It seems that IGCSE, IB, GCSE and other students are always looking for past papers. But very few know how to use them effectively. Here is a quick guide to past papers.
1. Get the past papers.
oNo matter what your teacher says, they will have a collection of past papers somewhere. Get these past papers from them, offer to photocopy them yourself.
oIf you can't make your teacher budge, try asking some of your friends to get them from their schools, or even get your parents to ring up and ask about it.
oYou can purchase past papers from the exam boards:
oYou can get a selection of free past papers online:
oAs tempted as you may be, do not look through the past paper when you get it.
2.Study all the material you have on the subject, as if you were studying for the finals, only then open the past paper and start working on it.
3.Make sure you try and complete the past paper in the time that is allocated. Try and get a quiet place to study, and even tell your parents/friends to stay away while you complete it in silence and without disturbance, tell them you want to do it under exam conditions.
4.DO NOT be tempted to check how to do a question in your books while you are working on the paper, just leave the question and come back to it later (within the exams allocated time).
5.Once you have finished the paper, checked over it, then, if you have the mark scheme, give yourself a mark. Be harsh, don't give yourself a high mark to make yourself feel better, it won't help you in the finals, as real examiners will be marking it.
6.Find all your mistakes and compile a list of them. Only now, go over your notes and find out why you went wrong, or learn something which you missed out. If you are still unsure, make sure to check with a teacher, as you may very well get a similar question in the exams.
7.After a few weeks, go over the paper again, concentrating on the questions you previously got incorrect, making sure you can now answer them, without having to refer to any textbooks.
Your mock exams will usually be the May of November IGCSE/IB/GCSE/Other exam board exam of the previous year, so try not to go over this if you get a copy before your mocks to boost your grade. Many people do this, and it is pointless. Your predicted grade has no affect on your final results, and Universities do not see them. So it is better to find out where you really stand.
Good Luck!
