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Using past papers are often advertised to our pupils as the key to success. I have often been curious as what is the best use of these papers. It would seem that pupils rarely complete full past papers despite wanting many of them. Do they know how to use them? In my mind the best revision is by using past papers, mark schemes and examiners reports together – taking one question at a time.
I recently asked an educational forum on the best use of past papers. I have compiled all responses here.
Using Past Papers for Effective Revision
Incredible!
Classrooms and Staffrooms 
I use past papers a lot to teach my students essay writing skills. Usually this involves putting anonymous papers under a document camera and editing them together as we talk about what the author could do better at. Some great ideas there!