Use them in two stages

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​Start with topic-specific questions from past papers. Once you’ve finished the entire syllabus, move on to full past papers. For most students, this second stage usually comes about 2 - 3 months before your Edexcel IGCSE maths exam.

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Stage 1: Doing topic-specific questions from past papers

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When should you do topic-specific questions from past papers?

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As soon as you finish learning a topic in school, dive into past paper questions on that specific area. These should take priority over textbook exercises or other sources because they train you to think in the way examiners expect and help you apply knowledge under exam-style conditions.

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Should you be under time pressure when doing topic-specific questions from past papers?

 

A good rule of thumb is to allow 1 minute per mark. At this stage, it’s fine to spend a little longer - around 1.5 minutes - but aim to stay close to the general guideline so you build both accuracy and speed. 

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If you find yourself consistently running out of time, forget about the time constraint for now and focus on completing more questions. These can be from textbook exercises or other appropriate sources. Once you’ve built confidence and practised extensively, return to the general timing rule.

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When should you mark your work?

 

After you finish one question, you should check the fully worked solution immediately. This approach allows you to check your work as you go rather than waiting until the end, helping to avoid the frustration of discovering multiple mistakes all at once. 

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How should you address your mistakes?

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First, classify each mistake into one of the following three categories:

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• Knowledge gap – You genuinely don’t know how to answer the question.     

• Misunderstanding – You don't understand what the question was asking.     

• Careless error – You knew the method but slipped up with a simple mistake.

 

Once you’ve identified the type, take active steps to fix it. You should:      

 

• Ask your teacher at school: They can clarify the exact point of confusion and show you how examiners expect the answer to be structured.     

• Consult your tutor (if you have one): A tutor can give you more tailored feedback and guide you through similar questions until you’re confident.     

• Re-attempt the question: After getting help, redo the same problem without looking at the solution. This reinforces the correct method and ensures you’ve truly learned from the mistake.     

• Keep a “mistake log”: Write down the question, your error and the correct approach. Regularly reviewing this log before the exam helps you avoid repeating the same mistakes. This is arguably the MOST IMPORTANT step in your preparation. 

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Stage 2: Doing full past papers

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When should you do full past papers?

 

You should only do full past papers once you have covered the entire syllabus. This will usually be 2 - 3 months before your Edexcel IGCSE maths exam.

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How should you do full past papers?

 

At this stage, you need to attempt past papers under full exam conditions - timed and without access to notes or resources. It’s tempting to not follow the rules, but resisting that urge is crucial. Sticking to strict exam conditions ensures your practice runs resemble the real exam as much as possible.

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Using a performance tracker to record your performance

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Use a performance tracker to log every past paper attempt. Make a note of every mistake you make and classify it into one of the three categories mentioned before: knowledge gap, misunderstanding or carelessness. Also, record how many marks you lost in each category. This helps you see whether most of your lost marks come from gaps in knowledge, misunderstanding or carelessness.

 

After classifying each mistake, write down your error and the correct approach and regularly review your "mistake log" before the exam. As I have said before and will say again, reviewing your "mistake log" is the single MOST IMPORTANT step in your preparation. It is one of the fastest and most effective ways to improve your grades.

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Use our Past Paper Performance Tracker to track your past paper attempts and keep a "mistake log" for the Edexcel IGCSE maths exam.