NECTA Wiki

NECTA Wiki Rulebook

Core Rule

The wiki is syllabus-driven. The official syllabus defines what must be taught, topic placement, and the curriculum spine. Textbooks, Wikipedia, Wikidata, exam papers, marking schemes, teacher notes, and web resources are enrichment or assessment signals unless a project maintainer explicitly marks them as curriculum authority.

Every learner-facing page must be original writing. Do not copy textbook wording, Wikipedia prose, or extracted exam solutions into the wiki. Use sources to understand concepts, examples, local sequence, terminology, and assessment style, then write in fresh language.

Source Hierarchy

Use source labels consistently:

  • Official syllabus: curriculum authority for topic identity, form, competence, and scope.
  • Official exam format: assessment guidance, not curriculum authority.
  • Exam extraction JSON: unreviewed assessment signal until checked against original papers.
  • Textbooks: pedagogical context and example-style signal, not copied content.
  • Wikidata: open structured enrichment for canonical IDs, aliases, and disambiguation.
  • Wikipedia: open text enrichment for background and disambiguation, used with attribution and without copied prose.
  • Generated questions: primary practice layer, clearly separated from official past questions.

When sources disagree, keep the syllabus spine stable and add a review note rather than silently merging claims.

Required Topic Page Shape

Finished topic pages should be chapter-level learning pages, not short topic stubs. Use this order:

  1. Metadata block: summary, sources, last updated date, and review status.
  2. Overview: short explanation of what the learner will understand and why it matters.
  3. Syllabus Alignment: subject, level, form, competence, source topic ID, and hub.
  4. Prerequisites: concepts a learner should know first.
  5. Learning Scope: what the page covers and what it intentionally leaves to related pages.
  6. Subtopics: the main teaching sections, each with explanation, key insight, and examples where useful.
  7. Key Terms: concise definitions.
  8. Worked Examples: step-by-step, using display math for working.
  9. Common Mistakes: misconceptions and corrections.
  10. Practice Tasks: progressive exercises from direct recall to application.
  11. Generated Question Layer: original practice categories to support future question generation.
  12. Learner Aid Opportunities: optional planning metadata for future learner supports.
  13. Exam-Derived Signals: cautious, unreviewed or reviewed past-paper signals.
  14. Source And Review Notes: source status, enrichment status, and review risks.
  15. Related Pages: wiki links for prerequisites, extensions, and sibling topics.

Short pages are allowed only as placeholders. A page with learner explanation, examples, or practice must follow the full chapter standard.

Form/Class Page Standard

Form pages are class-level learning maps. They help a learner, teacher, reviewer, or future tutor understand what belongs to a class level and what to study next.

Use official syllabus naming first, then aliases for human search and future retrieval. For example, keep Form II as the official name while also recording aliases such as Form Two, Class Level: Form II, Ordinary Secondary Year 2, and CSEE Mathematics Form II.

Each form/class page should include:

  • Overview of the form/class level.
  • Alias block.
  • Link to subject, level, source form ID, and official syllabus source.
  • Learning pathway grouped by topic hub or strand.
  • Full official topic list in syllabus sequence.
  • Topic readiness markers such as stub, chapter-ready, needs review, and exam-signal available.
  • Tutor-ready notes for learner level, recommended starting points, natural next topics, and retrieval hints.

Subject pages are curriculum overview pages. Form pages are navigation and learning-path pages. Topic pages are chapter pages.

Future personalized tutors should use form pages to infer learner level, relevant topic sequence, and suitable next pages before generating explanations or practice.

Link across subjects when the connection illuminates learning, for example when a Mathematics idea supports Physics, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Civics, History, or another NECTA subject.

Each cross-disciplinary related-topic link should:

  • Point to the canonical wiki/topics/ page for the related topic.
  • Explain the relationship in one sentence.
  • Keep the source hierarchy clear by naming which subject syllabus owns each topic.
  • Avoid duplicating a topic page under another subject just because the idea is useful there.

Use cross-subject links for learning bridges, not for changing the official curriculum placement of a topic.

Math Notation Standard

Write mathematics for both current Markdown/Obsidian use and future KaTeX/MathJax rendering.

  • Use inline math for short expressions: $5^3$, $a^m \cdot a^n$, $x \ne 0$.
  • Use display math for equations, derivations, and multi-step working:
$$
\begin{aligned}
8^{x-1} &= 16 \\
(2^3)^{x-1} &= 2^4 \\
2^{3x-3} &= 2^4
\end{aligned}
$$
  • Prefer LaTeX commands for fractions, powers, roots, sets, matrices, geometry notation, and units.
  • Use \times for multiplication in displayed math when it improves readability.
  • Use \cdot when multiplication is algebraic and compact, such as $a^m \cdot a^n$.
  • Use \frac{a}{b} instead of a/b in learner-facing math.
  • Use \sqrt{x} for roots.
  • Use \ne, \le, \ge, \approx, and \therefore instead of plain-text substitutes in math.
  • Use ^\circ only for angle or coordinate degree notation, never as exponent evidence.
  • Use code formatting only for IDs, file paths, literal source strings, or exact extraction artifacts.

Avoid plain-text math such as 5^3, x != 0, or 3 x 3 in explanations when rendered math would be clearer.

Example And Question Standards

Worked examples should show the reasoning, not only the answer. Each example should include:

  • A short task statement.
  • The method or key idea.
  • Step-by-step math in display form.
  • A final answer or conclusion.
  • A brief check or interpretation when useful.

Practice should be progressive:

  • Direct understanding questions.
  • Skill practice.
  • Application problems.
  • Multi-step reasoning problems.
  • Edge cases that reveal common misconceptions.

Generated questions are the primary practice layer. Exam-derived questions are secondary and should be used for calibration, topic signals, and eventual reviewed past-question links.

Learner Aid Opportunities

Topic pages may include an optional ## Learner Aid Opportunities section after ## Generated Question Layer and before ## Exam-Derived Signals. Use this section to mark where future learner supports would help, especially when a concept would benefit from visual, interactive, or tutor-guided treatment.

Standard marker labels are:

  • diagram: a static visual representation, geometric construction, labeled sketch, or step layout would clarify the idea.
  • chart: a table, comparison chart, flow chart, or organizer would help learners see structure.
  • graph: a coordinate graph, number-line graph, statistical graph, or function plot would support understanding.
  • animation: a time-based or step-by-step motion sequence would make a process easier to follow.
  • interactive: a manipulable activity, slider, drag task, or immediate-feedback tool would support exploration.
  • video: a narrated demonstration, worked solution, or practical scene would be useful.
  • LLM tutor: adaptive questioning, hints, remediation, or dialogue would help learners work through the topic.

Learner-aid markers are planning metadata, not finished assets. Do not imply that diagrams, charts, graphs, animations, interactives, videos, or tutor flows already exist unless the asset is present and linked. It is acceptable to list opportunity notes without producing media in the same wave.

Review And Quality Checklist

Before marking a topic page as a serious learner-facing page, check that it:

  • Keeps official syllabus alignment visible.
  • Uses chapter-level depth.
  • Uses $...$ and $$...$$ math consistently.
  • Avoids copied textbook or Wikipedia prose.
  • Separates official content, unreviewed exam signals, open enrichment, and textbook notes.
  • Includes prerequisites, subtopics, worked examples, common mistakes, and progressive practice.
  • Uses learner-aid markers only as planning metadata unless finished assets are linked.
  • Flags uncertainty instead of hiding it.
  • Links to related wiki pages.

Renderer QA Note

The current wiki files are Markdown. Math should be authored with portable LaTeX delimiters so the same pages can later render in Obsidian, KaTeX, or MathJax. GitHub-style Markdown may show raw $...$ math in some contexts; that is acceptable for now because source compatibility matters more than one preview surface.

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