What are your opinions on past papers?

[ChelseaAABO]

Hey everyone,

So I would like to know your opinions on past papers...

I know I may sound crazy for asking this but do you feel that they actually helpful for help in preparing for your exams? Ok, I know they do help to some extent since they are exam style past paper questions but the thing is, I also study with Edexcel and I've noticed with Edexcel if you do more past papers, it's extremely likely you'll cover the majority of the questions that end up coming in your actual exam. I take English Literature with Edexcel and this happened, where the questions that had came up from previous years 2015-2008 many of them were reused, of course they were reworded but the key words and structure stayed the same so I knew how to answer the questions in the exam and got an A overall previously at AS. With CIE on the other hand, this isn't the case lol. I don't even know.

The specifications with this exam board are changing regularly too which makes it difficult in my opinion. Because of all these changes, I thought maybe I shouldn't focus so much on completing as many CIE past papers that I physically can or do you disagree and feel that they are helpful/ could give questions and hints through repeating past questions in the exam?
Overall, I'd like to know your opinions on this because past papers with CIE is something I am unsure about x

 

[techgeek]

What my experience taught me, is that, past papers do help, but only to a certain extent. When you have solved like 5 years, as per my opinion, there comes a point when you no longer improve. In CIE, almost no or very few questions get repeated. What past papers teach you is just to tackle the question paper, nothing more. It just gives you techniques or idea how the question paper is. Sure, it does teach time management and do help but, it's probably madness to keep doing them, like do as many as is possible. In my AS, I solved from 2003 to 2016 (ALL variants) and believe me, the last day, I had no new paper to solve. I also read the mark schemes and examiner reports. And what I ended up with? Bs and Cs!
Well, it turned out in-depth study is more necessary than solving papers. Make sure you do further-reading of your topics and get to as much depth as possible. Consult your copy of syllabus to see which points you need to focus on. And when you do solve paper, you should see which topic you are weak in, which caused you trouble. First, clear those doubts up, make sure your concepts are crystal clear! Don't go ahead if you are doubtful about something. Clear every thing up. And if you self-study like me, sometimes it takes days to clear one concept but believe me it does pay off!

All the best!

 

[ChelseaAABO]

[QUOTE="techgeek, post: 970381, member: 151705" ]What my experience taught me, is that, past papers do help, but only to a certain extent. When you have solved like 5 years, as per my opinion, there comes a point when you no longer improve. In CIE, almost no or very few questions get repeated. What past papers teach you is just to tackle the question paper, nothing more. It just gives you techniques or idea how the question paper is....![/QUOTE]

Wow, thanks so much for such a detailed response. I appreciate it.
The but in bold so how do students do well with this exam board? I'm scared. I don't want to work my socks off to not get the grade I desire.
I understand.
Wow, 2003 to 2016??? Goodness. Oh no. Thanks for the advice, will certainly keep it in mind. Yea, I've made my syllabus into a checklist so I know what areas to focus on. I'm thinking whether since the syllabuses change quite often for example, my syllabus for 2017 is different to the 2015 one (could be probably why the questions are never repeated because of the frequent updates) so I'm thinking maybe the syllabus gives hints to what to expect to be possibly asked in the exam? I don't know if I should use it to make possible exam questions.
Self-study, are you teaching yourself an A level/A levels? I am too but only A level Geography. I'm thinking about switching to Sociology though because Geography seems so hard to self-teach. I'd have to do AS in May and A2 in November next year!

 

[kungfuPanda]

Well I personally found the 2016 Physics paper one variant Paper 1 had repetead a past question MCQ it was Question 1 and 2,Rest Not a single past question was repeated in 2016.
Same was in 2015 .
So I think Past papers actually teach you how to get around problems and they aren't really helpful if you do like 5 years old papers add another 5 to that ,Its like 10 years and that I think would be helpful to some degree.
Its a personal observation and Im talking abt Cambridge

 

[linkinpark]

Well I personally found the 2016 Physics paper one variant Paper 1 had repetead a past question MCQ it was Question 1 and 2,Rest Not a single past question was repeated in 2016.
Same was in 2015 .
So I think Past papers actually teach you how to get around problems and they aren't really helpful if you do like 5 years old papers add another 5 to that ,Its like 10 years and that I think would be helpful to some degree.
Its a personal observation and Im talking abt Cambridge

Well I completely agree with Techgeek and also with you.
Just one thing I'd like to add is that your focus shouldn't be on the numbers of the papers you solved rather on the number of things you learn by solving those papers. I knew people back in A level who would even memorize the answers of numerical questions or memorize the method they used in a specific problem which is a bad way to go about. 5+ years of past papers are really good as long as you understand the major topics and their concepts well.
More you learn from past papers, better you'd do in exams rather than hoping that a question gets repeated or that your exam would be set with questions of a similar pattern.

P.S. I had a B in my A level physics though I expected an A but nevermind. I had As in P2 and P4 and I solved all exams 2007 onwards (I appeared in 2014) while kept track of all the new things each past paper taught me.