How to use past papers for A-levels
Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, PhD · updated 4 October 2026
Past papers are the single biggest lever on your grade, but only if you mark them properly and learn from the marks you lose. Doing paper after paper and just checking the total teaches you little. The value is in what you do after.
Do them by topic first, then full timed papers closer to the exam.
When to start
As soon as you have been taught a topic, do exam questions on it. Do not wait for the spring to start papers. Full timed papers belong in the last few months, once you have covered most of the content.
How to do one
Do it without notes, under time if it is a full paper. Write answers in full as you would in the exam. If you get stuck, move on and return, rather than looking up the answer.
How to use the mark scheme
Mark strictly against the official scheme, not by whether you followed the idea. In sciences, note the exact wording that earns marks. In maths, separate method marks from accuracy marks. Do not give yourself the benefit of the doubt, because the examiner will not.
After a paper
List every lost mark and its cause. Redo those questions a week later without notes. Add the missed phrases or methods to your recall. Then do a paper on your weakest topics.
How many to do
There is no magic number. A reasonable aim is every topic by question, then enough full papers to cover each paper type several times. Quality of marking matters more than the count. If you run out of papers for your board, use specimen papers and papers from other years.
Where Trayna fits, and where it does not
Trayna is a 24/7 online tutor in your pocket, on your tablet and on the web. Dr Lavan teaches you the topics in the app any time, anywhere, and an adaptive plan reinforces them each day from now to your exam. It is there for students who cannot afford 1-to-1 tutoring, and it is built to act like a 1-to-1 tutor: it teaches, it checks, and it adapts to how you are doing. The aim is that you really understand the subject and are prepared for it, not just that you have revised it. It is A-level only, for Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Biology. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
Questions in Trayna are written by Dr Lavan and his team and marked against the mark-scheme wording. They are not reproduced from past papers.
It is for both Year 12 and Year 13. Year 13 students already use it, and Year 13 topics are being added as current students need them while Year 12 is the most complete, so check your topics in the app. If you only want free past papers, PMT does that better than we do, and we would rather you used it.
Common questions
When should I start doing A-level past papers?
As soon as a topic is taught, by topic. Full timed papers are for the last few months once most of the content is covered.
How do I use a mark scheme properly?
Mark strictly and note the exact wording or method steps that earn marks. In maths separate method from accuracy marks. Do not give yourself credit for ideas the scheme does not reward.
How many past papers should I do?
Enough to cover every topic by question and each paper type several times. How well you mark and learn from them matters more than the number.
Should I time past papers?
Time them once you are doing full papers, because speed and stamina are tested. Do early topic questions untimed so you can think properly.
What should I do after a past paper?
Sort every lost mark by cause, redo the questions a week later without notes, add missed wording or methods to your recall, and target your weakest topics next.
Trayna does this automatically. You enter your subjects, your exam dates and how long you have each day, and it builds the route from today to those exams, then adapts it as you go. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
Get Trayna on the App Store · on Google Play
Free for 14 days, then from £9.99 a month. Cancel any time.