Mathematics Quality Network Intermediate 1 12 November 2011 Areas of the external assessment where candidate performance could be improved.

Useful documents on the SQA website for teachers preparing candidates for the external examinations External Assessment Reports. areas in which candidates performed well areas which candidates found demanding advice to centres for preparation of candidates Past Papers and Marking Instructions.

Advice to centres for preparation of candidates Practise non-calculator skills regularly Practise skills acquired in the earlier parts of the course regularly in order to improve retention e.g. DST calculations involving fractions of an hour mean from a frequency table express one quantity as a percentage of another simple interest for part of a year interpret statistics Practise problem solving regularly

The Handouts Candidate responses to a selection of 20 questions from Intermediate 1 Mathematics past papers. Responses chosen mainly to illustrate common errors made by candidates. Marking Instructions for the 20 questions.

The 20 Questions Q1-6 Non-calculator number skills Q 7-9 Calculations involving time Q10-20 various topics which candidates regularly find demanding

Q1-6 Number Skills Add and subtract decimals Equivalent fractions and decimals Multiply & divide by multiples of 10, 100 & 1000 Multiply simple 2-digit whole numbers Multiply a mixed number by a whole number

Q7-9 Calculations involving time Convert hours and minutes into decimal form in distance, speed and time questions Convert seconds into minutes & seconds and minutes into hours & minutes Know number of days & weeks in a year

Q10-20 Various topics which candidates regularly find demanding Mean from a frequency table Interpret median and range Pie chart calculations Interest (part year) Straight line equations of the form x=a and y=b Brackets and factors Equations and inequalities Express one quantity as a percentage of another Area of composite shape involving a semi-circle