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O-Level E-Math · 2024 · P1 Q17 Set language & notation · Venn-diagram regions 2 marks: (a) 1, (b) 1 · number & algebra (set notation, venn diagrams) difficulty 3 of 5

O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1, Question 17: Venn-diagram regions

The answer

(a) 12
(b) 16

O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1 Question 17 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 17 of the O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1. It tests venn-diagram regions, in the Set language & notation area. It is worth 2 marks: (a) 1, (b) 1. It is a worded / diagram-based question, so open your Ten-Year Series (TYS) or the official paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.

Step-by-step solution

The four regions have \(7\) (in \(A\) only), \(3\) (in \(A \cap B\)), \(6\) (in \(B\) only) and \(9\) (outside both).

(a) \((A' \cup B) \cap (A \cup B')\) simplifies to \((A \cap B) \cup (A' \cap B')\), the elements that are in both sets or in neither set. That is the intersection (\(3\)) plus the outside region (\(9\)): \(n = 3 + 9 = 12\).

(b) \(A \cap B'\) is "in \(A\) only" (\(7\)); \((A \cup B)'\) is "outside both" (\(9\)). Their union is \(7 + 9 = 16\).

Answer: (a) 12
(b) 16

Same structure, different numbers

A question is hard because of its structure, not its surface.

Swap the constants, dress a quadratic as a length, hide a derivative inside an integral, and a student sees a brand new problem. The structure underneath is the same, and so is the method. Once a student can name the structure, a whole row of questions that look different start to open the same way.

That is where marks really leak: in choosing the method, not in the algebra that follows. We call it Lock and Key, name the lock, then the key follows.

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Genius Plus Academy · O-Level & IP Mathematics

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Our O-Level E-Math tuition trains the same recognise-the-structure method these worked solutions show, taught by a team that has marked these papers for years. It runs within our weekly Secondary Math programme, Sec 1 to 4 and IP.

Questions students ask

What does O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1 Question 17 test?

It is a venn-diagram regions question from Set language & notation, worth 2 marks: (a) 1, (b) 1.

Is this the same as IP Math?

Yes. IP (Integrated Programme) schools teach the same O-Level Mathematics content; they just sequence it differently and set their own internal exams, so these worked solutions apply to IP students too.

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Browse E-Math and A-Math by year in our worked-solutions library at /resources/solutions/o-level/.

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