L1 Mathematical Reasoning Past Papers
Our 2026 and 2025 prediction papers, and every NZQA exam for Mathematical Reasoning (AS91947), with its assessment schedule and examiners’ report.
Official NZQA Papers
Mathematical Reasoning AS91947
Marked student answers at each grade (NZQA exemplars), 2025: Achievement · Merit · Excellence; 2023: Achievement · Merit · Excellence.
What the examiners keep saying
Use the method the question asks for, and write it out. If it says “use algebra”, an answer from the graphics calculator isn’t credited without the algebra, and since 2024 an answer with no working is marked “correct answer only”, which earns at most Achievement-level credit.
Reports: 2023–2025Try every part: the Merit and Excellence chances are spread through the paper, not saved for the end. If you can’t do a “show that” part, use the value it gives you in the next parts.
Reports: 2023–2025Work out what kind of pattern it is before writing its equation: linear, quadratic or exponential (an exponential pattern has a common ratio). Know the features of each kind of graph too.
Reports: 2023–2025Be able to find where two graphs meet with algebra as well as from a graph. In 2025, solving it with algebra was Excellence work.
Reports: 2023–2025Quadratics come up every year: expand to three terms, factorise, then solve. In 2025, factorising when the number in front of x² is more than 1 was Excellence work.
Reports: 2023–2025The top grades go to answers that work with letters: an area, volume or length written in terms of a variable, or a formula set up and rearranged.
Reports: 2023–2025Get the measurement basics right. Volume causes trouble every year, and students mix up perimeter with area and surface area with volume. Put the “squared” in the right place in area units, as in cm².
Reports: 2023–2025Know how to find the equation of a straight line, and keep the minus sign when the line slopes down. In 2025 many students also couldn’t find a parabola’s equation from its vertex or its roots.
Reports: 2024 and 2025
How to use these papers
- Start with the most recent papers. They are the closest to this year’s exam.
- Sit a whole paper without notes, then mark it with its schedule. The schedule shows what earns Achievement, Merit and Excellence in each part, not only the answer.
- After marking, read that year’s examiners’ report to see where other students lost marks.
- Check the 2026 assessment specification for what this year’s exam covers. An older paper can include something that has since changed.
All resources are linked directly from the official NZQA website. Maths Study Hub does not host these files.