THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL OF TANZANIA

CANDIDATES’ ITEM RESPONSE ANALYSIS

REPORT ON THE ADVANCED CERTIFICATE OF
SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION
(ACSEE) 2022

BASIC APPLIED MATHEMATICS

 THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL OF TANZANIA

CANDIDATES’ ITEM RESPONSE ANALYSIS

REPORT ON THE ADVANCED CERTIFICATE OF
SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION
(ACSEE)2022

141 BASIC APPLIED MATHEMATICS

Published by:
The National Examinations Council of Tanzania,
P.O. Box 2624,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

© The National Examinations Council of Tanzania, 2022

All rights reserved.

ii
 Table of Contents
FOREWORD .......................................................................................................... iv

1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1

2.0 ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATES’ RESPONSES IN EACH QUESTION ..... 2

2.1 Question 1: Calculating Devices ................................................................. 2

2.2 Question 2: Functions ................................................................................. 5

2.3 Question 3: Algebra .................................................................................... 8

2.4 Question 4: Differentiation ....................................................................... 12

2.5 Question 5: Integration.............................................................................. 18

2.6 Question 6: Statistics................................................................................. 22

2.7 Question 7: Probability ............................................................................. 26

2.8 Question 8: Trigonometry ......................................................................... 30

2.9 Question 9: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions ............................... 34

2.10 Question 10: Matrices and Linear Programming ...................................... 38

3.0 ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN EACH TOPIC .... 43

4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................... 43

4.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 43

4.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................... 43

Appendix I ............................................................................................................... 45

Appendix II .............................................................................................................. 46

iii
 FOREWORD
This report provides an analysis of the candidates’ performanceni the Basic
Applied Mathematics paper of the Advanced Certificate of Secondary
Education Examination (ACSEE) 2022. The report reveals strengths and
weaknesses observed in the candidates' responses.
The analysis shows that the candidates performed well in the topics
of Algebra and Linear Programming but they had average performance
in the topics of Calculating Devices and Functions. The good performance
was due to the ability of the candidates to formulate equations/inequalities
from word problems, solve the equations, draw graphs of linear inequalities,
and apply the formula for determining the general term of an arithmetic
progression.
The overall performance of candidates in other topics was weak. The topics
with weak performance included Exponential and Logarithmic Functions,
Integration, Trigonometry, Differentiation, Probability and Statistics. The
weak performance resulted from candidates’ failure to draw graphs of
exponential and logarithmic functions, apply integration techniques,
calculate the area between two curves, and apply trigonometric identities and
rules. Other factors for weak performance included inability of the
candidates to use the first principles of differentiation; apply the knowledge
of differentiation in solving optimization problems and recall the condition
for mutually exclusive events and formulae for calculating the mean, median
and variance.
The National Examinations Council of Tanzania is thankful to everyone who
participated in the preparation of this report.

Athumani S. Amasi
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

iv
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In 2022 the Basic Applied Mathematics paper was set following the 2019
Examination Format and the 2010 Basic Applied Mathematics Syllabus for
Advanced Secondary Education. This paper consisted of 10 compulsory
questions, each carrying ten (10) marks. A total of 34,549 candidates sat for
this paper, and 20,184 (58.66%) of them passed. Compared to the
performance in 2021, the performance in 2022 has decreased by 2.19 per
cent. Figure 1 shows the percentage of the candidates for each grade of
performance in 2022.

Figure 1: Performance of candidates by grades in 2022

In Section 2, the report analyses the performance of candidates in each
question and the descriptions of the strengths and weaknesses observed in
candidates' responses. This report includes extracts of the candidates'
responses that illustrate their strengths or weaknesses. The overall
candidates' performance in each question is categorized based on the
percentage of candidates who scored 3.5 marks or more. The categories are
60 - 100, 35 - 59, and 0 - 34 per cent for good, average and weak
performance respectively. In graphs or charts, the performance is coloured
green, yellow and red for good, average and weak performance.
Section 3 of the report analyses the performance of the candidates by topics,
while Section 4 gives a conclusion and recommendations. Finally, this report
includes Appendix I which shows the performance on the examined topic in
2022 and Appendix II which shows the candidates' performance in 2021 and
2022.

1
2.0 ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATES’ RESPONSES IN EACH
QUESTION

2.1 Question 1: Calculating Devices

The question instructed the candidates to use a non-programmable scientific
calculator to:

3254  3.14 417

(a) (i) compute (correct to 2 decimal places).
105  log 3 278
  4  102  
 ln  
1     
(ii) evaluate tan correct to 2 significant figures.
 log 2 
 
 

4
(iii) find the value of e
x 1
x
1  x 2 correct to 4 decimal places.

n
(b) Given that P( x  r )    P r (1  P) n r where n  10 and P  0.45 ,
r
find the numerical value of P  x  1 correct to 4 significant
figures.
A total of 20,244 (58.60%) candidates who answered this question scored
from 3.5 to 10 marks. Thus, the overall performance of the candidates in this
question was average. Figure 2 shows the percentage of candidates who got
low, average and high marks.

Figure 2: The candidates' performance in question 1

2
The data also reveal that 1,041 (3.01%) candidates correctly responded to all
parts of the question, indicating that they were competent in using non-
programmable scientific calculators. Extract 1.1 is the sample of a correct
solution from one of the candidates.

Extract 1.1: A sample of correct response to question 1

3
On the other hand, other candidates lost some or all marks allotted to this
question. In all parts of the question, the majority failed to fix the calculator
to the specific number of decimal places or significant figures. In part (a) (i),
many candidates committed errors in applying the brackets when executing
the values of expressions using the calculator. For instance, some candidates
got 1.6998 in part (a) (i) after typing 3254  3.14  417  105  log 3 278 in
the calculator. In addition to errors observed in parts (a) (i) and (a) (ii), the
candidates also replaced  with 180 0 . Consequently, they got an incorrect
answer because they considered both numbers and angles as real numbers.
In part (a) (iii), most candidates correctly calculated the value of the terms
and wrote each term in four decimal places before performing addition.
These candidates wrote 3.8442  16.5524  63.5160  225.1139 which led to
incorrect response 308.9965. Other candidates incorrectly interpreted the
sigma notation. Some of the candidates only substituted x  1 in the
definition of the terms which resulted in an incorrect value of 3.8442 while
other candidates who only substituted x  4 and got 225.139 . Moreover,
some candidates wrongly interpreted the notation as integration and
therefore, resulted in 172.3298.
In part (b), some candidates failed to realize that the question involves
combination and permutation. Instead, they related the question to matrices
(Extract 1.2).

4
 Extract 1.2: A sample of an incorrect response to part (b) of question 1
In Extract 1.2, the candidate wrote the steps of computing the expression
instead of directly evaluating the expression using a calculator. The steps
10 
shown in the solution imply that the candidate wrongly considered   as a
1
matrix instead of a combination.
2.2 Question 2: Functions
The question tested the competence of candidates in drawing the graph of a
rational function and interpreting a function with more than one definition.
The question required the candidates to:
2x  5
(a) (i) sketch the graph of f x  
x  x6.
2

(ii) write down the value(s) of x for which f  x  does not exist.

 x for  1  x  0
f  2  f 1 
(b) find the value of given that f  x    x 2 for 0  x  2 .
f  1  x  2 for 2  x


A total of 34,548 candidates attempted this question, including 19,601

(56.74%) who got marks ranging from 3.5 to 10, which is an average
performance. Figure 3 presents a summary of candidates’ performance in this
question.

5
 Figure 3: The candidates' performance in question 2

The data also reveals that 423 (1.22%) candidates scored all marks. In part
(a), the candidates equated the denominator expression to zero resulting in
the equation x 2  x  6  0 and solved it to get vertical asymptotes x  3 or
x  2 . The candidates also determined that the horizontal asymptote is
y  0 after correctly evaluating the value of f (x) as x is a very large
 2x  5 
number, that is lim  2  . These candidates further computed x and y
x  x  x  6
 
2x  5
intercepts by firstly assuming y  0 and x  0 in y  2 respectively
x  x6
5 5
and then solving the resulting equations to get x   and y   . Finally,
3 6
these candidates used the information to draw the graph of f (x) (Extract
2.1). By studying the graph, they realized that f(x) does not exist at both
x  2 and x  3 . In part (b), the candidates identified the appropriate
definitions of f (x) for x  1 , x  1 and x  2 as f ( x)  x , f ( x)  x 2 and
f ( x)  x  2 respectively. Thus, they correctly got f (1)  1 , f (1)  1 and
f 2 f 1
f (2)  4 that lead to  4 .
f  1

6
 Extract 2.1: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 2
In Extract 2.1, the candidate correctly traced the points on xy - plane to
obtain the graph of the given function.
On the otherhand, 14,947 (43.26%) candidates scored 3.0 marks or less. The
responses of these candidates had several misconceptions in all or some parts
of the question. In part (a)(i), many candidates presented incorrect graphs
due to failure to determine the correct values of some or all necessary
information. For instance, some candidates incorrectly computed the vertical
asymptotes by considering the expression in the numerator 2 x  5 instead
 
of the expression in the denominator x 2  x  6 . They came up with an
5
equation 2 x  5  0 which yields x  . Further, some candidates correctly
2
considered the denominator, but they failed to solve the equation
x2  x  6  0 . For example, some of them wrote x  x  1  6 and therefore,
x  6 or x  1 . In determining the horizontal asymptotes, many candidates
lacked knowledge of evaluating the limit of a function (Extract 5.2). In

7
 5
addition, other candidates stated that the horizontal asymptotes is y  
6
2x  5
after calculating the y-intercept from y . The incorrect values
x  x6 2

for vertical asymptotes also led to incorrect responses in part (a)(ii),

particularly -3, -4, 2 and 4.
In part (b), a significant number of candidates got an incorrect answer for
f (2) , f (1) or f (1) . Most candidates failed to identify the appropriate
domain and consequently the definition for a particular value of x. For
instance, some candidates wrote f 2  2 implying that at x  2 , f x   x .
Further, some candidates worked on the expressions for the definition of
f (2) , f (1) and f (1) , that is x  2 , x 2 and x respectively and finally got
f (2) f (1)
 x 2  2 x . Moreover, few candidates only struggled to draw the
f (1)
graph of f (x) , the approach which would not give the intended answer.

Extract 2.2: A sample of an incorrect response to part (a) of question 2

In Extract 2.2, the candidate divided both numerator and denominator by x
instead of x 2 .
2.3 Question 3: Algebra
The question tested the candidates’ competence in solving simultaneous
equations with two variables and developing the general term of an
arithmetic progression. The question comprised the following parts:

8
(a) The total number of pencils and pens in a box is 47 and the product of
the number of the pencils and the number of the pens is 370. Find the
number of pencils present in the box.

(b) The 8th and 15th terms of an arithmetic progression are 11 and 21
respectively. Find the nth term.

The question was attempted by 34,548 candidates and 26,147 (75.68%) of

them obtained 3.5 marks or more. Therefore, the candidates’ performance in
this question was good. Figure 4 shows the percentage of candidates who
scored low, average and high marks.

Figure 4: The candidates' performance in question 3

In this question, 6,201 (17.95%) candidates responded to both parts correctly.

In part (a), the candidates translated the word problem into the equations
x  y  47 and xy  370 where x and y represent the number of pencils and
pens respectively (or vice versa). With these equations, the candidates
correctly formulated and solved the equation x 2  47 x  370  0 and got
x  10 or x  37 . Thus, they concluded that the number of pencils is 10 or
37 (Extract 3.1).
Similarly, in part (b), the candidates represented the first term and the
common difference of the arithmetic progression by using letters, particularly
a1 and d respectively. They also applied the formula for developing the
general term of the arithmetic progression  An  A1  n  1d  to formulate

9
the equations A1  7d  11 and A1  14d  21 . Then, they solved the
10
equations to obtain A1  1 and d  . Therefore, they replaced A1 and d in
7
the formula An  A1  n  1d with 1 and
10
respectively and simplified the
7
10 3
terms to get An  n  .
7 7

Extract 3.1: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 3

In Extract 3.1, the candidate correctly solved the equation x 2  47 x  370  0

by the general quadratic formula.
In spite of good performance, 8,401 (24.32%) candidates got low marks and
among them 4,214 (12.20%) got zero. In part (a), most of these candidates
10
wrongly interpreted the word problem, as a result they wrote incorrect
equations x  y  47 and x 2  y 2  370 . Further, a considerable number of
370 370
candidates formulated correct equations x   47 or y   47 , but
x y
failed to solve them. These candidates had insufficient skills for simplifying
algebraic terms and solving quadratic equations.
In part (b), some candidates used incorrect formulae for determining the
general term  An  of arithmetic progression. For instance, some candidates
wrote An  A1  (n  2)d and thus got incorrect expressions for the 8th and
15th terms as A1  6d and A1  13d respectively. Therefore, they obtained
incorrect equations A1  6d  11 and A1  13d  21 that led to incorrect

and An  n  1 . The analysis also revealed that

11 11 11
answers d  , A1 
7 7 7
some candidates wrote the correct formula, but they wrongly interpreted its
components. For instance, some candidates wrote 8  7d  11 and
15  14d  21 (Extract 3.2). Further, few candidates formulated correct
equations A1  7d  11 and A1  14d  21, however, they failed to solve for
A1 and d . For example, some of these candidates got d  1.4 and A1  1.2 .

11
 Extract 3.2: A sample of an incorrect response for part (b) of question 3

In Extract 3.2, the candidate wrongly interpreted “8th term” as A1  8 and

“15th term” as A1  15 . It should be known that A1 in the formula
An  A1  n  1d represents the first term of an arithmetic progression.

2.4 Question 4: Differentiation

The question tested the skills in using the first principles and rules of
differentiation and the application of differentiation in solving maximum and
minimum problems. The question included the following parts:
1
(a) (i) Differentiate y  from the first principles.
1 x
(ii) Find the first derivative of g  x   x 2  2 x .
(b) The total length of the diameter and height of a cylinder is 3 metres.
Show that the cylinder has the maximum volume when both height and
radius measure 1 metre.

A total of 34,548 candidates responded to this question, including 7,419

(21.47%) candidates who scored 3.5 marks or more. Therefore, the
performance of the candidates in this question was generally weak. Figure 5
gives the percentages of candidates who scored low, average and high marks.

12
 Figure 5: The candidates' performance in question 4
Figure 5 shows that 78.53 per cent, equivalent to 27,129 candidates scored
3.0 marks or less. In part (a) (i) many candidates correctly wrote
dy lim  1  1 1 
      . However, most of them failed to
dx h  0  h  1  x  h 1  x  
1 1 h
transform the expression  into  . Most of
1 x  h 1 x 1  x  h1  x 
1 x  h 1 x
these candidates did not consider the brackets as they wrote
1  x  h1  x 
2x  h
which leads to . Other candidates were not conversant with
1  x  h1  x 
the concept of common multiples. For instance, some candidates wrongly
considered 1  x  h as the common multiple to both 1  x  h and 1  x .

These candidates wrote

1  x   1  x  h and therefore, they got
1 x  h
h
 . Also, some candidates lacked knowledge of evaluating limits.
1 x  h
For example, a significant number of candidates replaced h in

13
 h
 with 0 resulting in the undefined term. They were
h1  x  h 1  x 
h 1
supposed to simplify the term  into 
h1  x  h 1  x  1  x  h1  x 
before substituting h  0 . Moreover, some candidates directly substituted
1 1 1 
h  0 in    which also resulted in undefined term. In part
h 1 x  h 1 x 
(a)(ii), many candidates correctly applied the chain rule, but they faced
difficulties in determining the derivative of the expression involving
radicals. Most of these candidates wrongly perceived that the derivative of
1 1
u is instead of . The candidates let y  x 2  2 x and
u 2 u
du dy 1
u  x 2  2 x resulting in  2 x  2 and  . Then, they applied the
dx du u
dy 2x  2 dy x 1
chain rule and obtained  instead of  . Similarly,
dx x 2
2 dx x2  2
du dy
some candidates got  2x  2 and  u ending up with
dx du
dy
 (2 x  2) x 2  2 x . These candidates wrongly considered that the
dx
derivative of u is u.

In part (b), many candidates did not include the equation relating radius and
height of a cylinder. Instead, they only applied the formula for calculating
the volume of the cylinder. However, most of them used inappropriate
1
formulae (Extract 4.1). Other inappropriate formulae included V  r 2 h
3
and V  2r  2rh instead of V  r h where V , r and h represent
2 2

volume, radius and height respectively. Other candidates worked out to

determine the diameter of the cylinder (not to verify the descriptions). These
candidates recalled the fact that diameter is twice the radius and thus, they
wrote diameter equals to 2 metres.

14
 Extract 4.1: A sample of an incorrect response to part (b) of question 4

In Extract 4.1, the candidate used the formula for calculating the volume of a
sphere instead of a cylinder. Also, the candidate computed the rate of change
in volume instead of verifying that at the maximum volume, both height and
radius measure 1 metre.
The analysis reveals further that 311 (0.90%) candidates responded to all
parts of the question correctly. In part (a) (i), the candidates correctly wrote
f x  x   from f x  
1 1
and applied the formula
1  x  x  1 x
dy f  x   x   f ( x)
 lim , and finally simplified the expression to obtain
dx  x0 x
dy 1
 (Extract 4.2). In part (a) (ii) these candidates rewrote
dx 1  x 2
x 2  2 x in the form x 2  2x 2 . Thereafter, they applied rules of
1

differentiation particularly the chain rule and the fact that the derivative of
x 1
x n for real numbers n is nx n 1 to get g x   . In part (b), the
x2  2x
candidates developed the formula 2r  h  3 from the statement “total length
of the diameter and height of a cylinder is 3 metres” where r is the radius
and h is the height of the cylinder. The candidates also realized that the task
needs the formula for calculating the volume (V) of the given cylinder, that is
V  r 2 h . Therefore, they used the two formulae and reduced them to the
formula V  3r 2  2r 3 . Thereafter, they performed differentiation of V
dV
with respect to r and got  6r  6r 2 . Further, these candidates were
dr
15
conversant with the fact that at the maximum value, the derivative of a
dV
particular function is zero. Therefore, they equated to zero and resulted
dr
in an equation 6r  6r 2  0 which was correctly solved to obtain r  0 or
r  1 . Furthermore, these candidates were aware of the fact that the radius of
a cylinder is always greater than zero. Thus, they ignored r  0 and dealt
with r  1 to determine the appropriate value of h and they replaced r in
2r  h  3 with 1 and ended up with h  1 (Extract 4.3).

Extract 4.2: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 4

16
As Extract 4.2 shows, the candidates correctly produced
f x  x   from f x  
1 1
and used the first principles to
1  x  x  1 x
dy 1
obtain  .
dx 1  x 2

Extract 4.3: A sample of correct response to part (c) of question 4

In Extract 4.3, the candidate used the formula that includes diameter and
height to verify the explanations.

17
2.5 Question 5: Integration
The question consisted of parts (a) and (b). Part (a) intended to determine the
competence of the candidates in applying the techniques of integration. The
x 1  x 2 dx correct to 4 decimal places. Part (b)
1
statement was: evaluate 1
2

measured the competence of the candidates in applying the knowledge of

integration. It stated that find the area bounded by the curve y  2 cos x , the
lines x  0 , x  2 and the x  axis.
A total of 34,547 candidates responded to this question. Of these, 5,868
(16.99%) candidates obtained marks ranging from 3.5 to 10. Therefore, the
overall performance of the candidates in this question was weak. Figure 6 is
a summary of the candidates’ performance in this question.

Figure 6: The candidates' performance in question 5

Figure 6 shows that 83.01 per cent of the candidates got low marks. In part
(a), many candidates did not realize the presence of the expression and its
derivative in the integrand. Most of these candidates applied incorrect rules
1
of integrations. For instance, some candidates rewrote x
1
1  x 2 dx as
2
1 1

 xdx.
1 1
1  x 2 dx indicating the misconception
2 2

18
b b b

 f x .g x dx   f x dx. g x dx . Likewise, some candidates rewrote

a a a
1 1 1

 x 1  x dx  xdx   1  x dx
2 2
as indicating wrong assumption
1 1 1
2 2 2
b b b

 f x .g x dx   f x dx   g x dx . The candidates were supposed to realize

a a a

that the integrand is the product of an expression 1  x 2 and its derivative

x . Therefore, they would evaluate the integral by applying the function and
its derivative technique. Few candidates applied trigonometric substitution
but failed to completely change the variable or identify the appropriate
integration technique after changing the variable. For instance, most
candidates who let x  sin t failed to get  sin t cos 2 tdt . Instead, they worked
out to the integrand containing both x and t .
In part (b), many candidates failed to identify the sub-regions included in the
region bounded by the curves and their respective limits of integration. Thus,
2
they calculated  2 cos xdx
0
and obtained Area  0 square unit (Extract 5.1).

The candidates were supposed to draw the graph of y  cos 2 or solve the
equation cos 2  0 to determine the appropriate limits, that is from x  0 to
  3 3
x , x to x  and from x  to x  2 . Further, some
2 2 2 2
candidates did not consider the upper and lower function of the particular
sub-region. These candidates evaluated
 3
2 2 2

 2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx

0  3
instead of
2 2

 3
2 2 2

 2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx .

0  3
Furthermore, some candidates drew
2 2

incorrect graphs because they replaced x in y  2 cos x with real numbers

instead of angles. Moreover, some candidates applied inappropriate formulae
including the formula for calculating the volume of solid of revolution along
b
the x – axis, Area    y 2 dx whereby a  0 , b  2 and y  2 cos x , ending
a

up with Area  25.0322 square unit.

19
 Extract 5.1: A sample of an incorrect response to part (b) of question 5
2
In Extract 5.1, the candidate evaluated  2 cos xdx
0
instead of

 3
2 2 2

 2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx   2 cos xdx .

0  3
2 2

On the contrary, 59 (0.17%) candidates responded correctly to this question.

In part (a), the candidates realized that the integrand includes both the
 
expression 1  x 2 and its derivative  x  . These candidates let u  1  x 2 ,
du 3
from which they produced xdx   and the limits u  0 and u  .
2 4
Therefore, they changed 1 x 1  x 2 dx into  3 u du and consequently
1 1 0

2 2 4
0
1  34 
u  which results in 0.2165. In part (b), the candidates correctly
3  3
4

20
 b
sketched the graph of y  2 cos x and applied the formula A   ydx to
a

evaluate the area of the intended region (Extract 5.2).

Extract 5.2: A sample of correct response to part (b) of question 5

Extract 5.3 indicates that the candidate was competent in evaluating
trigonometric integrals.

21
2.6 Question 6: Statistics
The question measured the competence of candidates in using the formula
for calculating mean, variance and median. This question consisted of the
following parts:
(a) The mean and variance of 7 observations are 8 and 16 respectively.
Amongst, the five observations are 2, 4, 10, 12 and 14. Find the other
two observations.
(b) The following table shows heights of 40 trees measured to the nearest
meters:
Heights 4–8 9 – 13 14 – 18 19 – 23 24 – 28 29 - 33

Number
2 4 7 14 8 5
of trees

Find the median.

The question was attempted by 34,549 candidates, and out of these, 9,594
(27.77%) candidates scored 3.5 marks or above. Therefore, the overall
performance of the candidates in this question was weak. Figure 7 shows the
candidates’ performance in this question.

Figure 7: The candidates' performance in question 6

The performance indicates that many candidates faced various challenges.
Many candidates answered part (a) based on the concept of average while

22
ignoring the concept of variance (Extract 6.1). For instance, some candidates
computed the average of the five observations given without considering the
two missing observations. Also, other candidates wrongly assumed that x
and x  1 were the two unknown observations. Therefore, they developed an
43  2 x
incorrect equation 8  that lead to incorrect answers. Further, some
7
candidates calculated the variance of the five observations given by applying

the incorrect formula Var  X  

x x and thus ended up with incorrect
N
answers including 21.16.
In part (b), some candidates applied an incorrect formula for calculating the
N 
   fb 
median. Some of them wrote Median  L   2 i instead of
  fw 
 
 
N 
   fb 
Median  L   2 i . Other candidates recalled the correct formula
  fw 
 
 
but failed to determine the values of some of its variables. For example,
some candidates wrote L  19.5 indicating that these candidates added 0.5 to
the lower limit of the median class instead of subtracting it. Also, some
candidates got an incorrect value of the class size, i  4 instead of i  5 .
Other candidates failed to determine the median class whereas most of them
preferred the class 14 – 18 to others, and therefore, they wrote L  13.5 ,
 fb  6 and fw  7 . Moreover, some candidates applied the inappropriate
formulae (Extract 6.2).

Extract 6.1: A sample of an incorrect response to part (a) of question 6

23
In Extract 6.1, the candidate calculated the sum of the missing observations
instead of values of the observations.

Extract 6.2: A sample of an incorrect response to part (b) of question 6.

In Extract 6.2, the candidate used the formula for calculating mode instead of
median.
The data further depict that 744 (2.15%) candidates correctly responded to
this question as they scored all ten (10) marks. The competent candidates
responded to part (a) by assuming that the missing observations are x and y.
Then, they correctly used the formula for calculating average and variance to
formulate and solve the equations to obtain the required observations 6 and 8
(Extract 6.3).
In part (b) the candidates realised that the total number of frequency N  is
N
40 implying that  20 and therefore, the median class is 19 – 23. Thus,
2
they correctly determined the class size, the lower boundary of median class,

24
frequency of median class and total frequency of the classes with lesser
values than that of median class which are i  5 , L  18.5 , is f w  7 and
f b  6 respectively. Finally, they substituted the values in the formula
 N 2  fb 
Median  L   i and computed to obtain Median  21 . Also, few
 f w 
candidates answered this part by representing the data using ogive and
estimating the median.

Extract 6.3: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 6

In Extract 6.1, the candidate correctly formulated and solved equations to
obtain the missing observations.

25
2.7 Question 7: Probability
The question tested the candidates' competence in computing permutation,
the probability of mutually exclusive events and combined events. It
comprised the following parts:

(a) Show that n1P  n  n  1 .

2
1
(b) A and B are mutually exclusive events with P  A  and
2
1
P  B  . Find P  A  B  .
4
(c) Two balls are drawn randomly without replacement from a bag
containing 3 black balls and 2 white balls.
(i) Use tree diagram to analyze the probability of each drawing.
(ii) Find the probability that both balls are white.
A total of 34,545 candidates responded to this question, of which 8,095
(23.43%) scored between 3.5 and 10 marks. Therefore, the candidates had
weak performance in this question. Figure 8 shows the percentage of
candidates who obtained low, average and high scores.

Figure 8: The candidates' performance in question 7

On the other hand, 76.57 per cent, equivalent to 23,603 candidates got low
marks. In part (a) many candidates wrote the correct conclusion but their
works contained some misconceptions. Most of these candidates applied the
n!
definition of combination, n Cr  and therefore, they incorrectly
n  r !r!
26
defined n1
P2 as
n  1! . Similarly, some candidates wrote
n  1  2!2!
n 1 n 1 n
P2  indicating that they defined n Pr as . Moreover, some applied
2 r
the definition of permutations correctly and got ( n 1) P2 
n  1! but
(n  1)  2!
committed errors in simplifying a factorial expression. For instance, some

candidates wrote
n  1! as n  1!2! .
(n  1! (n  1!
In part (b), many candidates ignored the condition for mutually exclusive
events and thus, their responses lacked coherence and correctness. Most of
these candidates used the formula P( A  B)  P( A)  P( B) (Extract 7.1)
instead of the fact “for any mutually exclusive events A and B ,
P( A  B)  0 ”. Other candidates wrote P( A  B)  P( A)  P( B) while
taking P( B)  1  P( B) . This approach would be correct if A and B' were
independent events, but the question is quite about it. Moreover, a significant
number of candidates wrote P( A  B)  P( A)  P( B) and thus, subtracted
1 1 1
from to obtain P( A  B)  .
4 2 4

In part (c), many candidates incorrectly interpreted BB, BW ,WB,WW  and

WW  as a sample space and event respectively. Therefore, they applied the
n( E ) 1
formula P( E )  and got P(WW )  . It should be known that a tree
n( S ) 4
diagram describes the possible alternatives of selecting two balls, and
therefore, each entry must be the probability of a particular event. Other
candidates ignored the instruction “without replacement”. These candidates
wrote incorrect probabilities for some branches of the tree diagram.
Furthermore, some candidates wrote P(WW )  52  14  13 20
implying that
P(W1W2 )  PW1   PW2  instead of P(W1W2 )  PW1  PW2  .

27
 Extract 7.1: A sample of incorrect response to part (b) of question 7.
In Extract 7.1, the candidates applied inappropriate formulae
P( A  B)  P( A)  P( B) and P A  B  P( A  B)  1 .

The analysis further showed that 399 (1.16%) candidates scored all 10 marks
allotted to this question. In part (a), the candidates were knowledgeable about
the definitions of permutation  n Pr  and factorial notation  n ! Therefore,

they rewrote the n 1

P2 as
 n  1! and followed the definition of n ! to
  n  1  2 !
 n  1 n  n  1! which simplifies to n n  1 .
change it into  
 n  1!
In part (b), the candidates were aware of the fact that A  B   for any
mutually exclusive events A and B . Therefore, they developed various
correct set relations which involve A  B and applied appropriate formulae
28
to determine the probability of A  B (Extract 7.2). Other candidates
realized that if events A and B are mutually exclusive, then A  B is
equivalent to A and consequently P  A  B   P  A . Thus, they simply
1
wrote P  A  B   .
2
Competent candidates answered part (c) by drawing a correct tree diagram
(Extract 7.3). Then, they studied the tree diagram and obtained the
2 1
probabilities of the events W1 and W2 as and respectively. Thus, they
5 4
calculated the probability of drawing both white balls by computing the
2 1 1
product of and hence, ending up with P WW
1 2  .
5 4 10

Extract 7.2: A sample of correct response to part (b) of question 7

29
 In Extract 7.2, the candidate developed the correct formula
P A  B  P A  B  PB and used it correctly to determine that

P A  B 
1
.
2

Extract 7.3: A sample of correct response to part (c) of question 7

In Extract 7.3, the candidate indicated the correct probability of each event
for all possible alternatives.

2.8 Question 8: Trigonometry

The question tested the candidates’ competence in applying trigonometric
identities. It also measured the ability of candidates to use the cosine rule or
trigonometric ratios to calculate the angles of a triangle. The question stated
as follows:
(a) Write cos 2B in terms of tan B .
m 1 
(b) If tan A  and tan B  , show that A  B  .
m 1 2m  1 4


(c) Find the degree measure of A B C in the following figure:

30
 B

4 cm
3 cm

A C
5 cm

This question was attempted by 34,549 candidates, out of them 5,929

(17.16%) got 3.5 marks or more. Therefore, the overall performance of the
candidates in this question was weak. Figure 9 shows the performance of the
candidates in this question.

Figure 9: The candidates' performance in question 7

A total of 28,620 (82.84%) candidates scored 3.0 marks or less. In part (a),
most of these candidates failed to recall the double angle formula for cosine
and therefore, failed to write cos 2B in terms of cos B and sin B . For
example, some candidates rewrote cos 2B as 2cos B sin B which is an
expansion of sin 2B . Among these candidates, some divided 2cos B sin B by
2 cos 2 B resulting in tan B and concluded that cos 2B  tan B . Similarly,
some candidates wrongly interpreted cos 2B as tan(B  B) and ended up

31
 2 tan B
with an incorrect conclusion, cos 2 B  . Also, some candidates
1  tan 2 B
1  cos 2 B 2 cos 2 B  1
wrongly perceived that cos 2 B  instead of cos 2 B  .
2 2
The candidates were supposed to write cos 2B as cos2 B  sin 2 B and
cos 2 B  sin 2 B
consequently after applying the identity cos2 B  sin 2 B  1 .
cos B  sin B
2 2

cos 2 B  sin 2 B
Then, they would divide each term of by cos2 B and arrive
cos B  sin B
2 2

1  tan 2 B
at cos 2 B  .
1  tan 2 B
In part (b), most candidates gave inappropriate initial statements for the
required verification. Some candidates wrote tan A  tan B . Thus, they
m 1
replaced tan A and tan B with and and consequently obtained
m 1 2m  1
m 1
 and solved for m. Therefore, they did not meet the
m  1 2m  1
requirements of the question. Further, some candidates directly evaluated
m 1
A  B by simplifying  . Through this approach, the candidates
m  1 2m  1

got the expression containing the variable m instead of the angle .
4
Similarly, few candidates realized the need to start with tan( A  B) , but they
tan A tan B
wrote incorrect formulae including tan( A  B)  and therefore
1  tan A tan B
obtained expressions which do not verify the statement. In part (c), many
candidates applied the sine rule which requires skills in solving three
simultaneous equations (Extract 8.1).

32
 Extract 8.1: A sample of an incorrect response to part (c) of question 8
In Extract 8.1, the candidate failed to expose and solve the equations after
applying the sine rule.
Despite the weak performance by majority of the candidates, 133 (0.38%)
candidates scored all 10 marks in this question. In part (a), these candidates
recalled the identities cos 2B  cos2 B  sin 2 B and cos2 B  sin 2 B  1 .
cos 2 B  sin 2 B
Therefore, they wrote cos 2B as and divided both the
cos 2 B  sin 2 B
1  tan 2 B
numerator and denominator by cos2 B to get cos 2 B  . In part (b),
1  tan 2 B
tan A  tan B
the candidates applied the identity tan  A  B   while
1  tan A tan B
m 1
replacing tan A and tan B with and respectively. They
m 1 2m  1
further simplified the identity and obtained tan  A  B   1 implying

A  B  tan 1 1 and consequently A B  . Some candidates who
4

33
 correctly responded to part (c) were conversant with the cosine rule (Extract
8.2). Other candidates proved that the sides of the triangle obey Pythagoras
theorem by showing that 32  42  52 . They further concluded that the degree
measure of angle B is 90 . These candidates were also aware of the fact
that the triangle whose sides obey Pythagoras theorem is a right - angled
triangle and its right angle is the angle which is opposite to the longest side.

Extract 8.2: A sample of correct response to part (c) of question 8

In Extract 8.3, the candidate correctly identified the angles and the
corresponding opposite sides and then correctly applied the cosine rule.

2.9 Question 9: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

The question intended to examine the candidates’ competence in drawing the

graphs of exponential and logarithmic functions and determining their
domain and range. This question consisted of the following parts:

(a) Draw the graph of f ( x)  2 x 5 and g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) on the same xy

plane.

(b) Use the graphs drawn in 9(a) to determine the domain and range of
f(x) and g(x).

34
A total of 5,866 (16.98%) candidates obtained from 3.5 to 10 marks.
Generally the performance in this question was weak. Figure 10 shows the
overall performance in percentage.

Figure 10: The candidates' performance in question 9

In part (a), the majority sketched the graphs which excluded some values
along the x – axis. These sketches indicate that the candidates used few
points without considering the features of the graphs of exponential
functions. Some candidates also failed to determine the values of f ( x)  2 x 5
as x becomes a very large negative number. Therefore, the graphs did not
approach the x - axis. Instead, some graphs crossed the x – axis and hence
included negative values along y – axis. These graphs indicate that the
candidates incorrectly evaluated the numbers with negative exponents,
including 24 , 2 3 , 2 2 and 2 1 and ended up with negative instead of
positive values.

Similar misconceptions were also observed in drawing the graphs of

logarithmic functions. Further, most candidates did not consider the
condition for the logarithmic function being defined. They did not write or
solve the inequality 2 x  3  0 and therefore, failed to realise that
3
g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) is defined for all values of x greater than  . As a
2
result, some of these candidates computed the values of g (x) for some

35
 3
values of x which are less than  and ended up with incorrect answers.
2
Furthermore, some candidates wrongly assumed that g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) is
the inverse of f ( x)  2 x  5 . Thus, they traced the curve of
g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) by studying the curve of f ( x)  2 x 5 . The candidates
were not aware that the inverse of the exponential function takes the
logarithmic form, but the particular logarithmic function changes depending
on the components of the given exponential function.

The incorrect answers in part (a) led to incorrect response in part (b). The
incorrect answers observed in part (b) included domain  {x : 2  x  2} and
range  { y : y  2} for f ( x)  2 x  5 and domain  {x : x  1} and
range  { y : y  0} for g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) . They were supposed to state that
domain  {x : x  } and range  { y : y  , y  0} for the given exponential
function and domain  {x : x  , x   32} and range  { y : y  } for the
given logarithmic function.

Extract 9.1: A sample of correct response to part (b) of question 9

As Extract 9.1 shows, the candidate wrote incorrect answers that domain and
range for both f (x) and g (x) are numbers greater than zero.

Despite the weak performance, 75 (0.22%) candidates got full marks. In part
(a), the candidates correctly computed the values of f (x) for some values of
x . Thus, they developed the points including the point at which the curve
 1 
crosses y - axis, that is  0,  . The candidates also realised that f (x)
 32 

36
increases as x increases and vice versa, however, it approaches to zero as x
becomes a very large negative number. For the case of logarithmic function,
these candidates correctly identified the interval in which log 2 (2 x  3) is
3
defined by solving the inequality 2 x  3  0 resulting in x   . Therefore,
4
they computed the points satisfying the function g ( x)  log 2 (2 x  3) by
3
substituting some values of x which are greater than 
. Further, they
2
determined the y – intercept by computing g (0)  log 2 3  1.58 and
consequently 0, 1.58 . The candidates also knew that the curve crosses the
x – axis at a point where g ( x)  0 . Therefore, they solved the equation
log 2 (2 x  3)  0 resulting to x  1 implying the point  1, 0 . With this
information, the candidates drew the correct graph of g (x) (Extract 9.2).
Furthermore, the candidates studied the coverage of the graphs along x – axis
to determine the domain and along the y – axis to determine the range.
Therefore, they correctly wrote domain  {x : x  } and
range  { y : y  , y  0} for exponential function while for the given
logarithmic function they wrote domain  {x : x  , x   32} and
range  { y : y  } .

Extract 9.2: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 9

37
 In Extract 9.2, the candidates correctly sketched the graph of f (x) and g (x)
by plotting the points and tracing them on the xy - plane by free hand.
2.10 Question 10: Matrices and Linear Programming
The question was set from both Matrices and Linear Programming. The
question measured the candidates’ competence in applying the properties of
inverse matrices and representing the linear programming problem by the
graph. The question included the following parts:

 a 4 6   1 2 2 
(a) Given the matrices D   8 5 7  and E   3 b 1  . If D
 
 5 3 4   1 1 3
is the inverse of E, determine the value(s) of a and b .
(b) A firm manufactures two products, A and B. The firm sells product A at
a profit of 5 shillings per unit and product B at a profit of 3 shillings
per unit. Each product is processed on two machines, M1 and M2. One
unit of product A requires one minute of processing on M1 and two
minutes of processing on M2 per day. One unit of product B requires
two minutes of processing on M1 and one minute of processing on M2
per day. Machine M1 works for 5 minutes per day while machine M2
works for 6 minutes per day. Represent the information by using a
graph and indicate the feasible region.
This question was answered by 34,538 candidates, among them 23,397
(67.74) got 3.5 marks or more. Therefore, the overall performance of
candidates in this question was good. Figure 11 shows the percentage of
candidates who scored low, average and high marks.

Figure 11: The candidates’ performance in question 10

38
The majority answered part (a) by starting with the statement DE  I and
 a  4  6  1 2  2 1 0 0
consequently  8 5 7   3 b 1   0 1 0 . This approach
 5 7 4   1 1 3  0 0 1
indicates that the candidates were conversant with the property of matrices
 
“the product of n by n matrix  A and its inverse A1 results in an identity
matrix I  , 1
that is AA  I ”. The candidates also correctly performed
a  6 2a  4b  6  2a  14 1 0 0
matrix multiplication to obtain  0  9  5b 0   0 1 0  .
  
 0  6  3b 1  0 0 1
Then, they equated some of the corresponding elements to formulate and
solve the strategic equations, particularly a  6  1 and 6  3b  0 to get
a  7 and b  2 . Apart from this approach, a considerable number of
candidates equated some elements of the matrix D to the corresponding
elements of the inverse of matrix E and therefore, they got the incorrect
answers (Extract 10.1).
In part (b), these candidates correctly realised that the asked quantities are
the number of units of products A and that of product B produced per day
and thus, assigned the variables x and y respectively. Then, they correctly
formulated the constraints x  2 y  5 , 2 x  y  6 , x  0 and y  0 . Finally,
the candidates drew the graphs of the constraints and indicated the feasible
region (Extract 10.2).

39
 Extract 10.1: A sample of correct response to part (a) of question 10
In Extract 10.1, the candidate correctly evaluated the inverse of matrix E and
then compared its elements with the corresponding elements of the matrix D.

Extract 10.2: A sample of correct response to part (b) of question 10

40
In Extract 10.2, the candidate correctly drew the graphs of the constraints and
indicated the feasible region.
In spite of good performance, 11,141 (32.26%) candidates got low marks, of
which, 3,808 (11.03%) got zero. Some candidates wrongly interpreted the
two matrices as the singular matrices (Extract 10.2). Also, some candidates
incorrectly assumed that the product of a matrix and its inverse result in a
null matrix. They wrote D  E  0 and equated some elements of the product
to zero. For example, the candidates who got a  6 , considered the elements
of the first row in the first column. Further, there were candidates who
equated the corresponding elements of the matrices D and E . These
candidates got a  1 and b  5 . In addition, the candidates who opted to
equate the corresponding elements of D to those of the inverse of matrix E
(or vice versa) faced difficulties in calculating either determinants or
cofactors of the matrix. Generally, the candidates were not conversant with
the fact that a minor found in i row and j column M ij  is multiplied by

 1
i j
to form a factor. Moreover, a significant number of the candidates
performed matrix multiplication incorrectly. Most of these candidates
multiplied the elements of a column by those of a row instead of multiplying
the elements of the row by those of the column.
In part (b), many candidates interpreted the problem wrongly as they
formulated incorrect constraints including x  2 y  5 and 2 x  y  6 . They
were supposed to be aware of the assumption that the total amount of the
resource being utilized should be less than or equal to the amount of the
available resource. For this case, the appropriate sign is  (not  ) and
therefore, it results in x  2 y  5 and 2 x  y  6 . Other candidates lacked
skills in drawing the graph. For instance, a number of candidates
interchanged x and y coordinates as they located 2.5, 0 and 3, 0 on the
xy plane, implying 0, 2.5 and 0, 3 respectively. The errors led to an
incorrect feasible region.

41
 Extract 10.3: A sample of incorrect response for part (a) of question 10.
In Extract 10.3, the candidate incorrectly responded to part (a) based on the
statements D  0 and E  0 .

42
3.0 ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATES’ PERFORMANCE IN
EACH TOPIC
The Basic Applied Mathematics examination of 2022 comprised ten (10)
questions set from ten (10) topics. The data reveal that the candidates
performed well in the topics of Algebra (75.68%) and Linear
Programming (67.74%). This good performance indicates that the
candidates were competent in applying the formula for determining the
general term of an arithmetic progression, formulating
equations/inequalities from word problems, solving the equations, and
drawing graphs of linear inequalities. The candidates had an average
performance in the topics of Calculating Devices (58.60%)
and Functions (56.74%).
On the other hand, the overall performance of the candidates in other topics
was weak. The topics included Exponential and Logarithmic
Functions, Integration, Trigonometry, Differentiation, Probability and Stati
stics. The weak performance is due to the failure of the candidates to draw
graphs of exponential and logarithmic functions, apply rules of
differentiation, calculate the area between two curves, and apply the
trigonometric identities and rules. Appendix I shows the candidates'
overall performance for all examined topics in 2022 paper, while Appendix
II shows the performances in both 2021 and 2022 papers.
4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 Conclusion
The overall performance of the candidates in the Basic Applied
Mathematics paper of 2022 was average. However, the performance
decreased by 2.19 per cent when compared to the candidates’ performance
in 2021. The analysis also revealed that the overall performance in the
topics of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions and Integration was
persistently weak in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The decrease in performance
was attributed to candidates’ failure to apply computational skills and
formulae to solve problems; and inability to interpret curve.

4.2 Recommendations
In order to facilitate the acquisition of the required competencies among
students, it is recommended that teachers should:

43
(a) demonstrate and lead the students to describe features of exponential
and logarithmic functions.

(b) guide students on applications of integration in solving various

problems including the area between two curves.

(c) guide students to discuss how the double angle formulae are used to
solve problems.

(d) guide students to apply differentiation to solve real–life problems.

(e) lead students to deduce the definition of permutation and

combination.

(f) guide students to brainstorm the definition of mutually exclusive

events and calculate the probability of two mutually exclusive events.

44
 Appendix I
Analysis of Candidates' Performance per Topic in 141 Basic Applied
Mathematics 2022

Percentage of
Candidates who
Question
S/N Topic Scored an Remarks
Number
Average of 3.5
Marks or Above
1 Algebra 3 75.68 Good
2 Linear Programming 10 67.74 Good
3 Calculating Devices 1 58.60 Average
4 Functions 2 56.74 Average
5 Statistics 6 27.77 Weak
6 Probability 7 23.43 Weak
7 Differentiation 4 21.47 Weak
8 Trigonometry 8 17.16 Weak
9 Integration 5 16.99 Weak
Exponential and
10 9 16.98 Weak
Logarithmic Functions

45
 Appendix II
Candidates’ Performance in each Topic for 2021 &2022

46