SPM Additional Mathematics:

1. Studying tips
- When your teacher is teaching in class, pay attention to what your teacher says.
Make sure you understand everything taught by your teacher. If you do not
understand anything, ask your teacher or friends.
- You need a reference book because the textbook alone is not enough. I
recommend you to use the Success Additional Mathematics SPM reference book
by Oxford Fajar.
- When studying a chapter for the first time, read through the notes in the
reference book. Make sure that you understand the concept for that chapter and
relate them to what your teacher had taught in school.
- You need to know how to apply what you have learnt to solve questions. Go
through all the example questions in the revision book. Make sure that you
understand how every question is solved.
- Then, you have to do a lot of exercises. Buy exercise books from the bookshop.
You can start by doing topical questions topic by topic. When you have
understood all topics, proceed with doing SPM model test papers, past year SPM
trial questions and past year actual SPM questions. They should be available
from bookshops. After doing the exercises, refer to the suggested answer or mark
scheme and do self marking.
- You should sometimes refer to the mark scheme of past year SPM trial papers
to find out how every question is marked and which steps need to be shown for
every question. Usually, the same types of questions will have similar mark
scheme, so this can help you when answering exam questions.
- When doing revision before exam, you should go through the example
questions for all chapters in the reference book. If you have forgotten the concept
for any chapter, go through the notes in reference book for that chapter again.
You should also do some SPM model test papers or past year papers.
- The Additional Mathematics topics may require knowledge and understanding of
the Mathematics topics. Make sure that you understand all the topics in SPM
Mathematics.
2. Paper 1
- It is not compulsory to show the workings. If your final answer is correct, full
marks will be given and the workings will not be marked. However, you are
strongly advised to show all workings. If your final answer is wrong but some of
your working is correct, the workings will be marked and you may still be given
some marks.
3. Paper 2
- There are Section A, Section B and Section C. Section A consists of 6 questions

where you must answer all questions, Section B consists of 5 questions where
you can choose any 4, while Section C consists of 4 questions where you can
choose any 2. You can answer extra questions in Section B and Section C if you
have time. The examiner will mark all questions and choose the questions where
you score the highest marks.
- You must show all workings for every question. You should not skip any
important steps. You do not need to write down the formula used to solve the
question. The number of marks allocated for a question usually shows the
amount of working needed. 1 mark will be given for each important step and the
final answer. If you do not show a particular important step, marks will not be
given for that step. Marks can still be given for all other steps and the final answer
if they are correct. Correct answer without working usually scores only 1 mark. If
your final answer is wrong but some of your working is correct, you may still be
given some marks. However, you do not need to show any working for 1 mark
questions.
4. Both Paper 1 & Paper 2
- When answering, read the question and information given carefully. For
questions involving diagrams, mark any important details on the diagram. For
some questions without diagram, sometimes it may be helpful to draw a diagram
so that you can illustrate the information given in the question. Apply what you
have learnt in mathematics in order to solve the questions and get the answer.
Use the correct concept or formula for every question. Certain formula are
provided in the first few pages of the question paper, refer to them if necessary.
- You are allowed to write extra solutions or answers. Marks will only be given for
the correct answers/solutions, and marks will not be deducted for wrong
answers/solutions. When copying figures from the question or from your answer
for the previous part of the question, be careful not to copy wrongly.
- For a part of question which requires you to use your answer from the
previous part, even if your answer for the previous part is wrong and
you use it for this part, causing your answer for this part to be wrong,
you will still get the working marks for this part as long as your
calculation for this part is correct, but you will usually lose the answer
marks for this part.
- If the question does not state that you must or you cannot use a particular
method, then you can use any suitable method to solve the question. You can
also use methods that are learnt only in STPM / A Level or higher level, if you
know them. If the question states that you must use a particular method, then you
can only that method to solve the question. If the question states that cannot use
a particular method, then you cannot that method to solve the question.
- If the final answer is a number with infinite decimal places, you should round up
to at least 4 significant figures. You can also write your final answer as a fraction

if possible. However, if the question states that you must express your answer as
fraction or decimal, then you must follow the instruction. If a number with infinite
decimal places is involved in between the workings, you should take at least 4
decimal places (4 significant figures is not sufficient) to ensure accuracy of the
final answer. Otherwise, marks can be deducted if the final answer is less
accurate.
- For questions involving Pi, the question may ask you to use Pi = 3.142. In that
case, you cannot use Pi = 22/7 or the value of Pi from the calculator. You must
also follow other instructions given in the question. After you have answered all
questions, you should recheck your answers for mistakes. Leave at least 15
minutes to recheck your answers if possible. When rechecking, use a different
method to solve the question or directly use the calculator if possible.