To compare earlier work with a Cambridge topic, put the syllabus statement beside your notes and test yourself on an unseen question, then mark the topic Met, Partly or New. A chapter title that looks the same is not evidence that the skill matches.
Start by confirming your subject code and exam year with the syllabus and exam-year navigator. Then download the syllabus from the Cambridge subject page and keep it open while you work.
Why is a chapter title not enough?
Two courses can both have a chapter called “Equations” and still ask for different things. One may stop at solving, another may expect you to form the equation from words, or to show a method in a set layout.
What counts is the verb in the syllabus statement: solve, interpret, explain, calculate, compare. The verb tells you the skill, and the skill is what you test.
How do you make a three-column comparison?
- Copy one syllabus statement for the topic, word for word, from the Cambridge page for your exam year.
- Find your own evidence. Open your notes or exercise book and look for where you did that skill.
- Test it. Attempt one unseen question with no notes.
- Mark it. Met if you solved it and can explain the steps. Partly if you solved only part or needed prompts. New if you had no method.
Worked example
Below is an example statement written in the style of a syllabus, for illustration. Always use the exact wording on your own syllabus.
“Solve two simultaneous linear equations in two unknowns, and use them to solve problems in context.”
Nadia’s earlier notes show five pages on simultaneous equations, all solved by substitution, with no word problems.
| Part of the statement | Nadia’s evidence | Test result | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solve by substitution | Five solved pages | Correct | Met |
| Solve by elimination | None in notes | Could not start | New |
| Use in a context | None in notes | Set up one equation, not two | Partly |
Her test question was: “3 pens and 2 rulers cost RM9.40. 1 pen and 2 rulers cost RM5.40. Find the price of 1 pen.”
Subtracting the equations gives 2 pens = RM4.00, so a pen is RM2.00. Nadia could not see this step, which is why elimination is marked New. Her plan is two short sessions on elimination and one on forming equations from words, instead of redoing all five pages.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to mark a topic Met because the page exists in the notes.
Mistaken mark: “I did simultaneous equations last year, so it is Met.”
The notes show only one method and only bare equations. The syllabus statement asks for more.
The correction is to let the unseen question decide the mark, not the notes. If you cannot explain why each step works, the topic is only Partly.
Check yourself
1. Your notes cover “percentages” with questions like “find 15% of 80”. The syllabus statement says “calculate percentage change and reverse percentages”. What mark should you give it before testing?
Show answer
Partly, pending a test. Finding a percentage of a number is part of the skill, but percentage change and reverse percentages are not shown in your notes. Test with an unseen question on each.
2. A shop raises a price from RM40 to RM46. Test yourself: what is the percentage increase?
Show answer
Change = 46 − 40 = 6. Percentage change = 6 ÷ 40 × 100 = 15%.
3. You solved the test question in question 2 but could not explain why you divide by 40 and not 46. Met, Partly or New?
Show answer
Partly. The answer is right but the reasoning is missing. You divide by the original amount because the change is measured against where the price started.
When may paid one-to-one tuition be worth considering?
Self-study may be enough when most topics come back Met and only a few are Partly. Tuition may be worth considering when several topics are New, the method is unfamiliar, or you cannot tell whether your own marking is right.
A teacher can test the Partly and New topics with you in real time, then arrange how to continue directly with you after the paid trial. Bring your comparison table to the first lesson.
Where to go next
Next, read how to distinguish a syllabus gap from a vocabulary gap, because a topic marked New is sometimes only a wording problem. If you study with another exam route in mind, see why SPM and IGCSE papers are not interchangeable.
For a subject-specific starting point, online one-to-one Mathematics tuition shows how a teacher would work on your New topics.
You may also find these guides useful: studying IGCSE outside school or switching from SPM and IGCSE and SPM compared.