examinations
past papers
Past exam papers are a fabulous way of preparing you for the real event! By ‘sitting’ them you identify what you’ve learnt/retained, any gaps you might have in subject knowledge and they are readily available free of charge. The importance of them in helping you prepare for exams cannot be overstated, familiarising you with the terminology and vocabulary used in actual exams.
Of course, it’s still important to supplement your exam preparation with tried and trusted revision, textbooks, flash cards to name but a few. Sitting past exam papers alone will not guarantee success but they are a valuable tool in gauging your progress and refining your study plan.
- Provides familiarity with the format and structure of exams you will face, including the types of questions and time constraints.
- Working through past exam papers helps stimulate the actual exam environment and gets you accustomed to the pressure and stress that comes with exams.
- Identifies gaps in knowledge or understanding, allowing you to focus on specific topics or concepts that you need to revisit/strengthen.
- They reinforce your understanding of the subject and help you consolidate the knowledge you have acquired and your ability to recall information.
- Through repeated use of exam past papers you can develop effective exam techniques and strategies that work for you, skills than can significantly improve your exam performance and help you achieve better grades.
All Awarding Organisations provide past papers from previous examination series on their respective websites. Please note, papers for the most recent examination series may not be available immediately after the scheduled examination in order to allow schools and colleges to use these for testing purposes.
We’ve taken the work of seeking past papers out by providing you with a link to each specification, detailed in our Fees List. Simply click on the relevant specification code listed under each qualification type/subject to automatically access the AO website area detailing a wealth of useful information pertaining to that specification (Syllabus Content, Support Materials and Past Papers)
Alternatively click on the relevant Awarding Organisation logo below to be taken to their ‘past paper’ website area and search for your subject papers there.
