Where to Find GCSE Past Papers and Mark Schemes
The correct starting point for a GCSE past paper is always the exam board itself: AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC/Eduqas all publish most of their own past papers and mark schemes free, with no account, and they are the authoritative source. Where a board's own archive falls short is topic sorting, since papers are published as whole exams rather than by topic; Physics and Maths Tutor and Revision Library both add that layer for free, and Maths Genie sorts its own past-paper archive by board.
This comparison is published by Revision Library, and Revision Library appears on the list below.
How this list was made
This list starts with the four exam boards, because that is the correct primary source, then covers the sites that add topic sorting or model answers on top. Every site listed was checked on 30 August 2026.
At a glance
| Site | Best for | Price | Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | Best for free printable practice with mark schemes | Free | No account |
| WJEC / Eduqas | Best for building custom papers from real past questions | Free | No account |
| Physics and Maths Tutor (PMT) | Best for revision guides alongside practice papers | Free | No account |
| Maths Genie | Best for free topic-by-topic video lessons | Free, with a paid tier | Free to browse; account for some tools |
| Revision Library | Best for exam-style question sheets by topic | Everything is free | No account |
The full comparison
AQA
Best for free printable practice with mark schemesAQA is one of the UK's exam boards, and its site is the primary source for its own GCSE and A Level past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, free to search and download without an account.
AQA's own site is the authoritative source for its GCSE and A Level past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, free to search and download without an account, though papers are not sorted by topic and most are removed from public view after a few years.
WJEC / Eduqas
Best for building custom papers from real past questionsWJEC is a UK exam board; Eduqas is its England-facing brand. Past papers and mark schemes are made available to the public as well as to registered centres, free to download, alongside a distinctive free Question Bank tool for building custom practice papers from past questions with mark schemes and examiner's comments.
Alongside its own free past papers and mark schemes, WJEC/Eduqas runs a distinctive Question Bank tool that builds custom practice papers from past questions on demand, closer to topic-sorted practice than a plain archive.
Physics and Maths Tutor (PMT)
Best for revision guides alongside practice papersPhysics and Maths Tutor (PMT) is a free resource site with revision notes, worksheets and past-paper questions sorted by topic and exam board, across maths, the sciences and several other GCSE/A Level subjects. It also sells separate paid tutoring, crash courses and printed workbooks alongside the free material.
PMT pairs free revision notes with past-paper questions sorted by topic and exam board across maths, the sciences and several other GCSE subjects, and none of it needs an account.
Maths Genie
Best for free topic-by-topic video lessonsMaths Genie is a GCSE and A Level maths site with past papers, topic worksheets, video lessons and revision guides across several exam boards. A free account adds features like progress tracking, but the core teaching and practice material can be browsed without one.
Maths Genie's past-paper archive is sorted by exam board and paired with worked video solutions and a matching worksheet for each topic.
Revision Library
Best for exam-style question sheets by topicRevision Library does not host exam boards' own past papers - the boards are the correct place for that, and the entries below link to them directly. What the past-paper tool adds is exam-style questions grouped by topic rather than by paper, so a student revising one weak area can practise just that, with a full mark scheme attached to every question.
The topic frequency tool goes a step further, showing how often each topic has actually been examined by board and tier from tagged past papers, which is the kind of figure a plain archive does not publish. The predicted papers use the same model to build a full practice paper ahead of the next series.
For English and science past-paper practice sorted the same way, the English and science tools work the same way.
Practise past-paper questions by topic →In the numbers
GCSE Maths worksheet packs in the library, each with a full mark scheme
- packs
- 449
- question pages
- 2,967
How to choose
Start with the exam board's own site for a genuine, unedited past paper. Pearson Edexcel and OCR also publish most of their archive free, though the most recent series is usually restricted to registered centres for a period after each sitting.
Once the topic that needs work is clear, a topic-sorted source - Revision Library's past-paper tool, PMT or Maths Genie - saves searching through whole papers for the relevant questions.
Use the frequency data to decide which topics are worth the most revision time before the exam, rather than working through papers in date order.
A predicted paper, like Revision Library's or onmaths' free predicted GCSE papers by board and tier, is useful close to the exam but is not a substitute for a genuine past paper earlier in revision.
Frequently asked questions
Are past papers free from the boards?+
How far back do they go?+
What is a predicted paper?+
Where are the mark schemes?+
Practise past-paper questions by topic.
Every worksheet is free to download, with a full mark scheme and no card or account.