Does my year group change the difficulty on Atom?

Does changing my year group affect my questions?

No. Changing your year group on Atom GCSE doesn’t change the content or difficulty of the questions you complete, or of the past and practice papers. 

Why do past papers feel harder?

You may find the past and practice papers harder than the exam-style questions you complete for each subject. That’s because each paper follows a specific exam board, so the question style and layout can be different from what you’re used to. If your first paper feels tough, that’s normal, and it’s useful practice.

How often should I do past papers?

If you’re in Year 11, we’d suggest completing one or two past or practice papers a month. This helps you get familiar with your exam board’s style of questions and the layout of the exam.

Where should I start?

If you’re in Year 9, 10 or 11 and just starting out on Atom, we’d recommend beginning with exam-style practice in each of your GCSE subjects. This is where you’ll find all of our revision resources and practice questions for each topic you’ll be tested on.

If you’re in Year 11 and your exams are getting closer, you might prefer to start with a practice paper. Afterwards, use the transcript to spot the topics you found harder, and focus your revision on those. This helps you target your revision and close any knowledge gaps straight away.