Top 5 Revision Websites for IGCSE

Introduction

• Preparing for IGCSE examinations can be a challenging task, requiring thorough revision and access to reliable study materials.
• Thankfully, the digital age has opened up a world of educational resources that can aid students in their exam preparations.
• Whether you’re studying physics, chemistry, maths, or other subjects, these websites can provide valuable assistance to help you succeed in your IGCSE exams.
• Note: when I’m talking about Edexcel IGCSE Triple Science or the sciences, I mean Edexcel IGCSE Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

Physics and Maths Tutor (www.physicsandmathstutor.com)

Physics and Maths Tutor is a widely recognized website that offers comprehensive resources for Maths, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, English and others

Pros

• Extensive Resources: Physics and Maths Tutor offers a wide range of resources, including past papers, revision notes, and flashcards, making it a comprehensive platform for IGCSE revision. Mark schemes for past papers allow students to self-assess their understanding and identify areas that need improvement. if i do not already have a physical copy of a past paper, i download the question paper, mark schemes and inserts from physics and maths tutor. then, i practice and self assess my answer
• Topic-Specific Organization: The website is organized according to examination boards, making it easy for students to locate the relevant materials specific to their IGCSE syllabus. In addition, there are past paper questions by topic for the sciences. This helps focus and consolidate revision, especially on weak areas. Unlike Save My Exams, the topic questions for Edexcel IGCSE are completely free and nearly identical!
• Revision Notes: This is handy for revising Edexcel IGCSE English Literature. The website provides revision notes on literary techniques, key themes, and analysis of literary works. In addition, there are notes that cover the core content for Edexcel IGCSE Triple Science

Cons

• Lack of Interactive Features: The website does not offer interactive quizzes or games, which can be beneficial for engaging students and reinforcing their understanding through active learning.
• Limitations of Topic Questions: Although the topic questions are great, they are not organized by specification point. In addition, some questions cover multiple topics, with the topic of interest not being the main part of the question. For biology and physics, I find myself scrolling through the PDF files to find an appropriate question.

TutorMyself Chemistry (www.tutormyself.com)

For Edexcel IGCSE chemistry students, TutorMyself Chemistry is an exceptional resource that covers the entire syllabus.

Pros

• Comprehensive Chemistry Resources: Tutormyself.com offers study materials specifically tailored for Edexcel IGCSE chemistry. This specialization ensures that students can access in-depth content, covering the entire syllabus.
• Practice Questions: Tutormyself.com offers a variety of practice questions, allowing students to apply their knowledge and practice problem-solving skills. These questions are designed to reinforce understanding and help students become familiar with questions that may appear in the exam. The main feature of this website is its organization of past paper questions by specification point. This is helpful for focusing your revision and consolidating knowledge on weak topics.
• Revision Notes: While not in-depth, the revision notes are organized by specification point and easily understandable. There are also short revision notes for physics as well!

Cons

• Limited Subject Focus: Tutormyself.com specializes in Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry and doesn’t provide resources for other subjects, limiting its usefulness for students who require revision materials for multiple subjects.
• Missing Questions: Some specification points are missing the topic questions related to them. Either this is because past exams have not assessed these specification points, or the owner could not find relevant questions.
• Outdated Questions: The past paper questions on Tutormyself.com are from before 2017, so some questions may not align with the new 2017 and onwards specification. Nevertheless, they are still valuable and match more modern questions.
• Dependency on a Single Source: Relying solely on Tutormyself.com for chemistry revision may limit exposure to different perspectives and teaching styles. Supplementing with other resources can provide a broader understanding of the subject matter.

IGCSE Quarry (igcsequarry.vercel.app)

• IGCSE Quarry is a website made by u/LittleNooblette, a former IGCSE student. To prepare for the exams, u/LittleNooblette made a website that allows users to search for specific terms in past papers.
• The questions cover CIE IGCSE subjects; they are categorized by subject code and paper number. For example, if you want to study questions on trade unions for Economics Paper 1, you type in “trade unions” in the search bar. Then, you click the arrow on the dropdown menu and select 0455/1.
• This Reddit post explains the website more and was posted by u/LittleNooblette as well!

How I use it

• I discovered this website quite late during exam season. At that time, the only CIE IGCSE paper I had left was Economics Paper 1. Therefore, I exclusively used it for Economics Paper 1 revision.

Pros

• Unique website: This website was the only one I have encountered that allows users to search key words on past papers, without having to open up a bunch of question papers. It significantly helped me focus on topics I’m weak at.
• All in one place: Since the question papers and mark schemes are all on one website, this website is very convenient. Additionally, it drastically reduces the number of tabs open, which would be a nightmare for me!

Cons

• Limited subject scope: As of writing this, only 6 subjects are available. However, u/LittleNooblette has plans on adding more soon.
• Hard to find specific key questions: When you search for a key topic on IGCSE Quarry, the results show the page number and the exam paper name. However, the key word isn’t highlighted on the page. When there are lots of questions on one page, like CIE IGCSE Economics Paper 1, it can be tricky to find the specific question. u/Purple-Percentage751 has suggested highlighting the specific question, which u/LittleNooblette has considered. Hopefully, this feature can be added soon.

Exam Mate (www.exam-mate.com)

Exam-mate is an exam preparation tool containing a bank of IGCSE, A-Level, IB, AQA and OCR Topical questions and yearly past papers exams.

How I use it

• Initially, I used it to purely revise Edexcel IGCSE Further Maths. This website offered an alternative to exam practice questions in the textbook. I prefer the topic questions here than on the textbook. The textbook questions were quite easy; the textbook’s answers/solutions were confusing, not in-depth, and did not guide me to where I gained or lost marks. This also applies to the textbooks for Edexcel IGCSE Triple Science
• Later, I started using Exam-Mate more for Edexcel IGCSE Biology and Physics revision. I had completed most of the topic questions on Physics and Maths Tutor, and was getting frustrated scrolling to find an appropriate question. While the past paper questions were not categorized as specifically as TutorMyself, Exam-Mate was a suitable alternative.

Pros

• Comprehensive Resource: Exam-Mate offers a wide range of subjects and topics.
• Free Access: The platform’s topic questions are free to access, making it accessible to a large number of students without any financial barriers.
• Topic-Based Organization: questions are organized by topics, making it easy for students to focus on specific areas of their study.
• Blog: Exam-mate has a blog with articles on revision and studying. The blog has a wide variety of tags and categories to easily filter articles.

Cons

• Outdated Materials: Some materials on Exam-Mate are outdated or not aligned with the most recent exam specifications or curriculum changes.
• Inaccurate Chapters: Exam-Mate doesn’t have exam questions from the new syllabus, as mentioned before. For example, the Further Maths questions were categorized (chapter-by-chapter) as 4PM0 instead of 4PM1. As a result, the chapter numbers didn’t align with the new textbook. Nevertheless, I still liked how the exam questions were organized by chapter instead of specification for Further Maths. This is because the specification for Further Maths was confusing to wrap my head around.

Save My Exams (www.savemyexams.co.uk)

Save My Exams is a popular revision platform for IGCSE students, offering resources for a variety of subjects, including Mathematics, Sciences, English, and more.

How I use it

• CIE IGCSE Economics and Geography:
• Revision Notes: Detailed revision notes offered by Save My Exams can be used as reference materials to reinforce understanding of key concepts, theories, and case studies in Economics and Geography.
• Topic-Based Questions: The topic-based questions provided on the platform enable students to assess their understanding of specific areas within the syllabus, identify knowledge gaps, and focus their revision efforts accordingly.
• Edexcel IGCSE Triple Science:
• Practice Questions: Utilizing the exam-style practice questions specific to Edexcel IGCSE Triple Science allows students to develop their problem-solving skills and gain confidence in tackling the exam questions.
• Revision Notes: The platform’s revision notes can serve as a detailed resource to review knowledge in the different science disciplines and add to existing notes.

Pros

• Wide Range of Subjects: Save My Exams covers a wide range of subjects. This diversity makes it a convenient platform for students studying different subjects simultaneously.
• Extensive Resources: The website provides comprehensive resources such as past papers, revision notes, topic-based quizzes, and more. These resources offer a holistic approach to revision.
• Exam-Style Practice Questions: Save My Exams offers exam-style practice questions specific to each subject. These questions simulate the actual exam environment, helping students become familiar with the question formats and improve their exam technique.

Cons

• Subscription Fee: Access to Save My Exams’ full range of resources requires a subscription fee. It’s quite annoying that mark schemes for topic questions are hidden by a paywall. Students need to pay for a premium membership to access the complete set of materials. Personally, I didn’t sign up for a membership because I had enough alternative resources.
• Limited Past Papers: Most past papers on Save My Exams are from recent years, in accordance with the updated specification. However, studious candidates may have completed all the recent past papers and need to browse other websites for older past papers. As of writing this article, the most recent Edexcel IGCSE past papers are from January 2022. That means there are 2 intakes’ worth of past papers missing.

Conclusion

• IGCSE examinations are significant milestones in a student’s academic journey, and having access to reliable revision resources is crucial for success.
• The websites mentioned in this article offer valuable study materials and tools that can support IGCSE students in their exam preparations.
• By utilizing these platforms, students can enhance their understanding of various subjects, reinforce their knowledge through practice, and gain the confidence needed to excel in their IGCSE examinations.