Parts (a) and (b) of the question did not pose much problems to the candidates.

(c)        Most of the candidates could not state the causes of spongy and noisy brakes.  The causes of spongy brake are:
            -           low fluid level in the reservoir;
            -           air in the system;
            -           leakage in the system;
            -           weak or loose pipe/hose;
           
While the causes of noisy brake include:
-           broken return springs;
-           protruded rivets or excessively worn shoes and
-           sand or dirt between the lining/pad and drum/disc surfaces.