With the dreaded exam day finally here, GCSE/IGCSE 2023 Past Papers, Marks Schemes and Examiner Reports are all students can talk about these days

One of the tried and tested ways for acing your exams is practicing as many past papers as possible. But choosing to simply practice a couple of past paper questions is not going to do you any good. Instead, familiarizing and understanding the mark schemes and examiner reports are what’s going to get you those 9’s

But how exactly do you turn your mark schemes into a weapon that’ll take your exam game from a ZERO to a 100?

What are Assessment Objectives in GCSE/IGCSE 2023 Past Papers?

Assessment Objectives are a set of criteria used to evaluate a student’s level of knowledge and understanding of a specific subject. Depending on the subject, there can be 4 to 5 AOs with each AO focusing on a different aspect of the subject content or skill

Do GCSE Assessment Objectives vary between subjects?

Yes, Assessment Objectives vary depending on the subject given that AOs help analyze and evaluate subject knowledge and skill level and are therefore based on subject content which varies depending on the subject

Do GCSE Assessment Objectives vary between exam boards?

The manner in which each AO is applied, tested and weighted may vary across exam boards, but the primary principle of each AO remains the same. For instance, AO1 is for test a student’s knowledge and understanding of key concepts and theories. While what is primarily tested remains the same across all exams boards, the weight AO1 carries in Edexcel may vary from the weight it carries in AQA

What’s the difference between a mark scheme and an examiner report in GCSEs?

A mark scheme is a set of criteria that outlines the knowledge areas and skill sets that need to be covered for a student to be awarded full marks at an exam while an examiner report contains constructive feedback on a candidates performance at an exam, along with clear explanations of what scored them marks, common mistakes students made and how they could have been avoided. It is prepared by the exam board your paper is set by and uses the AOs of the subject in question to break down the marking structure for each question in the exam paper

How can GCSE examiner reports be used for exam revision?

An Examiner report is a summary of the comments and observations made by examiners on how students tackled each question in a exam series, the areas that they struggled with, common mistakes that students made and how they could have been avoided. Though examiner reports and mark schemes are prepared more towards teachers and examiners, they are still useful tools that can aid your GCSE and IGCSE revision efforts

GCSE/IGCSE 2023 Past Papers : Assessment Objectives (AOs) Explained 

• AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding

  This AO evaluates a students recall ability, knowledge and understanding of subject content. It includes demonstrating their ability to recall, define and explain key terms and concepts, theories and ideas

• AO2 – Knowledge and Application

  This AO tests how well a student is able to apply their understanding of various key concepts and theories they’ve learnt to solve problems, understand cases studies and answer questions. It includes demonstrating their ability to understand, interpret, analyze and explain subject related information

• AO3 – Analysis

  This AO tests how well a student is able to use their knowledge and understanding of subject related content to critically analyze and evaluate information. This includes demonstrating their ability to provide relevant evidence, make supported judgments and draw on conclusions

• AO4 – Evaluation

  This AO tests a students ability to construct new and innovative ideas based off their knowledge and understanding of subject related content.

Tips For Using  GCSE/IGCSE 2023 Past Papers, Mark Schemes and Examiner Reports the RIGHT WAY

• TIP 1 : LEARNING KEY WORDS AND ANSWERING FORMATS

  Use mark schemes to make note of the key words, technical terms and answering structures that’ll score you points. For example; the mark schemes to GSCE Mathematics past papers available outline the methods of working out that examiners prefer and are most likely to get you full marks

• TIP 2 : CONSISTENCY WITH MARK SCHEMES

  The mark schemes will be consistent from paper to paper with each exam board, so as you practice past paper after past paper, over and over again you’ll soon find yourself learning the general structure of the paper and the best ways to tackle each question you’re presented with

• TIP 3 : MARK SCHEME NOTATIONS AND RULES

  • Do not provide multiple responses to questions that only require one to two responses because this could result in you losing marks. The rule most exam boards abide by is that a wrong responses followed by a correct response means it’s wrong
  • Focus on the bold terms listed in the mark scheme when practicing past papers. The words highlighted in bold are terms that HAVE to be mentioned in your written response for you to be awarded points
  • Always show your workings to justify your answer if the question requires it
  • Avoid using the word ‘it’ when describing or explaining a concept, term or theory because it could affect the clarity of your answer
  • The ECF Notation applies to questions where students are asked to work out a response in the first question and use that response to work out the questions that follow. The ECF or Error Carried Forward Notation is to indicate that marks are awarded if a student has carried an error forward from a previous working

Conclusion

‘Learn the mark schemes!’ – As a GCSE student, that line is probably one you’ve heard a million times all throughout the school year. But what exactly does that mean? Given that mark scheme and examiner reports are prepared toward teachers and examiners, they can be a little tough for students to decode. The marking formats and assessment objectives can get confusing, so how exactly does one ‘learn the mark scheme’? Well, now you know!

Mark schemes and examiner reports are your secret weapons to defeating anything and everything the examiners throw your way. Use them wisely and you’ll be unbeatable. A Grades here we come!