Park College teacher Orla Cunningham takes a look at Ordinary level Maths papers I and II.

You will have 2 ½ hours to attempt six questions out of eight. This breaks down to about 24 minutes per question, with five minutes at the start to read the paper.

Before entering the exam, you should have your plan of attack ready. Each year the exam paper follows a consistent pattern. So, being familiar with this pattern will give you confidence and an advantage in tackling the paper.

Division of questions:

Part A of the questions, worth ten marks, are generally easy and a very basic understanding of the topic is needed. Part B requires a deeper understanding of the topic for 20 marks, while part C, also worth 20 marks, will test whether or not you have an in depth knowledge, making the difference between a 'good' and a 'great' grade.

Paper I will consist of the following topics:

• Arithmetic and money (Question 1)
• Algebra (Question 2 & 3)
• Complex numbers (Question 4)
• Sequences and Series (Question 5)
• Functions, graphs and Differentiation (Question 6,7 and 8)

Question 1: Arithmetic

This question will test basic arithmetic skills. If you dislike algebra, this is a good question to attempt. You must be able to:

• Find ratios and fractions
• Solve questions involving speed, distance and time
• Find % profit or find cost price
• Deal with % error
• Understand the tax credit system,
• Find compound interest
• Handle ratios and exchange rates involving currencies
• Handle numbers written in scientific notation

Question 2 and 3 will be on algebra

Algebra is not only important for attempting two questions but is also the 'backbone' of your maths course. So, become great at algebra and start your exam with question 2 and 3 to build your confidence to continue the paper.

You must be able to:

• Solve simultaneous equations, both linear and non-linear
• Solve inequalities, i.e. equations with ≤ and ≥ signs.
• Solve quadratic equations, i.e. factorising and using the quadratic formula.
(make sure to learn your quadratic formula, as it is not given in the exam!)
• Solve cubic equations using the factor theorm
• Graphs and quadratic functions