VCE Specialist Maths Examination 1

Examination 1 is 40 marks of short-answer and extended-answer questions in 1 hour of writing after 15 minutes of reading. No calculator, software or notes are allowed, and a formula sheet is provided. It is 20% of the study score.

Examination 1	40 marks in 1 hour, no technology or notes
Examination 2	20 multiple-choice questions and 60 marks of extended answers, 2 hours
Study score	Examination 1 20%, Examination 2 40%, coursework 40%
Reading time	15 minutes before each examination; a formula sheet with both

About a minute and a half a mark

Sixty minutes for 40 marks is 1.5 minutes a mark. A 3-mark part deserves about four and a half minutes: enough to write each step, not enough to try three methods.

Exact values, by hand

Give exact answers unless the question says otherwise: surds, multiples of pi and logarithms stay as they are.
Show the working the marks are for: a substitution, a partial fraction split, a step of an induction proof.
Check a complex number or a vector answer is in the form the question asks for.

Try 3 questions

Examination 1 · No technology · 5 marks · Complex numbers in polar form
Let $z = 1 - \sqrt{3} i$ and $w = 2 i$ .
Answer it, every step marked
Examination 1 · No technology · 5 marks · Complex numbers in polar form
Let $z = -1 + i$ .
Answer it, every step marked
Examination 1 · No technology · 6 marks · Complex numbers in polar form
Consider the equation $z^{4} = -8 - 8 \sqrt{3} i$ , where $z \in \mathbb{C}$ .
Answer it, every step marked

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Questions people ask

Can I use a calculator in Examination 1?

No. Examination 1 allows no technology and no notes. A formula sheet is provided.

How many marks is Examination 1?

40 marks, in 1 hour of writing after 15 minutes of reading. It is 20% of the study score.