Examaced vs Save My Exams vs Exam-Mate for CIE A Level past papers
By the Examaced team. , 7 min read
If you take Cambridge International (CIE) A Levels, you have probably used Save My Exams, Exam-Mate, or a folder of past-paper PDFs. They solve different problems. This is a plain comparison of what each one is built for, where Examaced is narrower than the others, and when it's the better fit.
The short answer
- Save My Exams is the broadest: revision notes for every topic, its own exam-style topic questions and mock exams, across many exam boards and subjects.
- Exam-Mate is built around topical past papers for Cambridge IGCSE, AS & A Level and IB, with worksheets you can build and export as PDFs.
- Examaced covers five CIE A Level subjects, Mathematics 9709, Further Mathematics 9231, Physics 9702, Chemistry 9701 and Biology 9700, and focuses on one thing: answering an original past-paper question with its mark scheme beside your working, then keeping the score.
If you need notes to learn a topic for the first time, start with Save My Exams. If you study a subject Examaced doesn't cover, it isn't for you yet. If you're in the past-paper stage for one of its five subjects, read on.
Side by side
| Examaced | Save My Exams | Exam-Mate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Practice original past-paper questions and track scores | Learn and revise: notes, topic questions, mocks | Topical past papers and printable worksheets |
| Question source | Original CIE past-paper questions, labeled with session and paper code | Its own exam-style questions, plus past papers | Original past-paper questions, sorted by topic |
| Subjects | 5 CIE A Level subjects | Many boards and subjects | IGCSE, AS & A Level, IB |
| Mark scheme | Split view beside the question | Model answers with its topic questions | Check their site |
| Score tracking | Per question, by topic, with an error log | Personalized tools on Premium | Check their site |
| Revision notes | No | Yes, every topic | Topical eBooks |
Based on each product's own site and help pages, November 2026. Features and plans change, so check their sites for current details and prices.
Save My Exams: best for learning a topic
Save My Exams offers Free, Essential and Premium access. Its CIE A Level pages have revision notes for each syllabus topic and a topic questions section. Those questions are written to look like exam questions, with model answers, which is useful early on, when you're still learning the content.
The trade-off appears later. When you're a few weeks from the exam, you want the real thing: questions as Cambridge set them, marked the way Cambridge marks them. Exam-style questions are good practice, but they aren't the past papers your examiners wrote.
Exam-Mate: best for printable worksheets
Exam-Mate splits Cambridge past papers into questions and sorts them by topic, for many IGCSE, A Level and IB subjects. Its help center describes building custom worksheets from different topics and exporting them as PDFs on premium plans, which suits students and teachers who like to work on paper.
It's a good fit if you like to print a set of questions, work on paper and mark them yourself afterwards.
Examaced: best for the past-paper stage
Examaced is narrower on purpose. It covers 10,011 questions across Mathematics 9709 and Further Mathematics 9231 (2020–2026), and Physics 9702, Chemistry 9701 and Biology 9700 (2022–2026), and it's built around what happens after you open a question:
- The scheme sits beside the question. Open the mark scheme, examiner notes or worked solution in a split view next to the original question, and drag the divider to give either side more room. No second PDF, no hunting for the right page.
- You write where you work. Draw on the question, add extra working sheets, and download your solved problem as a PDF.
- Every score is kept. Enter your marks and save them. Scores appear in practice papers, Analytics and Review, where your question history and error log sit together.
- Multiple choice marks itself. Physics, Chemistry and Biology each have 1,400 Paper 1 questions. Choose A, B, C or D for immediate feedback.
- Timed mocks when you're ready. Choose a practice paper, set your own timer and move through the questions.
What Examaced doesn't have: revision notes, subjects beyond these five, or its own made-up questions. Not every question has examiner notes or a worked solution yet, and the pane says so when one is missing.
Which should you use?
Most students end up with two tools, one per stage:
- Learning a topic for the first time: revision notes and exam-style questions, from Save My Exams or your textbook.
- Practicing on paper, or across many subjects: Exam-Mate worksheets.
- Past-paper practice for 9709, 9231, 9702, 9701 or 9700: Examaced, topic by topic first, then timed papers, then back to your error log.
Not sure how to mark yourself fairly once you're on real papers? Read how to read a CIE mark scheme. Or open the workspace and try one question.
Save My Exams and Exam-Mate are trademarks of their owners. Examaced is independent and not affiliated with them or with Cambridge International.