The key to success is preparation. Success is not given, it is earned. Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. What do all of these quotes have in common besides coming straight off Tumblr? That no matter which you may write or rephrase it, success is determined by work. The sentence is usually finished with the idea of hard work. But it doesn’t have to be.
Hard work is cramming before an exam, hard work is trying to complete your research a few days before it is due, hard work is spending hours revising the same thing the same way over and over again. This guide helps you work smarter, with a particular focus on understanding NCEA level 2 maths past papers. After all, the key to success in maths is knowing your key concepts.
Where to find NCEA Level 2 Past Papers
As an experienced NCEA student, exams are no longer unfamiliar but they still retain the ability to put you under pressure. The best way to ease that pressure is to revise and practice so you feel confident going into the level 2 maths exam. There is a general feeling that the expectations between levels 1 and 2 feel bigger than level 2 and level 3. Not trying to scare you, but those who may have winged it a bit for level 1 may want to rethink your strategy for level 2.
Going over the same information over and over again is considered the least efficient method of studying. While rote learning does have its role to play in acquiring new knowledge and skills, it is not the be-all and end-all of revising. In fact, if you are re-reading the same thing over and over again without actually understanding or absorbing the information then it is time for a new technique.
NCEA level 2 past exam papers let you interact with the information and skills you have acquired by putting them to use. To start off you need to know where to find them. All past exam papers for all subjects are found on the NCEA official website. It is free to use and there are no limits on how many past exam papers you use. The site itself is designed more for teachers than students. There is a lot of information that is accessible but is of little use to you unless for some reason you want to know how the 2020 students went. So take your time to navigate it.
Get to know why NCEA maths level2 is important here.
It will feel a bit strange at first, as mentioned earlier the design layout is directed towards teachers, but students have the right to use the same resources as well. When searching for an exam paper to use, make sure you stay in the level 2 section. As you scroll the page you will see internal and external clearly labelled on the right-hand side for each paper.
External means these papers were used in conditions outside of classroom conditions (used in an exam). When it comes to choosing an exam paper to use it is best to stay in the last three years to a maximum of five years. This is because the way questions have been formatted has changed over the years. For example, the questions for the algebra exam written in 2013 will not have the same format as the questions written for the algebra exam in 2021.
Understanding the NCEA Level 2 Maths Marking Schedule: Achieved
Before you get to answering and drawing all over the exam questions, the question you need to start with is “Do I know what I am supposed to be doing?”. If the answer is yes, maybe have a read of this section just to double-check you are on the right track. For those of you unsure, take your time reading this section. The best place to look for clarity about what you are supposed to do is the marking schedule. For example, have a look at the marking schedule for the achievement standard 91261: Apply algebraic methods in solving problems.
Obviously, this paper is testing our understanding of algebra. So what do you have to do to pass? Students have to apply algebraic methods in solving problems, that part seems obvious but what does that mean? This requires students to select and use methods that demonstrate their knowledge of algebraic concepts and terms and that they can communicate all this by using appropriate representations. This is where your problem-solving skills come in handy. You need to look at the question and figure out the best concept to use to find the answer.
In this article, you can read about how to understand NCEA Level2 maths questions.
Understanding the NCEA Level 2 Maths Marking Schedule: Merit
Okay quite straightforward but what about merit? The marking criteria for merit is the same as for achieved, and in addition, you have to solve the problems using relational thinking. Here is a good moment to take a step back and evaluate your skills. Do you know what relational thinking is or how to do it? If the answer is yes, awesome. If the answer is no, time to change that. According to NZQA;
relational thinking involves one or more of; selecting and carrying out a logical sequence of steps, connecting different concepts or representations, demonstrating understanding of concepts, forming and using a model; and also relating findings to a context, or communicating thinking using appropriate mathematical statements.
Okay, this is a bit more complicated. Take your time to identify the areas and concepts you feel confident in and revise the areas you feel unsure of. For example, if you’re not sure what algebraic equation is best to use, then you need to revise the application of algebraic concepts as well as their function.
Understanding the NCEA Level 2 Maths Marking Schedule: Excellence
For excellence, NZQA states that extended abstract thinking is needed. Abstract thinking is a hard thing to explain, it can be thought of as thinking outside the box, but luckily there are clear examples of how to show it in regards to his algebra achievement standard.
When you work through a problem you can include one or more of the following examples to gain excellence; you devise a strategy to investigate or solve a problem, by looking at the context of the problem you can identify relevant concepts, the way in which you investigate or solve a problem shows that you have developed proof or a chain of logical thinking, you can form a generalisation, and that you have communicated ‘mathematical insight’ and used correct mathematical statements.
Remember not all questions are designed to enable you to answer at an excellence level. The first couple of questions are achieved, they are straightforward ‘solve to find the answer’ questions. Merit and excellence questions are usually a bit longer and context is given. A good detail to remember is with the longer questions, you can gain achieved, merit or excellence so attempt as many as you can.
Learn about how to demystify the NCEA Maths level2 syllabus here.
Understanding Level 2 Maths Exemplars
As you scroll down the NZQA level 2 maths past exam papers, you may notice something a bit different for 2018. NZQA used to provide exemplars of what achieved, merit, and excellence for that particular exam. These exemplars were provided for use for the following year and are real examples of past students' work. What is useful about exemplars is that it shows you how different students have attempted the questions and where they excelled and where they made mistakes.
Exemplars also contain an explanation from the examiner about why the grade was given and what they needed to do to gain a higher mark. Bear in mind that questions are not repeated from past exams, so the value that exemplars hold is that they provide examples of how different questions can be approached. Unfortunately, NZQA has not continued to provide exemplars unless there is a significant change in the exam papers format or a change in the standard itself. For more information check out our other guides on NCEA Level 2 maths.
What next?
The next step after you have done some revision, read through the marking criteria, and done a little more revision, is to print off a past paper and have a go yourself! Take your time and ignore the time limit the first time you practice with a past exam paper for level 2 maths.
After you have finished, evaluate how it went for you, was there a particular assessment standard you found more difficult than the other ones? Was there a question you found tricky? What part of the question made you feel a bit stuck?
By evaluating how the assessment standard went, you take that knowledge and use it to guide your revision. If you are having a bit of trouble identifying why you find sections difficult or unsure how to revise, check out Superprof. Superprof has a search base that can help you find the perfect tutor for your needs.
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