Past papers can be great for revision, but what should you do with them?
You could just go through past papers and answer the questions, but it's possible to get even more out of them.
Here's how you can use past papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports to find your weaknesses and perfect your exam technique.
And don't forget, you can visit our study help forum to get more advice about past papers as well as revision tips from other students.
- Read more: how to study effectively for your exams
Where can you find past papers?
You'll be able to find A-level and GCSE past papers on the exam boards' websites. Here are the links to take you there:
Make use of the exam mark scheme
Mark schemes can help you work out where you’ve gained and lost marks, as well as how well you’re answering the questions.
"Even when you know the topic well, you can still do really badly if you haven't done any past papers,” says UnknownAnon. "Mark schemes are so specific."
Using mark schemes can help you answer the way examiners want you to, so you don't lose marks on questions you've understood. "You have to mention key terms or you'll miss out on marks,” says ayemariec.
It's also worth using mark schemes to help identify the areas you need to brush up on.
Get familiar with the exam structure
Past papers help you get used to the structure and typical wording used in exams. It’s important to know what to expect so you don't have any surprises on the day.
Get to know the structure for each of your subjects, and ask yourself the following questions:
1. Is the paper divided into sections?
2. What choice is there over which questions to answer?
3. How much time should you be spending on each section?
4. Have you covered all the topics in your lessons?
Make sure you know which topic you’re covering so you don’t answer the wrong questions on the day.
- Read more: students who got A*s at A-level explain study, learning and revision tips everyone can follow
Read the examiners' reports
“Focus on exam practice by reading the examiners' report,” says YounesB.
These annual reports reveal what examiners were looking for in the answers to questions – and you can see the common mistakes made by students.
By reading through the reports, you can learn what worked for students as well as the slip-ups to avoid.
“I also printed off examiners' reports for some chemistry papers to see what typical errors are, and what you're not supposed to do,” says chantellerose.
- Read more: how do I revise when I'm really lazy?
Use the exam board specification
Examiners aim to cover most of the specification in their questions – and the topics they ask about vary every year.
So have a look at the exam board's specification, and link the areas in there against questions from past papers.
“I think it's really useful to make notes from the specification on their website. I do the same exam board and I know they can only ask what is on the specification,” says Katniss15.
It can be risky to rely on ‘question spotting’, but you could potentially predict exam questions by identifying certain topics that always appear – or some that haven’t been asked in a while.
Get a little help from your friends
Group revision can be great for working on topics you need support with – and it should keep you focused too.
Plan answers to several papers, then compare them with each other. “It can be useful to take a question with the mark scheme and make a model answer,” says Katniss15.
Go through your answers together and check them against the mark scheme. This should help you figure out where you're doing well as well as where you can improve.
