Frequently asked questions
The things students write in and ask most often. If yours isn't here, send it over.
Is it really free?
Yes. Every past paper and mark scheme on this site is free to read and download, with no account and no limit on how many you take.
The shop sells printed booklets and revision notes, and there is advertising on the site. Those pay the bills so the papers can stay free.
Do I need to create an account?
Not to read or download papers. An account only becomes useful if you want to bookmark papers, save notes or buy something from the shop.
Which exam board do you cover?
Pearson Edexcel only — International GCSE and International A Level. We don't hold Cambridge, AQA or OCR papers.
What's the difference between old and new syllabus?
Edexcel changed specification part-way through the period we cover. Papers from January 2014 to June 2018 follow the old syllabus; June 2019 onwards follows the new one.
Check with your teacher which you're sitting. If you're taking exams now it's almost certainly the new specification — but older papers are still useful practice where the topics overlap.
Can I download a whole subject at once?
Yes. Each subject page has a bundle containing every paper and mark scheme for that subject as a single zip.
A link is broken or a paper is missing
Please tell us. Use the contact form and pick "Broken link or missing paper" — say which subject, year and session, and we'll usually have it fixed within a few days.
When do new papers get added?
Papers are added once Edexcel releases them publicly, which is normally a few months after each sitting. January papers typically appear around March, and May/June papers around August.
Where do these papers come from?
They're collected from publicly available Edexcel releases. The papers and mark schemes are Pearson's copyright; we host them so students can study from them, and we remove anything a rights holder asks us to.
Are your grade boundaries official?
The boundaries come from the tables Edexcel publishes after each session, so they're the real figures for papers already sat.
What the calculator gives you is still an estimate, for two reasons: you're guessing your own raw mark, and boundaries move every session. Treat it as a guide to where you stand, not a prediction of your result.
Why does the calculator only cover IGCSE?
IGCSE grades come straight from raw marks, so the sum is simple. IAL uses UMS — your raw mark converts onto a uniform scale that shifts each session before it becomes a grade. That's a different calculation with a lot more data behind it, and it's being added.
How does the focus timer work?
Set how long you want to work and the timer splits it into 30-minute work periods with 5-minute breaks between. An 80-minute session gives you two breaks. Tick "skip breaks" if you'd rather run straight through.
It keeps counting while you move around the site, and it remembers your daily total.
What's in a booklet?
Every question paper and mark scheme for one subject across the years you choose, printed and bound, with your name on the cover if you want it.
Do you deliver outside Sri Lanka?
Yes. We deliver anywhere in Sri Lanka at our standard rate, and we ship worldwide.
For orders outside Sri Lanka the delivery charge is paid by you and is calculated at checkout from your destination and the weight of the order. Printed booklets are heavy, so international shipping on a large set is not cheap — the total is always shown before you pay.