Singapore maths and Australian Curriculum Year 8 comparison

We began our comparison of highschool Singapore maths with the Australian Curriculum (AC) at year 7. If you are considering Singapore maths for homeschool year 8, and have come from a school, you should check the Grade 7 comparison to see if your child is prepared.

The difference between the Accelerated and Normal Academic editions becomes more obvious at year 8, and really makes a difference at Year 9 (NA Book 3). (The Accelerated Book 3 covers year 9 and 10 work). More concepts are covered in the Accelerated.

Another difference between these two editions is that there are more questions in each exercise in the Accelerated edition. I always recommend this edition over the Normal Academic as you have the choice of slowing down if you need to (and because I am inclined to train my children to be strong on maths skills). However, if you have a non-maths inclined child and you just want to get what’s necessary covered without a heavy workload, the Normal Academic is the way to go.

You will note that the main lack in Singapore maths at year 8 compared to the AC seems to be indices. However, this is introduced in primary school and used in year 7 and 8. It is advanced in year 9. Other concepts are either on par or advanced.

For more information on Singapore maths and how it has produced the world’s top maths students, read our overview here.

Any differences in content between the Accelerated edition and the Normal Academic (NA) version is because the Accelerated consists of 4 books (covering years 7-11) and the NA has 5 books. Please check the comparison for year 9 (coming soon!).

For elaboration on the AC for year 8, check the AC website.

Number and algebra

Australian Curriculum	New Syllabus Maths 7th Ed. (Accelerated)	New Syllabus Maths Normal Academic
Number and place value Index notation, index laws Use the four operations with rational numbers and integers	Covered in Book 3 (year 9-10)	Covered in Book 3 (Year 9)
Real numbers Terminating and recurring decimals Irrational numbers, π Percentage increases and decreases Ratio	Check year 7 Ratio covered in year 7	Check year 7 Ratio covered in year 7
Money and financials Profit and loss
Patterns and algebra Distributive law; expansion of algebraic expressions Factorisation Simplify algebraic expressions	Direct and indirect proportion; algebraic and graphical representations Expansion and factorisation of quadratic expressions Quadratic equations and graphs; factorisation Algebraic fractions and formulae – using four operations Check year 7	Direct and indirect proportion; algebraic and graphical representations Quadratic expressions – expansion, simplification Factorisation Expansion and simplificaton of algebraic expressions Factorisation and expansion using special algebraic identities Algebraic fractions
Linear and non-linear relationships Plot linear relationships on the Cartesian plane Solve linear equations using algebra and graphs; verify by substitution	Graphs and linear equations; simultaneous linear equations; solve using graphs and algebra Check year 7	Simplification and solving linear expressions Simple inequalities Cartesian coordinates Graphs of linear functions Equation of a straight line Simultaneous linear equations – solve using graphs, elimination, substitution

Measurement and geometry

Australian Curriculum	New Syllabus Maths 7th Ed. (Accelerated)	New Syllabus Maths Normal Academic
Using units of measurement Area and volume and convert from one unit to another Perimeters and areas of parallelograms, trapeziums, rhombuses and kites	Volume and surface area – pyramids, cones, spheres, composite solids Covered in Year 7	Quadrilaterals; polygons Volume and surface area – pyramids, cones, spheres, composite solids
Relationship between area, circumference, radius and diameter	See above (cones, spheres)	See above (cones, spheres)
Formulas for volumes: rectangular and triangular prisms; prisms in general. Solve problems using formula for volume	Pythagoras’ Theorem Trigonometric ratios – find unknown sides and angles of right angle triangle	Pythagoras’ Theorem
Time Solve problems involving duration, including using 12- and 24-hour time within a single time zone
Geometric reasoning Congruence of plane shapes using transformations Congruence of triangles Establish properties of quadrilaterals using congruent triangles and angle properties; solve problems using reasoning	Congruent and similar figures; similarity, enlargement, scale drawings	Congruent and similar figures; map scales

Statistics and probability

Australian Curriculum	New Syllabus Maths 7th Ed. (Accelerated)	New Syllabus Maths Normal Academic
Chance Identify complementary events and use the sum of probabilities to solve problems Describe events using language of ‘at least’, exclusive ‘or’ (A or B but not both), inclusive ‘or’ (A or B or both) and ‘and’ Represent events in two-way tables and Venn diagrams and solve related problems	Introduction to probability Sample space Single events	Introduction to probability Sample space Single events
Data representation and interpretation Investigate techniques for collecting data, including census, sampling and observation Sampling Mean, median	Statistical diagrams; dot diagrams; stem-and-leaf diagrams; histograms (grouped and ungrouped data) Mean, median, mode	Statistical diagrams; dot diagrams; stem-and-leaf diagrams; histograms (grouped and ungrouped data) Mean, median, mode