Edexcel paper codes explained: 4PH1/1P, WPH11/01 and the R papers
What the letters and numbers on an Edexcel paper actually mean, and how to find the right one for your exam.
6 min readGuides
The questions students ask us most, answered properly. No sign-up, no newsletter — just the explanation.
Why 60% is an A in one session and a B in the next
Grade boundaries move every sitting. Here is what decides them, and how to read your mock mark honestly.
7 min readDoing 20 past papers will not raise your grade. This is what does.
Most students work through papers and wonder why nothing improves. The problem is almost never effort.
6 min readOld specification or new: which past papers still apply to you
Edexcel revised these qualifications, and plenty of papers online are for the version before yours. How to tell, and when an old paper is still worth doing.
6 min readWhat examiners mean by "explain" — and why your right answer scored nothing
Describe, explain, evaluate, justify. The command word decides what the marks are for, and answering the wrong one is the most expensive habit in exams.
7 min readFor teachers: finding papers your students have not already seen
Setting a mock is hard when the obvious papers have all been worked through. Where the unseen ones are, and how to build a mock in twenty minutes.
6 min readFoundation or Higher? Choosing the right IGCSE Maths tier
One decision, made months before the exam, that sets the highest grade you can be awarded. What each tier offers and how the choice is usually made.
6 min readPlanning your IAL units: which to sit, and when
International A Level is modular, with three sittings a year. That flexibility is an advantage — but only if somebody plans it deliberately.
7 min readThe last 48 hours before an exam
What to do, what to stop doing, and why starting a new past paper the night before is usually a mistake.
5 min readBuilding a six-week revision plan backwards from your exam date
Most plans fail because they are built forwards from today. Start at the exam and work back, and the real squeeze shows up while you can still do something about it.
6 min readResults day: what the grade means, and what you can do about it
How results reach you, what a remark involves, when a resit makes sense — and the question worth asking before requesting either.
6 min readFind the paper you need
Every Edexcel IGCSE and IAL past paper, with its mark scheme. Free.