1. Use them diagnostically, not just for scores.
A student sits a paper to reveal what they know and what they don’t. Afterwards they carefully mark it using the mark scheme and examiner’s report, noting patterns—common command words, recurring mistakes, and topics that are weak.
2. Recreate exam conditions.
Timed practice, no notes, quiet space, proper layout. This builds exam stamina, pacing, and familiarity with the pressure of the real exam.
3. Focus on why an answer is right.
Students examine the mark scheme to understand the exact wording or reasoning required. They compare their own explanations with model answers and rewrite any incomplete responses in exam style.
4. Use papers progressively.
Instead of jumping straight into full papers, they may begin with individual questions by topic, then move to mixed-topic sections, then complete papers closer to the exam. This avoids overwhelm and builds confidence.
5. Track mistakes and revisit them.
Errors are recorded in a revision log—misunderstandings, forgotten definitions, calculation slips. Students then revise those weak areas before attempting another paper.
6. Space out practice.
They don’t burn through all papers in a week. Past papers are used regularly but strategically across the revision period so there is time to improve between attempts.
1. Treating past papers as a way to “guess the exam.”
Some students look for patterns (“they haven’t asked this in a while…”) rather than understanding the content. This leads to over-revising selected topics and ignoring others.
2. Using notes or friends while doing the paper.
This inflates scores and creates a false sense of security. Students believe they are performing well when they haven’t practised under real conditions.
3. Marking their own work superficially.
They skim the mark scheme, give themselves generous marks, or don’t look closely at the required phrasing. As a result, they don’t actually learn exam technique.
4. Doing papers without reviewing mistakes.
They finish a paper and move straight onto the next one, repeating the same errors (often with no progress). This is “paper grinding” and is highly inefficient.
5. Using only full papers too early.
Students jump into full exams before understanding the content, waste past-paper supply, and become discouraged.
6. Rushing through as many papers as possible.
Quantity replaces quality. They focus on finishing rather than learning, so scores don’t improve significantly.