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O-Level E-Math · 2024 · P1 Q4 Data analysis · Box-and-whisker plot 2 marks: (a) 1, (b) 1 · statistics & probability (box-and-whisker) difficulty 2 of 5

O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1, Question 4: Box-and-whisker plot

The answer

(a) 15.5 hours
(b) No, Rishi is incorrect

O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1 Question 4 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 4 of the O-Level E-Math 2024 Paper 1. It tests box-and-whisker plot, in the Data analysis 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

(a) The median is the vertical line inside the box, read off the scale as \(15.5\) hours.

(b) "More than 20 hours" means above the upper quartile (\(Q_3 = 20\)), which is \(25\%\) of the adults (\(\approx 30\) people). "Less than 12.5 hours" means below the lower quartile (\(Q_1 = 12.5\)), which is also \(25\%\) of the adults (\(\approx 30\) people). The two groups are the same size (a quarter each), not nearly double, so Rishi is incorrect.

Answer: (a) 15.5 hours
(b) No, Rishi is incorrect

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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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 4 test?

It is a box-and-whisker plot question from Data analysis, 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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