Singapore’s education system is known to be very rigorous. The A Level examination taken by students in Junior College is a pivotal milestone for students, serving as a gateway to University entrance. Central to this examination are the subjects offered, among which Mathematics holds a paramount position. While most students take H2 Mathematics, there are some who choose to take H1 Math. The choice of whether to take Math at H1 or H2 level is critical, as it also affects what courses students can take in University.
In this article, we look at the differences in the curriculum of H1 and H2 Mathematics at the A Level, and provide insights into the implication of choosing one over the other.
Prerequisite knowledge of H1 Math vs H2 Math
Students taking H2 Math are expected to have a background in O Level Additional Math. Topics such as Trigonometry, Logarithm, Discriminant and so on which were covered in O Level Additional Math are assumed knowledge in H2 Math.
However, for students taking H1 Math, prior knowledge of O Level Additional Math is not required. Instead, students will learn logarithm and exponential functions, discriminant, differentiation and integration from scratch.
For H2 Math students, some JC cover these prerequisite topics briefly in the first week of lesson, however, don’t expect schools to cover them in detail. Students who do not take Additional Math in O Level generally find it a big step change if they take H2 Math. However, there are students who have done that.
Curriculum Differences between H1 and H2 Math
Like all subjects, H1 is half of H2 in terms of breadth, but similar in terms of depth. This means that the number of topics tested in H1 is half of that compared to that of H2. However, for topics that are tested, both H1 and H2 go as deep.
While both H1 Math and H2 Math includes topics covering pure Math and statistics, H2 Math cover way more topics. Here’s a summary of the topics in H1 Math syllabus vs that in H2 Math syllabus:
| H1 Math | H2 Math |
| Pure Math Topics: 1. Logarithm and Exponential (an assumed knowledge in H2 Math as it’s already covered in O Level Additional Math) 2. Equations and Inequalities 3. Differentiation and its application 4. Integration and its application | Pure Math Topics: 1. Functions 2. Graphs and transformation 3. Equations and Inequalities 4. Graphs and transformation 5. Sequences and Series 6. Arithmetic and geometric progression 7. Vectors 8. Complex Numbers 9 Differentiation and its application (covered in greater depth than H1 Math) 10. Integration and its application (covered in greater depth than H1 Math) 11. Maclaurin series 12. Differential Equations |
| Statistics Topics: 1. Probability 2. Permutation and Combination 3. Binomial Distribution 4. Normal Distribution 5. Sampling 6. Hypothesis Testing 7. Linear regression and Correlation | Statistics Topics: 1. Probability 2. Permutation and Combination 3. Discrete Random Variable (this topic is not in H1 Math) 4. Binomial Distribution 5. Normal Distribution 6. Sampling 7. Hypothesis Testing 8. Linear regression and Correlation |
As can be seen, the H2 Math covers way more topics than H1 Math, particularly for the Pure Mathematics portion.
Examination of H1 Math vs H2 Math
The H1 Math consists of one – 3 hour paper, testing all the topics.
For H2 Math, it consists of two 3 hour papers, each worth 50%. In Paper 1, students are only tested on Pure Math, but in paper 2, 40% of this paper is pure Math, while 60% of it is statistics.
University Entrance Requirement
Let’s face it. Most students in Singapore are very practical. They take a subject to score well, so that they can enter the University and course of their choice. Hence, whether to take H1 or H2 Math depends really a lot on what course you want to take in University.
In general, all Engineering courses require students to take H2 Math, while only some Science courses require students to take H2 Math. There are some Science courses in our local universities that only require students to take H1 Math (e.g. Maritime Studies, Chemistry, etc.). Business and Accountancy courses generally require just H1 Math at A Level, and yes, there are some courses that do not require students to take any Math at A Level at all.
However, if you want to be eligible for the majority of courses in Singapore, i.e. keep your choice open, then taking either H1 or H2 Math is essential. If you are undecided, and okay with Math, then take H2 Math, you’ll leave a lot of doors open.
For most JCs, students are required to take Math in one way of another (either H1 or H2 Math), as this is part of the subject combination that are offered.