By Yeats College Maths teacher Ms. Aisling Kenny
Friday afternoon’s Maths Paper 1 was a challenging exam. Section A consisted of six questions, and students were required to answer five. The questions included complex numbers, algebra, functions and calculus. In Question 3, students were asked to prove that √2 is irrational. The questions in Section A all included challenging parts, and students found this section more time-consuming than usual.
Students were required to answer three of the four options in Section B. Question 7 was a calculus question involving velocity. Question 8 was a much-anticipated financial maths question and students were well prepared for this. However, the inclusion of probability in this question was a surprise. Question 9 was an accessible functions question. Question 10 was a very challenging sequences and series question that involved integration and rates of change. In general, students found Section B easier than Section A, which is very unusual.
Monday morning’s Maths paper 2 was a more straightforward exam. Section A included a variety of topics with questions on the line, the circle, trigonometry, probability, statistics and geometry. Question 7 in section B started with trigonometric triangles and continued with a trigonometric function. Question 8 was a typical question on inferential statistics and included calculating probability using a tree diagram. Students were very happy with both these options. Question 9 involved trigonometry and coordinate geometry of the circle. Question 10 was a mix of dealing with a cone and probability.
Overall, students were much happier with this paper.
