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Botswana · Form 4 & Form 5

BGCSE and IGCSE past papers

A past paper is the closest thing to the real exam. Here is where to get them, and how to turn practice into points.

Where to get past papers

ACRON does not host past papers. BGCSE papers belong to the Botswana Examinations Council and IGCSE papers belong to Cambridge, so we send you to the sources below.

SourceExamWhat you get
Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) BGCSE The official source for BGCSE: syllabuses, exam timetables, centre lists and results. Check your syllabus here first — it tells you what the exam can ask.
BGCSE past papers — The Student Shed BGCSE Free BGCSE past papers, sorted by subject — Biology, Chemistry, Combined Science, Commerce, Economics, Bookkeeping and the practical subjects among them.
Cambridge IGCSE subjects (official) IGCSE Cambridge's own subject pages. Each one carries past question papers, mark schemes, examiner reports and specimen papers — IGCSE Setswana included.

Try 3 free BGCSE Mathematics questions

Three practice questions from ACRON's own Quiz Me bank of checked BGCSE questions. They are written for practice, not taken from a BEC past paper. Work each one out, then open the answer.

  1. Kagiso earns a salary of P8 500 per month. She receives a 6% increase. What is her new monthly salary?

    1. P7 990.00
    2. P9 010.00
    3. P510.00
    4. P8 506.00
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, P9 010.00. 6% of P8 500 is 0.06 × 8500 = P510, so the new salary is 8500 + 510 = P9 010.00 (or 8500 × 1.06). Subtracting the increase is a common mistake.

  2. What is the highest common factor (HCF) of 84 and 120?

    1. 12
    2. 4
    3. 6
    4. 840
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 12. 84 = 2² × 3 × 7 and 120 = 2³ × 3 × 5. The primes common to both, with the lowest powers, give 2² × 3 = 12. The number 840 is the LCM, not the HCF.

  3. Find the mean of 4, 7, 7, 9 and 13.

    1. 7
    2. 9
    3. 8
    4. 40
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 8. The total is 4 + 7 + 7 + 9 + 13 = 40 and there are 5 values, so the mean is 40 ÷ 5 = 8. The value 7 is the median and the mode.

Quiz Me in the ACRON app has many more checked BGCSE practice questions. Open ACRON →

How to use a past paper

  1. Start with the syllabus for your subject. It lists every topic the exam can test.
  2. Do one full paper in the real exam time, with no notes.
  3. Mark it with the mark scheme. Be strict with yourself.
  4. Write down every question where you lost marks. Study those topics next.
  5. Do the next paper, and watch your marks move.

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