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Mathematical Methods
Examination 1
Question and Answer Book
VCE Examination – Wednesday 5 November 2025
• Reading time is 15 minutes: 9.00 am to 9.15 am
• Writing time is 1 hour: 9.15 am to 10.15 am
Materials supplied
• Question and Answer Book of 16 pages
• Formula Sheet
Instructions
Students are not permitted to bring any technology (calculators or software), or notes of any kind,
into the examination room.
Students are not permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any unauthorised electronic devices
into the examination room.
Contents pages
9 questions (40 marks) 2–13
© VCAA 2025
Page 2 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Instructions
• Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
• Write your responses in English.
• In all questions where a numerical answer is required, an exact value must be given unless
otherwise specified.
• In questions where more than one mark is available, appropriate working must be shown.
• Unless otherwise indicated, the diagrams in this book are not drawn to scale.
Question 1 (3 marks)
a. Let y = x 2 cos ( x).
dy
Find . 1 mark
dx
Do not write in this area.
b. Let f ( x) 6 x 1 5.
Find the gradient of the tangent to y = f ( x) at x = 8. 2 marks
2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 3 of 16
Question 2 (2 marks)
3 1
Let g ( x) be a function defined for x so that g ( x) and g(1) = 0.
2 2x 3
Find g ( x).
Do not write in this area.
Page 4 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Question 3 (6 marks)
Let f : [0, 2 ] R, f ( x) 2 cos (2 x) 1.
a. State the range of f. 1 mark
b. Solve f ( x) = 0 for x. 3 marks
Do not write in this area.
3
c. Sketch the graph of y = f ( x) for x , on the axes below.
2 2
Label the endpoints with their coordinates. 2 marks
x
O π 3π
π 2π
2 2
−1
−2
2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 5 of 16
Question 4 (4 marks)
The probability distribution for the discrete random variable X is given in the table below,
where k is a positive real number.
x 0 1 2 3
4 2k k 2
Pr (X = x)
k 75 75 k
a. Show that k = 10 or k = 15. 2 marks
Do not write in this area.
b. Let k = 15.
i. Find Pr ( X > 1) . 1 mark
ii. Find E( X ) . 1 mark
Page 6 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Question 5 (4 marks)
a. Solve e2 x 8e x 7 0 for x. 2 marks
b. Let g ( x) e2 x 8e x 7, where x ∈ R.
The function g ( x) has exactly one stationary point, a local minimum.
Find the largest value of a such that when g is restricted to the domain ( , a ]
it has an inverse function. 2 marks
Do not write in this area.
2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 7 of 16
Question 6 (3 marks)
1
Consider the binomial random variable X ~ Bi 6, .
4
a. Find var(X ). 1 mark
b. Determine Pr ( X ≥ 5).
a
Give your answer in the form , where a, b ∈ Z . 2 marks
2b
Do not write in this area.
Page 8 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Question 7 (6 marks)
Let f : R R, f ( x) x3 x 2 16 x 20.
a. Verify that x = 5 is a solution of f ( x) = 0. 1 mark
b. Express f ( x) in the form ( x d ) 2 ( x 5), where d ∈ R . 2 marks
Do not write in this area.
2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 9 of 16
c. Consider the graph of y = f ( x), as shown below.
Complete the coordinate pairs of all axial intercepts of y = f ( x). 1 mark
y = f (x)
( , 0) ( , 0)
x
O
(0, )
Do not write in this area.
d. Let g : R R, g ( x) x 2.
i. State the coordinates of the stationary point of inflection for the graph of
y = f ( x) g ( x). 1 mark
ii. Write down the values of x for which f ( x) g ( x) ≥ 0. 1 mark
Page 10 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Question 8 (5 marks)
Consider
3 4
(4 3x) 0 x
f ( x) 8 3
0 otherwise
a. The continuous random variable X has probability density function f ( x).
9
Find k such that Pr ( X k ) . 3 marks
16
Do not write in this area.
b. The function h( x) is a transformation of f ( x) such that
h( x ) m f ( x ) n
where m and n are real numbers.
4
Find
∫ 3
0
h( x) dx in terms of m and n. 2 marks
Do not write in this area. 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 11 of 16
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Examination continues on the next page.
Page 12 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Question 9 (7 marks)
Consider the functions
w2
f : R \ 1 R, f ( x)
( x 1) 2
and
g : R R, g ( x) ( x w) 2
where w ∈ R .
a. If w 3, find the four solutions to f ( x) = g ( x) . 3 marks
Do not write in this area.
2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 13 of 16
b. Consider the case where w > 0.
i. Find, in terms of w, the coordinates of the minimum point of the graph of
y ( x 1)( x w). 2 marks
ii. Hence, or otherwise, find the positive values of w for which f ( x) = g ( x) has
exactly three solutions. 2 marks
Do not write in this area.
End of examination questions
Page 14 of 16 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
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Do not write in this area. 2025 VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Page 15 of 16
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© Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2025
Mathematical Methods
Examination 1
2025 Formula Sheet
You may keep this Formula Sheet.
© VCAA 2025
Page 2 of 4 Formula Sheet VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1
Mensuration
area of volume 1
a trapezium
1 a b h
of a pyramid
Ah
2 3
curved 4 3
volume πr
surface area 2π rh
of a sphere 3
of a cylinder
volume of 1
π r 2h area of a triangle bc sin A
a cylinder 2
1 2
volume of a cone πr h
3
Calculus
d n
dx
x nx n 1
x n dx
1 n 1
n 1
x c, n 1
d
dx
(ax b) n an ax b
n 1
(ax b) n dx
1
a (n 1)
(ax b) n 1 c, n 1
d ax 1 ax
dx
e ae ax
eax dx
a
e c
d
x dx log ( x) c, x 0
1 1
log e ( x) x e
dx
d
1
sin (ax) a cos (ax) sin (ax)dx cos (ax) c
a
dx
d
cos (ax)dx a sin (ax) c
1
cos (ax) = a sin (ax)
dx
d a
tan (ax) = 2 a sec 2 (ax)
dx cos (ax)
du dv
d dv du u
v
product rule (uv) u v quotient rule d u dx dx
dx dx dx 2
dx v v
dy dy du f xn
chain rule = Newton’s method xn 1 xn
dx du dx f xn
trapezium xn x0
rule Area f ( x ) 2 f ( x ) 2 f ( x ) 2 f ( x ) 2 f ( x ) f ( x )
2n 0 1 2 n 2 n 1 n
approximation
VCE Mathematical Methods Examination 1 Formula Sheet Page 3 of 4
Probability
Pr (A) = 1− Pr (A′ ) Pr (A ∪ B) = Pr (A) + Pr (B) − Pr (A ∩ B)
Pr ( A ∩ B)
Pr (A|B) =
Pr ( B)
mean µ = E(X) variance var(X) = σ 2 = E((X − µ)2) = E(X 2 ) − µ2
binomial n n!
coefficient x x !(n x)!
Probability distribution Mean Variance
discrete Pr ( X = x) = p(x) µ = ∑ x p(x) σ 2 = ∑ (x − µ)2 p(x)
n
binomial Pr ( X x) p x (1 p ) n x µ = np σ 2 = np (1 − p)
x
b
continuous Pr (a X b)
a
f ( x) dx
x f ( x) dx 2
( x ) 2 f ( x) dx
Sample proportions
X
P= mean E(P) = p
n
approximate
standard p (1 − p )
ˆp − z
ˆp (1 − ˆp ) , p + z ˆp (1 − ˆp )
deviation
sd( P ) =
n
confidence
n
ˆ n
interval
End of Formula Sheet
© Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2025