Doing past papers is the most common revision advice for IGCSE Chemistry and the most commonly wasted. Papers only help if they are marked strictly against the mark scheme, and if the mistakes change what you do next.
- Know which papers you sit: Core and Extended candidates take different ones
- Most lost marks are wording, units and method, not missing knowledge
- Mark every paper against the official mark scheme, then read the examiner report
- Paper 6 is a writing test about practical work, and it can be practised at home
Which papers you sit
Under the current Cambridge 0620 syllabus, Core candidates sit a multiple choice paper and a Core theory paper, while Extended candidates sit the Extended versions of both. Everyone then sits one practical component, either the practical test or the alternative to practical, depending on the school. Check the syllabus for your exam year on the Cambridge website, because the structure is revised from time to time.
| Candidate | Multiple choice | Theory | Practical component |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Paper 1 | Paper 3 | Paper 5 or Paper 6 |
| Extended | Paper 2 | Paper 4 | Paper 5 or Paper 6 |
Where the marks actually go
Examiner reports repeat the same themes series after series. The chemistry is often known; the answer simply does not earn the mark.
- Vague wording. "It reacts" earns nothing where the scheme wants "effervescence" or "a white precipitate forms".
- Mole calculations without working. A wrong final answer with clear steps can still earn most of the marks; a wrong answer alone earns none.
- Units and significant figures dropped or rounded too early.
- Organic chemistry learned as a list of names instead of a set of reactions with conditions.
- Command words ignored. Describe and explain are different questions and are marked differently.
A past paper routine that works
- Sit one paper or section under strict time, closed book.
- Mark it yourself against the official mark scheme, strictly. If the scheme wants a word you did not write, the mark is lost.
- Read the examiner report for that paper. It tells you what the whole cohort got wrong and why.
- Sort your lost marks into knowledge, wording, calculation and misread question.
- Spend the next week on the biggest category, then sit another paper.
Two papers done this way teach more than ten papers done quickly and marked generously.
Paper 6 can be practised without a laboratory
The alternative to practical tests whether you can write about practical work: planning a method, drawing results tables, plotting graphs, spotting errors and suggesting improvements. None of that needs a lab. The single most useful exercise is writing a method that a stranger could follow exactly, with quantities, apparatus and what to measure.
When to start
Topic questions from past papers can start in Year 10, as soon as each topic is taught. Full papers belong in Year 11, with timed papers every week in the final two months before the series.
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