…
2026 VCE Foundation Mathematics exam: What to learn from last year's mistakes
Hi all, in preparation for the upcoming exam, here's what to learn from last year's mistakes.
These are the 2025 questions I would redo first.
Section B, Q3d: average 0.0/1; scored zero 98%; full marks 2%.
Section B, Q12b: average 0.1/1; scored zero 95%; full marks 5%.
Section B, Q10a: average 0.2/2; scored zero 91%; full marks 5%.
Section B, Q11c: average 0.2/2; scored zero 88%; full marks 7%.
Section B, Q3b: average 0.1/1; scored zero 89%; full marks 11%.
VCAA's figures are rounded. These are question averages, not study scores. Q3d’s 0.0 average is rounded: 2% still earned its one mark.
1. Q3d: Compare consecutive seasons, not isolated bars
Where students went wrong
The graph gave start dates relative to 19 December. Students needed to compare neighbouring seasons, rather than count dates above zero.
What they should have done
A later date in the following season means the time between those starts is more than a year. Work left to right through the 23 adjacent pairs and count each rise in the plotted start date. The answer was 16. A bar below zero can still be part of a qualifying pair if it is later than the previous season’s start date.
2. Q3b: More than 10 days from a date includes both directions
Where students went wrong
A common answer was 6 because students counted only late starts. Dates more than 10 days before 19 December also qualify.
What they should have done
Count bars above +10 and below −10. Do not include a bar exactly 10 days away because the question says more than 10. There were 6 qualifying late starts and 5 qualifying early starts, giving 11.
3. Q10a: Repayment is not the same as principal reduction
Where students went wrong
Students treated the whole $4,803 repayment as money taken off the original debt, or used the interest rate incorrectly.
What they should have done
The loan began at $400,000 and charged 0.5% interest per month.
First month’s interest = $400,000 × 0.005 = $2,000.
Principal reduction = $4,803 − $2,000 = $2,803.
Balance after that repayment = $397,197.
Interest is added before the repayment reduces the balance. Do not divide the monthly 0.5% by 12 again.
4. Q11c: Use the weightings before adding
Where students went wrong
Students added the five ratings to get 39 or calculated the ordinary mean of 7.8. Neither used the different importance assigned to each criterion.
What they should have done
Multiply each rating by its weighting:
0.4 × 8.5 = 3.4
0.2 × 8.0 = 1.6
0.2 × 6.0 = 1.2
0.1 × 7.5 = 0.75
0.1 × 9.0 = 0.9
Total = 7.85, which rounds to 7.9 to one decimal place. The weightings sum to 1, so do not divide this total by 5.
5. Q12b: Work from two-thirds to the full bag
Where students went wrong
Students used the 20 kg as a volume or failed to scale the two-thirds-full volume to a completely full bag.
What they should have done
From part a: volume = mass ÷ density = 20 ÷ 1600 = 0.0125 m³ = 12.5 L.
That 12.5 L fills two-thirds of the bag. Full capacity = 12.5 ÷ (2/3) = 18.75 L.
One-third is 6.25 L, so three thirds are 18.75 L. Multiplying 12.5 by two-thirds would make the volume smaller when the question asks for a larger, full bag.
Source: VCAA 2025 Foundation Mathematics examination report: source. Averages and percentages above are VCAA's published, rounded figures; the explanations are my paraphrases.
Use the VCE Foundation Mathematics hub and past papers and examiner reports alongside this.
0 repliesReply