How to Use Past Papers to Revise

Past papers are the closest thing you have to the real exam, but doing paper after paper without a plan wastes them. This is a simple way to get more marks out of every paper you sit.

Start with topical papers, then move to yearly papers

Topical past papers group old exam questions by syllabus topic. Use them while you are still learning, because you can practise one topic until it feels easy and you quickly see how Cambridge asks about it.

Yearly past papers are full papers from one exam series. Save them for the last stretch of revision, when you know the content and need to practise timing and switching between topics.

Sit the paper like the real exam

Set a timer for the time printed on the front of the paper.
Put your phone in another room and close your notes.
Use only what you will have in the exam, such as the correct calculator or data booklet.
If you run out of time, draw a line, finish in a different colour and note how long it took.

Mark it honestly with the mark scheme

Mark your paper the same day while you still remember your thinking. Give yourself only the marks the mark scheme allows, even when you feel you meant the right thing. Examiners can only mark what is on the page.

If the abbreviations are confusing, read our guide to mark schemes first. Once you have a total, use the grade thresholds for that series to see what grade your mark would have earned.

Keep a list of what you got wrong

This is the step most students skip, and it is where most of the improvement comes from. For every lost mark, write down the topic and why you lost it.

I did not know the content: go back to your notes or a video lesson.
I knew it but used the wrong wording: learn the phrases the mark scheme uses.
I made a careless mistake: write down what to check next time.
I ran out of time: practise that question type against a timer.

Go back and repeat

After fixing a weak topic, do a few topical questions on it a few days later to check that it has stuck. Then try another yearly paper. Keep your most recent papers for last so that you still have unseen practice close to the exam.