How to Use Past Papers
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: http://www.cie.org.uk/CIE/WebSite/qualificationsandawardshub/orderpublications/orderpublications.jsp oYou can get a selection of free past papers online: http://www.crampuppy.com/1/past-papers.shtml oAs tempted as you may be, do not look through the past paper when you get it. 2.S scholarships for High School seniors tudy 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.