Paper 1 Strategy

2 hours · MC 22% + Section B 33% · Compulsory part only.

Time allocation

Section	Marks (approx.)	Suggested time
Section A (MC)	36 × 1 = 36	30–40 minutes
Section B (short + structured)	~55	70–80 minutes
Review	—	10 minutes

If you finish Section A in 20 min, don't immediately move to B — use 10 min to re-check your MC answers. MC mistakes are the cheapest marks to recover.

Section A · Multiple Choice

Process for each question

1. Cover the choices, predict the answer mentally.
2. Uncover and pick the closest match.
3. If not sure, eliminate at least 2 wrong options.
4. Move on. Don't agonise over one MC for 3 minutes.
5. Mark uncertain ones (e.g. circle the number) and revisit after Section B if time allows.

Common MC trap patterns

Trap	Example
Almost-right answer	"What does TCP do?" — A) Routes packets (that's IP) B) Provides reliable delivery (correct)
Negated question	"Which is NOT a benefit of normalisation?" — students miss the NOT
Unit mismatch	"1 KB =" — 1024 bytes (NOT 1000 bytes)
Mixed scope	Question describes a LAN but options compare WAN features

Section B · Short and Structured Questions

Anatomy of a structured question

A typical structured question chains 4–6 sub-questions:

Q4. Context paragraph about a school library system.
   (a) Define X. [2]
   (b) Identify two attributes of Y. [2]
   (c) Write a pseudocode for Z. [4]
   (d) Evaluate the design with respect to W. [4]

Treat each sub-question as a mini-essay. Re-read the context only when a sub-question references it.

Answer length by mark count

Marks	Typical answer length
1	A short phrase or single fact
2	Two facts OR one fact + one example
3–4	A structured paragraph with definition + example
5–6	Multi-paragraph with diagram + comparison

Command verbs to take seriously

Verb	Expected response
State / List	Brief facts, no explanation
Describe	Sentence-level explanation
Explain	Why / how, with cause-effect
Compare	Two-sided table or paragraph
Evaluate	Strengths AND weaknesses, then a conclusion
Design	Plan + reasoning (e.g. ER diagram + justification)

Mini templates

"Explain why X happens"

X happens because <cause>. This is because <mechanism>. As a result, <effect>. For example, <concrete instance>.

"Compare A and B"

A is <short description> while B is <short description>. In terms of <criterion 1>, A <…> whereas B <…>. In terms of <criterion 2>, A <…> whereas B <…>. Therefore A is more suitable for <scenario>.

Pseudocode answer

Always use HKEAA-style:

INPUT n
total ← 0
FOR i ← 1 TO n
    total ← total + i
END FOR
OUTPUT total

Use ← for assignment, not =. Use END FOR, END IF to close blocks.

Reference materials provided in the paper

• SQL command list (the same one printed in Paper 2A)
• Common spreadsheet functions

Familiarise yourself with the layout so you don't waste time hunting on the day.

Bonus tips

• Number-base conversions appear nearly every year — drill until they take <30 sec.
• Section A often has 1 question on two's complement — practise the 3-step method.
• Section B often has 1 question requiring you to trace pseudocode — practise with a trace table.

➡️ Next: Paper 2 strategy