The performance on algebra items of the IIa SEC mathematics candidates

Abstract

This study seeks to highlight the difficulties of the IIA candidates on algebra items in the May 2005 SEC examinations session. It starts with a review, from relevant literature, of some common difficulties that students find in algebra, followed by an overview of how this research was conducted. An overview of the students' performance for each algebraic item in Paper I - Mental Paper, Paper I - Core Paper and Paper IIA is outlined. This is followed by a detailed analysis of candidates' performance for each item, supplemented by a generous amount of excerpts taken from the original transcripts provided by the MATSEC office. The methods used by the candidates in the algebra items are also identified. The results are also discussed in the light of the literature review.