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HKDSE Maths Paper 1 (Long Questions): 135-Minute Pacing and Method-Mark Writing
TUTORZONE EXAM DRILL GUIDE · HKDSE MATHS PAPER 1
Paper 1 is 65% of the grade, 2 hours 15 minutes long and worth 105 marks in three parts of 35. Its time pressure is lighter than Paper 2, but its demands on writing are heavier: skipped steps, missing units and unnamed theorems cost marks even when the answer is right.
What is in HKDSE Maths Paper 1?
Direct answer: Paper 1 uses conventional questions and is 65% of the subject, 2 hours 15 minutes, 105 marks, all compulsory. It has three parts: Section A(1) 35 marks (8-11 elementary questions), A(2) 35 marks (4-7 harder questions) and Section B 35 marks (4-7 of the hardest). There is no SBA, and an electronic calculator and drawing instruments are allowed.
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section A(1) | 35 marks, 8-11 elementary questions; foundation topics of the Compulsory Part and S1-S3 | 35 分 | 35-40 min suggested |
| Section A(2) | 35 marks, 4-7 harder questions; Compulsory Part plus foundation and non-foundation S1-S3 topics | 35 分 | 45-50 min suggested |
| Section B | 35 marks, 4-7 of the hardest questions; Compulsory Part plus foundation and non-foundation S1-S3 topics | 35 分 | 35-40 min suggested |
Paper 1 trades 135 minutes for 65% – about 0.48 percentage points a minute – so the pressure is lighter than Paper 2 but marking is strict on writing. The goal is therefore completeness rather than speed: after each attempt, count the scoring steps you omitted.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Section A(1) | Target full marks: do what you can at once, skip and return, never stall at the start | A sign or unit slip early, taking the sub-parts behind it with it |
| Section A(2) | Aim for 28+; watch for marks lost to skipped working when the answer is right | Answers without working, losing method marks |
| Section B | Start with your two strongest; leave a hard question once the key steps are down and go back later | Burning all the time in Section B and leaving none to check |
How do you write for method marks?
Direct answer: write every decisive step: define the unknown, set up the equation or expression, name the formula or theorem used, show intermediate results, then give the answer. An answer alone can lose method marks even when correct, while complete working with an arithmetic slip usually keeps most of them. In long questions, say why the method applies.
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
How should the three sections be ordered?
Direct answer: working in paper order from A(1) is safest: it is the easiest block, and banking it secures your floor before you meet anything hard. In Section B, pick your two strongest questions first and stop each one once the key steps are written, keeping time to return and to check.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: One full timed Paper 1 a week, with the rest of the time spent auditing method marks: set your last script beside the marking scheme and list the steps you omitted.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Section A(1) | 建議 35–40 分鐘 | 3-4 min per question |
| Section A(2) | 建議 45–50 分鐘 | 8-10 min per question |
| Section B | 建議 35–40 分鐘 | 8-12 min per question; final 8-10 min for checking |
How should the 135 minutes be split?
Direct answer: for a candidate targeting Level 5 or above: A(1) about 35-40 minutes (target full marks), A(2) about 45-50 minutes (aim 28+), Section B about 35-40 minutes (start with your strongest two), and keep 8-10 minutes to check units, significant figures and unanswered sub-parts.
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers without working | Stopping when the number is right | Method marks lost, dropping one to two grades | Write every step, including the theorem and its condition |
| Fighting Section B | Fifteen minutes on one question | No time left to check or return to unanswered parts | Stop at the key steps, flag it and move on |
| No units or significant figures | Writing bare numbers | Paper 1 marks units and accuracy | Check units and significant figures at the end of every question |
The error log and the mark scheme
File Paper 1 errors in three columns: concept, calculation and presentation. Most candidates lose in the third column – right answers written incompletely – and those entries usually clear within two or three weeks.
How many years should you drill?
Paper 1 patterns are stable and ten years covers most topics; with less time do the latest five fully timed and pull earlier years by topic.
How many years of Paper 1 should you drill?
Direct answer: no official figure. Paper 1 question types are stable, so ten years covers almost every topic and pattern; with limited time sit the latest five fully timed. The point of Paper 1 drilling is writing: on a redo, check whether your steps are complete before you check the answer.
Frequently asked questions
May I use a formula sheet?
Some formulas are provided, but the common ones and the identities must be known cold or 135 minutes will not be enough.
Is a calculator allowed?
Yes, both an electronic calculator and mathematical drawing instruments.
My A(1) is slow – what helps?
Group A(1) questions by topic and do four or five in a 15-minute block daily; the time usually drops within a fortnight.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| HKEAA 2027 HKDSE Mathematics Assessment Framework | Confirm Paper 1’s 65%, 2 h 15 min and the 35-mark parts |
| https://www.tutorzone.com.hk/en-dse-maths-paper-2-mc-drill-guide/ | HKDSE Maths Paper 2 (MC) technique |
More in this series: the full guide · Paper 1 (LQ) · Paper 2 (MC) · by-topic plan · error log · past-paper index
Next step: find a tutor / register as a tutor
After drilling, the hard part is telling a conceptual error from a writing error. Tell us the year group, the school and your available times, and TutorZone will match you with a tutor who knows the HKEAA assessment requirements.
Demand for tutors in this subject is steady, and those who can explain the marking scheme and where marks are won are especially sought after. Register free; you pay only when a match succeeds.
