How to Use Predicted Papers for May/June 2027 (IGCSE, A Level and IB)

How to Use Predicted Papers for May/June 2027 (IGCSE, A Level and IB)

Quick answer: Predicted papers are practice exams that teachers and revision platforms write by studying which topics and question styles Cambridge and the IB have set in past years. They are not leaked papers, and nobody can guarantee what will come up. Used well, they are excellent final-stage practice for May/June 2027. Do your topic-by-topic past papers first, then sit predicted papers under timed conditions from March, mark them strictly and turn every lost mark into a short list of fixes.

As the May/June 2027 exams get closer, "predicted papers 2027" becomes one of the most searched revision terms for IGCSE, A Level and IB students. Every year some students treat predicted papers as a shortcut. Others ignore them completely. Both groups miss out.

A predicted paper can't tell you what's on your exam. What it can do is give you a realistic, timed, full-length test on content you haven't already memorised from past papers. That matters a lot in the final months. This guide explains what predicted papers really are, how far to trust them, and how to fit them into a revision plan that runs from now until the exam hall.

Key takeaways

• Predicted papers are unofficial. Cambridge International and the IB never release questions before an exam, so any "leaked paper" is fake or a scam.

• They're built from patterns: how often each topic is examined, which syllabus areas haven't come up recently, and how question styles are changing.

• Use them late. Start with topic-by-topic practice, then full past papers, then predicted papers from around March.

• Their main value is a fresh, timed paper. You get exam-style questions you haven't seen, under real time pressure.

• The marking matters more than the sitting. Every lost mark should lead to something specific you practise next.

What are predicted papers?

A predicted paper is a mock exam that follows the exact format of a real paper: the same number of questions, mark allocation, time limit and command words. The difference is in how the questions are chosen. The writer looks at several years of past papers and builds a paper weighted towards the topics that seem most likely to appear next.

Teachers, tutors and revision platforms all produce them. Some are careful, syllabus-checked papers. Others are a collection of old questions with a new cover page. Quality varies a lot, so it's worth knowing what a good one looks like before you rely on it.

One point of confusion is worth clearing up. Predicted papers are not the same as predicted grades. Predicted grades are the grades your teachers forecast for university applications, especially in the IB. If that's what you're after, read our guide to how IB predicted grades work.

Are predicted papers accurate?

Not in the sense most students hope. No one outside the exam board knows what's on the paper, and the boards are clear that the whole syllabus can be examined in any session. A topic that came up last year can come up again. A topic that hasn't appeared for three years might still stay missing.

That doesn't make predicted papers useless. Exam papers are written to cover the syllabus in a balanced way, so some patterns repeat:

• The core topics appear almost every session. In IGCSE Physics, for example, electricity and forces turn up in nearly every theory paper.

• Question styles change slowly. Command words, the way calculations are set up, and the length of extended answers tend to stay similar from year to year.

• Coverage tends to rotate. If a smaller topic hasn't been tested for several sessions, it's a reasonable bet that it will come back.

So a good predicted paper works like a well-informed mock exam. Use it to test how ready you are, not to guess the questions.

How are predicted papers made?

A well-made predicted paper usually comes from four steps:

1. Topic frequency analysis. The writer goes through several years of papers across all the variants and time zones, and counts how often each syllabus point was examined and for how many marks.

2. Gap analysis. They check which syllabus points haven't been tested recently and give them more weight.

3. Style matching. New questions copy the current style: the same command words, mark splits, diagrams and data formats as recent papers.

4. Syllabus check. Every question is checked against the syllabus for the 2027 exam year. Syllabuses change, and an old topic that has been removed shouldn't appear.

The last step is where many free predicted papers fall short. Before you use a predicted paper, check that it was written for your syllabus code and your exam year, such as Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 for 2027. A paper written for an older syllabus can have you practising content that has been dropped.

Predicted papers vs past papers vs topical questions

These three kinds of practice do different jobs. You need all of them, in the right order.

Type	What it is	Best for	When to use it
Topical (topic-by-topic) questions	Past paper questions grouped by syllabus topic	Learning a topic thoroughly and spotting the patterns in how it's examined	Right after you learn a topic, and through the autumn and winter
Full past papers	Real papers from previous sessions	Practising timing, stamina and switching between topics	From January
Predicted papers	New mock papers weighted to likely topics	A final check on questions you haven't seen	From March, close to the exam

Past papers will always be your main resource, because they are the real thing. If you haven't built a past paper routine yet, start with our guides to the benefits of IGCSE past papers, using A Level past papers effectively and IB past papers by subject.

The problem with past papers is that by spring, most serious students have already seen many of them. When you've seen a question before, a past paper tests your memory more than your understanding. That's where predicted papers come in: they give you questions you haven't seen, in the format you know.

When should you start predicted papers for May/June 2027?

Cambridge hasn't published the June 2027 timetable yet. Most years, the Cambridge IGCSE and A Level June series runs from late April to mid-June, and results come out in mid-August. IB May exams usually start in late April, with results in early July. Check your own timetable as soon as your school confirms it.

Working back from those dates, here's a plan from now to the exam:

Month	Main focus	Where predicted papers fit
November–December 2026	Finish learning the content. Topical questions for each topic you've covered	Not yet. Learn the topics first
January 2027	Topical questions for weak topics. Your first full past papers, untimed	Not yet
February 2027	Full past papers, timed. Keep an error log	Optional: one predicted paper per subject to see where you stand
March 2027	Timed past papers and topical practice on weak spots	One predicted paper per subject each fortnight
April 2027	Mix of past papers and predicted papers under exam conditions	One or two predicted papers per subject each week
Exam weeks	Light review of your error log and key definitions	One last predicted paper a few days before each exam, if it helps your confidence

Students taking Cambridge's March series in India need to bring every step forward by about two months.

How to sit a predicted paper properly

A predicted paper done badly is wasted time. Treat each one as a mock exam:

1. Set the exact time limit. Use the real duration of the paper and a visible timer.

2. No notes, no phone, no checking the answers halfway. If you get stuck, move on, as you would in the real exam.

3. Use the right equipment, including the calculator you'll take into the exam and, where allowed, the formula or data booklet.

4. Finish the whole paper in one sitting. Stamina is part of what you're testing.

5. Mark it the same day, while you still remember what you were thinking.

How to mark it and learn from it

Mark strictly against the mark scheme. If your answer is "nearly right" but misses the key word the scheme asks for, it gets no mark. Examiners will mark it the same way.

Then fill in an error log. For every mark you lost, write one row:

Question	Topic	Marks lost	Type of error	Fix
4(b)	Parallel circuits	2	Knowledge: used the series rule	10 topical questions on parallel resistance
7(a)	Enzymes	1	Exam technique: described instead of explained	Practise "explain" answers with because-and-so links
9(c)	Stoichiometry	2	Careless: didn't convert cm³ to dm³	Write units on every line of working

After three or four papers, patterns appear. Most students find their lost marks fall into a small number of topics and one or two habits. That list is what to revise next, and it's far more useful than another hour of reading notes. For Physics, our IGCSE electricity guide and common mistakes in IGCSE Physics exams cover the errors that turn up most often.

Mistakes students make with predicted papers

• Question spotting. Revising only the topics on a predicted paper is a gamble with your grade. Every topic in the syllabus can be examined.

• Starting too early. A predicted paper in November mostly tells you that you haven't finished the course yet. Topical practice is a better use of that time.

• Doing only predicted papers. Real past papers show you exactly how the exam board writes and marks questions. Predicted papers add to them, they don't replace them.

• Not timing them. An untimed predicted paper tells you very little about how you'll do in May.

• Marking generously. Giving yourself a mark for "what you meant" only hides the problem until the real exam.

A warning about "leaked" papers

Every exam season, social media and messaging groups fill up with people offering "leaked" or "confirmed" papers, usually for a fee. Cambridge International and the IB keep their papers secure, and these offers are almost always scams. Taking part in a real leak counts as malpractice, which can get your results cancelled. A predicted paper from a known source is legitimate practice. A "leaked paper" isn't, so leave it alone.

Subject tips for predicted papers

• Sciences (IGCSE 0625, 0620, 0610 and A Level 9702, 9701, 9700): Practise the theory and practical papers separately. Practical-skills papers (Paper 6 at IGCSE) follow very fixed patterns, so they reward focused practice.

• Maths (IGCSE 0580 and 0606, A Level 9709): Time pressure is the main challenge. Use predicted papers to practise moving on from a stuck question and coming back to it later.

• Economics, Business and Accounting: Essay and case-study questions depend on structure. Use predicted papers to time your planning and writing, and compare your answers against the levels-based mark scheme.

• IB subjects: Do Paper 1 and Paper 2 together under exam timings, because IB sessions often put them close together. For HL, include Paper 3 wherever your subject has one.

Practise with sortmyprep

sortmyprep has predicted papers for its IGCSE, AS & A Level and IBDP subjects, alongside topic-by-topic past papers with mark schemes and worked solutions. When you lose marks, sorty, the AI tutor built into every question, explains what went wrong. sortmyprep then gives you unlimited practice questions aimed at the topics you keep getting wrong. The free plan includes five years of topical past papers, and the 7-day trial opens everything, predicted papers included. Start your free trial.

If you're a parent weighing up whether an online platform is worth paying for, our guide Is Online IGCSE Revision Worth It? sets out what to look for.

Frequently asked questions

Are predicted papers accurate for 2027?

No predicted paper can tell you what will be on the exam, because Cambridge and the IB don't release questions in advance. A good predicted paper weights topics by how often they've been examined, so it reflects likely content and the current style. Use it as a mock exam, not as a guide to which topics to skip.

When should I start doing predicted papers?

Around March 2027 for the May/June series, once you've finished topical practice and done several full past papers. Doing them earlier mostly shows up topics you haven't covered yet.

Should I do past papers or predicted papers first?

Past papers first. They are real exams, marked by the real mark schemes. Predicted papers are most useful once you've worked through the recent past papers and want questions you haven't seen.

How many predicted papers should I do?

For most subjects, four to six predicted papers between March and the exam is plenty, as long as each one is marked properly and followed up. Five papers with error logs are worth more than fifteen without.

Are leaked Cambridge or IB papers real?

Almost never. They're scams, and taking part in a genuine leak counts as malpractice and can get your results cancelled. Stick to past papers and predicted papers from sources you trust.

Do predicted papers work for IB as well as IGCSE and A Level?

Yes. The method is the same: match the paper to your subject, level (HL or SL) and exam year, sit it under timed conditions, then mark it with the markbands or mark scheme.