 😉

Anyway, regardless of what has happened till now, the most important thing is to stay focussed and make sure you do well for your remaining subjects! We're almost there!

23. guest commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
25
Tue
9:15am

23

anyways, thnx for the solutions! juz to ask, if my first part to a question is wrong and it's gonna affect the other parts of the same question, will there be any error carried forward for the subsequent parts or will marks be deducted?

24. jessica commented in tuition class

2008
Nov
27
Thu
2:30pm

24

if u get all the workings correct but just because of a small careless mistake, would you 0 marks for that qns? if the question is about 5 marks! umm...for both A and Emaths.

25. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2008
Dec
3
Wed
1:04am

25

Sorry to Guest and Jessica (moved your comment here for better relevancy) for this late reply as Miss Loi has been busy with zhng-ing The Temple for the past week *sweats*

To answer this perennial question, Miss Loi shall first take a leaf from Mr Loi's similar reply by quoting the following from a 2006 UCLES O-Level A-Maths Mark Scheme:

Marks are of the following three types:

M Method mark, awarded for a valid method applied to the problem. Method marks are not lost for numerical errors, algebraic slips or errors in units. However, it is not usually sufficient for a candidate just to indicate an intention of using some method or just to quote a formula; the formula or idea must be applied to the specific problem in hand, e.g. by substituting the relevant quantities into the formula. Correct application of a formula without the formula being quoted obviously earns the M mark and in some cases an M mark can be implied from a correct answer.

A Accuracy mark, awarded for a correct answer or intermediate step correctly obtained. Accuracy marks cannot be given unless the associated method mark is earned (or implied).

B Accuracy mark for a correct result or statement independent of method marks.

While Miss Loi cannot be 100% sure if this will be followed for your just-concluded O Level maths papers, in practice the award of 'M' marks should really depend on the complexity of each question, and whether there're enough 'M' marks to go around in subsequent parts.

Having said that, you'll probably have a higher chance of getting some consolation 'M' marks, in the event of a 'small tragic careless mistake' in an A-Maths question, which usually involves inter-related parts, more required steps, and consequently contain a higher proportion of 'M' marks within each part.

Contrast this with an E-Maths question which typically, involves less relation between parts (a), (b) etc., requires less steps, and consequently containing mostly 'A'/'B' marks within each part.

So when, say, a careless mistake occurs in part (a) of an E-Maths question, Miss Loi has seen many a evil marker award 'M' marks only for part (a), but subsequent parts will likely get zero if they are dependent on the correct answer from part (a).

Do have a look at more O-Level maths mark schemes samples here.

26. Miss Loi Friend Miss Loi on Facebook @MissLoi commented in tuition class

2009
Jan
26
Mon
2:15pm

26

Alright folks, as part of Miss Loi's Chinese New Year spring cleaning efforts, the O Level Oct/Nov 2008 Maths suggested solutions have finally been rid of her horrible handwriting, minor typos here and there, and are now more *ahem* student-friendly.

Do check them out (and pass them to your younger peers, where applicable):

• ### Latest News

Once again, with the current COVID-19 situation, all joss sticks sessions have been ZOOM-ed away from Novena and are currently held online.

Please check our 2021 secondary / O level maths group tuition schedule for updates throughout this lockdown "heightened alert" period. *sigh*

Meanwhile, stay safe everyone!

The 2021 Maths Exam Papers are here! The 2021 Maths Exam Papers ARE FINALLY HERE!

* Please refer to the relevant Ten-Year Series for the questions of these suggested solutions.