Candidates’ weaknesses
Apart from not giving answers to the required degree of accuracy, majority of the candidates could not apply the basic concepts and theorems correctly in some aspects of the syllabus. Such areas of the syllabus as reported included:
(1) Mensuration of three dimensional shapes;
(2) Circle theorems;
(3) Trigonometry;
(4) Geometrical Construction.
Many candidates were said to be able to solve the inequality in question 2 but they were unable to get the three greatest integral values of x.
Suggested Remedies
(1)Teachers should put in more effort in the teaching of plane and solid geometry.
(2)Teachers and students should be encouraged to use teaching aids
during mathematics lessons in order to make some mathematical concepts clearer to the pupils.
(3)Candidates should be groomed on the rudiments of answering questions.
(4)Candidates are encouraged to adequately prepare for the examinations by practicing on a wide range of problems.
(5)Mathematics syllabus should be adequately covered.
(6)Teachers should spend more time in teaching those areas of the syllabus where candidates’ performance had been consistently poor such as Geometry.