Use past papers in three stages: untimed topic questions to learn the pattern, full papers under exam conditions to test yourself, and a written error log that decides what you study next. The papers only help if you mark them honestly against the official mark scheme and act on what you find.
This works for Cambridge IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level, because the exam style is consistent from year to year.
Why past papers work, and why they do not always
A past paper shows you the real language of the exam: how questions are worded, how many marks sit behind each one, and how much detail an answer needs. No set of notes can show you that.
What a paper cannot do is teach you content you never learned. If you cannot attempt half the questions because you do not know the topic, doing more papers just repeats the failure. More on that near the end.
Step 1: Work topic by topic first
Do not begin with a full paper. Begin with the questions on one topic you have just revised, such as moments in physics or rates of reaction in chemistry.
Do them untimed, with your notes closed. Write a full answer for every part, even a guess. Then mark with the mark scheme. Because the questions are all on one idea, you will quickly notice what the examiners keep rewarding.
You can find questions by topic in the topical sets, or you can pick them out of the papers yourself using the syllabus topic list.
Step 2: Move to full papers, then add the clock
Once you have covered several topics, sit a full paper. Your first one or two can be done in two sittings, untimed, so you can see the whole shape of the paper without panic.
Later, sit papers timed and closed-book, in one go, at the time of day your real exam will happen. Find the total marks and the duration on the front page of the paper itself, and use them to set your clock. The point of timed practice is to find out whether you can finish, not to prove how much you know. If time is your main problem, the marks-to-minutes method in how to manage time in Cambridge exams will help.
Step 3: Mark honestly
This is the step most students do badly. Marking generously feels good and teaches you nothing.
- Cover your answer, read the mark scheme line by line, and give a mark only when your answer says what the scheme says, not when it is roughly in the area.
- Where a mark scheme gives a list of acceptable points, check you made the point, not that you were thinking it.
- If you are unsure whether to award a mark, do not award it. Note it as a doubt and check it later.
- Do not mark an answer correct because you "knew it". If it is not on the page, the examiner cannot give it.
Handwritten working is the hard part to mark yourself, especially method marks and follow-through. If you want a second marker, ExamPal reads handwritten answers and marks them against the official mark scheme, showing where each mark came from.
Step 4: Keep an error log
After marking, do not just record the score. For every question where you lost marks, write one line in a notebook or a spreadsheet.
A useful entry has four parts: the question, what you wrote, why it lost marks, and what you will do about it. Here is an example in the style of a Physics entry:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Question | Calculate the pressure on a floor from a box (3 marks) |
| What I did | Used the mass instead of converting to weight, lost 2 marks |
| Cause | Method slip: I skipped the force step |
| Fix | Write F = mg before every pressure question; do 5 more pressure questions on Friday |
Label each mistake as one of three types: knowledge (I did not know it), method (I knew it but used it wrongly) or technique (I misread the question, ran out of time or did not use the key word asked for). The fix is different for each type, so the label matters.
Step 5: Turn the log into your next session
Each week, count the types. If most losses are knowledge, go back to notes and relearn. If they are method, redo similar questions until the method is automatic. If they are technique, slow down and underline what the command word asks for.
Your next study session is then whatever the log says, not whatever feels comfortable. Re-attempt a question you got wrong after a few days, without looking at the answer. If you can do it cold, tick it off.
The week before the exam
- Do not start new topics. Revisit your error log, especially repeated mistakes.
- Do one or two full timed papers early in the week, then stop. You need time to mark and learn from them.
- Go through the mark schemes for common phrases and definitions your subject rewards.
- The last day should be light: your log, your formulae or key terms, and sleep.
Where past papers are not enough
Be honest with yourself about these cases:
- Weak content knowledge. If you cannot attempt a question, learn the topic first from your textbook or notes, then try again.
- Syllabus changes. Check that the paper you are using matches your current syllabus code and years of examination. Older papers can contain material that has since changed.
- Memorising answers. Questions are rarely repeated word for word. If you only memorise mark scheme wording, you will struggle with a new context.
Try it on a real paper
Pick a paper from the past papers hub, or choose your level and subject, for example IGCSE Physics or A Level Mathematics. Write your answers by hand and have them marked against the official mark scheme, with each mark traced to its source. Reading and downloading papers is free, and a free account adds AI marking and hints from Pal, which nudges you towards the answer without giving it away.
ExamPal does not cover every subject or year yet, and the 2023 and 2024 papers are marked first, so check the paper list for your syllabus.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I do past papers timed or untimed?
- Do both, in that order. Work early papers and topic questions untimed so you can think properly and check the mark scheme, then move to full timed papers once your content knowledge is reasonably secure.
- Should I start with past papers or with notes?
- Start with enough content to attempt questions, then let the papers show you what to study. Reading notes for weeks without testing yourself usually hides what you cannot yet do.
- What if I do badly on every paper I try?
- That is useful information, not a verdict. Go back to the topics in your error log, relearn them from your notes or textbook, and attempt fresh questions on those topics before sitting another full paper.
- Is it cheating to look at the mark scheme while I work?
- Not while you are learning, as long as you attempt the question first and write your own answer down before looking. Keep the full, closed-book timed papers for when you are testing yourself.