CURRENT SETTING TRENDS IN KCSE

MATHEMATICS PAPER 1
Mathematics paper is divided into 9 clusters. Out of the 9, we have 3 major areas.
• Very key areas
• Key areas
• Other areas

Very key areas

Consists of 4 clusters which normally produces
✓ 5 questions each of 10 marks in section II and
✓ 6 questions in section I.
The total score from this area is about 70 marks.
Key areas:

These are 4 clusters which produces

✓ Almost 3 questions in section II and
✓ Other section I questions.

Other key areas

This consists of one cluster that produces
✓ At least 2 questions in section I.
AREAS A LEARNER MUST BE CONVERSANT WITH
1. Calculus and Area Estimation
2. Measurement and trigonometry
3. Equations
4. Vectors and Transformation

CALCULUS AND AREA ESTIMATION

Differentiation and its application (at least 1 question)

❖ gradient/gradient function, dy/dx, Tangents/Normal, turning points and their
nature, x- and y-intercepts, curve sketching

1. Determine the equation of the tangent to the curve 𝑦 = 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1 at point x = k

1
given that the gradient of the normal to the curve at that point is −
14

Question 2: KCSE 2016 No.23

2. The equation of a curve is y = 2x² + 3x².

(a) Find:
i. the x-intercept of the curve: (2 marks)

ii. the y-intercept of the curve. (1 mark)

(b) (i) Determine the stationary points of the curve. (3 marks)

(ii) For each point in (b) (i) above, determine whether it is a maximum or a
minimum. (2 marks)

3. Practice questions: KCSE (2014 No.24, 2015 No.24, 2017 No.24, 2019 No.24, 2021
No.24)

❖ A p p l i c a t i o n to kinetics, Areas/surface areas, volumes, General

application to maxima/minima – KCSE 2022 No.23, KCSE 2010 No. 24,
KCSE 2023 No. 23, KCSE 2020 No.24

❖ A r e a Estimation (Trapezium & Mid-Ordinate Rules)- practice

questions:2023 No.11, KCSE 2014 No. 21(Filling a table to use), KCSE
2022 No.22 (graph drawn- no grid), KCSE 2019 No.23(graph drawn on a
grid)
Area estimation and integration
This involves;
❖ Getting area using trapezium rule
❖ Getting area using mid-ordinate rule
❖ Getting exact area by integration and
❖ Finding the percentage error in using either trapezium or mid-ordinate rule

General questions

1. Given the function y = x3 −12x +15

a) Find y when x = 3
b) Find gradient at x = 3
c) Find equation of tangent to the curve at x = 3
d) Find normal to the curve at x = 3
e) Find the turning points of the curve.
f) Find the nature of turning point.
g) Sketch the curve y = x3 −12x +15
2. Given that the displacement S is given by S = t 3 − 6t 2 + 16
a) Find s when t = 3
b) Find the velocity at t = 3
c) Find when the particle is at rest
d) Find is the displacement during 3rd second.
e) Find the initial velocity.
MEASUREMENT AND TRIGONOMETRY
• Area of triangles, Quadrilateral, regular, polygon: KCSE 2023 No.3, KCSE 2022 No.6
• Surface areas and volumes of a cylinder cone, sphere, hemisphere, frustums,
prism, cuboids and pyramid: KCSE 2023 No.4, No.19, KCSE 2011 No.13,
KCSE 2022 No.18,KCSE 2021 No.18, No.14,KCSE 2020 No.18
• Area of part of a circle: KCSE 2023 No.22
• Application of mass, density and volume, length and line. (question), KCSE 2012 No.18
• Time: KCSE 2022 No.7, KCSE 2021 No.13, KCSE 2020 NO.15
(a) Addition and subtraction of time
(b) 12/24-hour clock systems
(c) Time gain and loss
o Note: Pay keen interest on final answers e.g. Number of trips=4,234, means we
round up.
 • Trigonometry.
✓ Trigonometric ratios (SOHCAHTOA).
✓ Complimentary angles. If cos x = sin y  x + y = 90 


0 0 0
✓ Special angles 60 , 45 , 30 

✓ Angles greater than 90 
✓ Application of sine and cosine rule to solve triangles (KCSE 2009 No.17,
KCSE 2018 No.21, KCSE 2015 No.20, KCSE 2021 No.20, KCSE 2019 No.
22
✓ Application to bearings
(Note: Pay attention to accuracy, answer by the instructions)

Example of application questions

1. The mass of a solid sphere 132kg. The density of the solid is 30g/cm3. Determine the
radius of the spherical solid.
2. An equilateral triangle of sides 10cm is the base of a pyramid of height 20cm. the
pyramidal solid is cast into a conical solid of radius 6cm. Find the surface area of the
cone.
EQUATIONS
❖ Equation of a straight line
o How to get an eqn. and its forms
o Mid-points
o Parallel and Perpendicular lines
o Intercepts
o intersections
❖ Simultaneous/linear equation
o Elimination method
o Substitution method
o Graphical method
o Matrix method- very important
❖ Quadratic equations
o Applications of quadratic equations (Word problems)
❖ Linear inequalities
o Number line
o Solving compound inequalities
o Graphing inequalities
o Forming inequalities from a graph
VECTORS AND TRANSFORMATION
Vectors
(a) Position, \column and unit vectors
(b) Magnitude of vectors
(c) Addition of vectors
(d) Collinearity
(e) Ratio theorem
(f) Scalars
Transformation
- Reflection
- Rotation
- Enlargement
- Translation
 KEY AREAS
This includes
✓ Statistics I
✓ Bearing /Scale drawing/Survey
✓ Rates and Proportions
✓ Angles and area of parts of a circle.

STATISTICS
• Mean, median, mode of ungrouped, “Special” and grouped data.
• Histogram and frequency polygon.
Highlights
✓ In frequency polygon you plot frequency against mid points.
✓ In histogram we plot frequency density against class boundaries.
✓ When the intervals use equal, histogram and frequency polygon can be plotted on
the same axes. If the intervals are different, they cannot be drawn on same axes.
✓ Pay keen attention to the scale used.
Example 1
Draw histogram and frequency polygon on same axes for the data below.

Marks 30 − 39 40 − 49 50 − 59 60 − 69
Frequency 3 5 4 6
 Example 2
From histogram below;

i) Prepare a frequency table e.g 10  x  20

ii) Estimate the median
iii) Estimate the number of students who scores 50 and above
iv) Calculate the mean.

GEOMETRY
◆ Basic Constructions
➢ Common angles
➢ Bisecting angles
➢ Proportional division of a line
➢ Dropping a perpendicular
➢ Measurement skills (angles and lengths)
➢ Parallel lines
◆ Scale Drawing
➢ Parallel North lines
◆ Common Solids
➢ Nets (accurately constructed)
✓ Use continuous lines
✓ Label the net
➢ Completion of figures
✓ Hidden lines must be represented using dotted lines.
LINEAR MOTION
- Velocity time-graphs
- Average speed
- Relative motion
RATES AND PROPORTIONS
✓ Ratios and percentages
• Ratios must be simplified (1.2m:80cm)
✓ Commercial arithmetic I
• Foreign exchange
• Commission
• Discount
• Profit and loss
• Note; to the nearest ksh. (Round off)
✓ Fractions and decimals
• Evaluation (always simplify your answer)
• Conversion of recurring decimals
• Word problem application
✓ Simple rate of work
• Practice with application questions

iv) ANGLES AND AREA OF PARTS OF A CIRCLE

✓ Plane figures
• Polygon formulas
- Sum of interior angles
- Interior and exterior angles
- Exterior angle and the number of sides
- Number of triangles

✓ Angles properties of a circle.

• Angles subtended by same chord at circumference
• Angle subtended by the diameter
• Opposite angles of acyclic quadrilaterals .
✓ Areas of a mirror and major sector and segments.
• Areas common to two intersecting circles.

✓ Numbers:
• Integers,
• Simple evaluations

OTHER KEY AREAS:

• LCM/GCD (Application questions)
• Place value, Total values
• Square & square roots, cube & cube roots and reciprocals.
✓ Indices and logarithms
• How to use the laws of indices and logarithms well
 SCOPE OF PAPER 1
Form 1 Form 2 Form 3 & 4
Section 1 25 25 −
Section 2 10 40 30