How Teachers Create GCSE Mock Exams (And how to target revision for them)

If you’ve ever wondered where your GCSE mock exam questions come from, you’re not alone.
Students often ask:

“Do teachers just make up the questions?”
“Are GCSE mock papers real past papers?”
“How can I revise for mocks if I don’t know what’s on them?”

The truth is, there’s a method to how teachers create mocks — and knowing it can give you a real advantage.

1. When Teachers Create GCSE Mock Exams

Most schools set GCSE mock exams:

  • Winter mocks – usually between November and January (often before Christmas or straight after).

  • Spring mocks – sometimes in March, especially for Year 10 or early Year 11.

Teachers often finalise their mock papers 2–3 months before the exam date so they can get them printed and ready. This means they base them on topics already taught by that time.

2. Where GCSE Mock Questions Come From

Teachers don’t just make questions from scratch — they pull them from trusted sources, including:

🔹 Past Papers

  • AQA, Edexcel, OCR past exam papers from recent years.

  • Older papers with similar syllabus content.

  • This helps ensure mocks reflect real exam style.

🔹 Locked Papers

  • Many schools use 2025 locked papers for inspiration.

  • At Tyrion Papers, we have full lcoked papers matching the style and difficulty teachers use.

🔹 Topic Tests from Exam Board Tools

  • ExamWizard (Edexcel), ExamPro (AQA), and ExamBuilder (OCR)

  • These platforms allow teachers to search questions by topic, difficulty, and marks.

  • This means your mock may have exact questions from these databases.

🔹 Custom Teacher-Made Mix

  • Teachers sometimes rewrite past questions to avoid students recognising them.

  • They combine multiple question types into one paper.

3. Why This Matters for Your Revision

Knowing where mocks come from means you can revise smarter:

  • Practise past papers from your exam board.

  • Focus on topic-based questions from the start of the year.

  • Don’t ignore predicted papers — teachers use them too.

4. How Tyrion Papers Gives You the Edge

At Tyrion Papers, we’ve already collected the same resources teachers use:

  • 2025 locked papers for AQA, Edexcel, and OCR.

  • Topic tests from ExamWizard, ExamPro, and ExamBuilder — the same question banks your teachers use to set mocks.

  • Fully solved past papers so you can see how examiners award marks.

💡 This means when you practise with our resources, you’re essentially training with the same style and source as your real mock exams.

5. Other Ways Teachers Create Mocks

Not every teacher sticks to past papers. Some also:

  • Pull questions from textbooks with exam-style sections.

  • Adapt questions from other exam boards if the topic overlaps.

  • Use specimen papers released when a new syllabus launches.

6. How to Prepare for Your GCSE Mocks

If you want to smash your mocks:

  1. Get your exam board’s past papers – focus on recent ones.

  2. Use topic-specific tests to strengthen weak areas.

  3. Practise under timed conditions – mocks are also a test of speed.

  4. Review mark schemes to learn how to gain every mark.

âś… Final Takeaway

Your teachers aren’t guessing when they create mocks — they’re using real exam resources. The good news? You can access them too.
With Tyrion Papers, you’ll get:

  • The same 2025 locked papers teachers use.

  • Topic tests from official exam board databases.

  • Past papers with step-by-step solutions.

Start revising smarter today — and walk into your mocks already knowing the game plan.

❓ FAQ Section 

Q1: Where do teachers get GCSE mock questions from?
Teachers often use past papers, lcoked papers, and topic tests from official exam board tools like ExamWizard (Edexcel), ExamPro (AQA), and ExamBuilder (OCR).

Q2: Are GCSE mock exams harder than the real exams?
It depends. Some teachers choose harder questions to push students before the real thing, while others match the difficulty level of past papers.

Q3: Do mock exams use past papers?
Yes — many mocks include past paper questions, sometimes edited or combined with topic tests to fit the syllabus.

Q4: How can I revise effectively for GCSE mocks?
Use past papers, practise topic tests, and check mark schemes to understand exactly how marks are awarded.

Q5: Can I get the same resources teachers use?
Yes — Tyrion Papers offers 2025 predicted papers, past papers, and topic tests from the same databases teachers use to make mocks.

“How do teachers actually make GCSE mock exams, and where do they get the questions from?”

Answer:
Teachers create GCSE mock exams by combining past papers, locked papers, and topic tests from official exam board databases like ExamWizard (Edexcel), ExamPro (AQA), and ExamBuilder (OCR). They choose questions from topics they’ve already taught, usually 2–3 months before the mock, and sometimes rewrite them to stop students recognising the paper.

That means if you practise using 2025 locked papers, past papers, and topic tests from the same sources, you’ll be preparing with exactly the kind of questions your teachers will set. At Tyrion Papers, we’ve collected all of these in one place — so you can revise smarter, not harder.