Notes
How to revise from a past paper
Most students read past papers. Very few use them properly. The difference is the mark scheme, and what you do in the twenty minutes after you finish.
Every family we meet has a folder of past papers. Almost nobody uses them the way an examiner would.
1. Sit it badly first
Do the paper under time, with no notes, and accept that it will be uncomfortable. A paper done with the textbook open tells you nothing you did not already know.
2. Mark it with the scheme, not your memory
Print the mark scheme and award marks exactly as written. If it says 'accept: any two of', that is the instruction. Students routinely give themselves marks the examiner would not.
3. Sort the losses into three piles
Untaught, half-remembered, and careless. Each pile needs a different fix, and only the first one needs a lesson.
- Untaught: book the topic in with a tutor or a teacher
- Half-remembered: three short goes across a fortnight, not one long one
- Careless: write the specific error on a card and reread it before the next paper
- Anything lost to timing: practise that question type against a clock
Do that with four papers and the picture is usually clear enough to plan a term around.
