How to use this Sec 1 Science cheat sheet

This page lists every key formula, definition and fact you need for Sec 1 Lower Secondary Science in Singapore. Use it as a consolidation tool in the days before a CA or SA — read your notes first, then use this sheet to check retention. Print it and keep it at your desk.

Covers: Living Things & Diversity · Exploring Matter · Scientific Inquiry · Interactions (Forces & Pressure) · Scientific Representations. MOE aligned, 2024–2026 syllabus.

10 facts Sec 1 students most often forget

1. All living things must show ALL 7 MRS GREN characteristics — not just most of them.
2. A virus is not a living thing — it cannot carry out MRS GREN independently.
3. Elements are pure substances made of only one type of atom.
4. Compounds have fixed ratios of elements — mixtures do not.
5. The independent variable (IV) is what you change; the dependent variable (DV) is what you measure.
6. A hypothesis must be testable and link IV to DV with a predicted direction.
7. Pressure = Force ÷ Area. Larger area = less pressure for the same force.
8. Speed = Distance ÷ Time. Always include the correct unit.
9. A graph title must include: y-axis variable, "against", x-axis variable.
10. Anomalous results must be identified and excluded from the mean — not averaged in.