About Papyra: The Past Papers Platform for Maths Students (Honest Explainer)

About Papyra: The Past Papers Platform for Maths Students (Honest Explainer)

Guest article by Kevin Kavaliauskas

I’m Kevin. I run Papyra, a GCSE and A-Level Maths past papers platform for students. Just like your teen or young person, I’m a student who cares deeply about getting good grades and securing a bright future for myself. Now studying Computer Science at King’s College London, I’m just one of a team of A* students who’ve sat these GCSE and A-Level exams and aced them. Together, we built Papyra. Here’s what the platform is, what it does and doesn’t do, and who it’s for.

What is Papyra?

Papyra is a past papers platform designed by students, for students. It provides users with unlimited maths questions from A-Level and GCSE past papers and tracks their progress towards their desired grade. 

Signing up is quick and easy. Students can enter their subject (GCSE or A-Level Maths) and exam board, then set their target grade and exam date. Papyra will put together a personalised revision plan with targeted past-paper-style questions, instant marking, and a digital tutor (Professor Papy) for when they get stuck. 

What’s working well, from students and their parents

• The algorithm tailors revision to the exam board. Unlike other revision platforms, Papyra tailors each revision plan to the correct exam board. It covers AQA, Pearson Edexcel, and OCR for GCSE and A-Level Maths.
• It’s clean and simple. Papyra gives students a place to practice using past papers without gamification or distraction. The interface is simple and accessible. No gimmicks, just Maths.
• Progress is easy to track. The dashboard includes a tracker where students can monitor their progress towards “Course mastery.” It also highlights their weakest topics that need more attention.
• There’s an optional student Discord community. Students can also join the Discord server to chat and share tips with other GCSE and A-Level Maths students.

Where it doesn’t work, honestly

• Papyra is not a replacement for an in-person tutor. Students who are genuinely struggling in maths and worried about passing their exam, or those with additional education needs, may still require one-on-one support from a tutor.
• Students will get out what they put in. If students don’t follow the suggested revision schedule or are not motivated to improve, Papyra won’t help them get better grades. It’s a revision tool to be used consistently, not a quick fix.
• Papyra won’t just provide answers. It will ask questions, give hints, and encourage students to work the answers out for themselves so they can improve their overall skills and knowledge. 

Who is Papyra for?

Papyra is ideal for students who:

• Have an upcoming GCSE or A-Level Maths exam
• Want a personalised revision plan and a digital tutor to keep them on track
• Are self-motivated and keen to learn the method, not just the answer

How much does Papyra cost?

Papyra is free to use for up to 15 past paper questions and 10 Professor Papy messages per day, with limited automarking. This is enough for a short study session and works well as a discovery tier, helping students decide whether the platform is right for them.

Upgrading to Scholar (£9.99 p/m or £6.99 p/m billed annually) will give you access to unlimited A-Level or GCSE past papers, full Professor Papy access, and automarking. Reassuringly, if your child doesn’t get an A or A* in their final exam after using Papyra Scholar, you’ll get your money back.

A Mum Reviews readers get 20% off the Unlimited Scholar plan with the code MUMREVIEWS20 if they decide to upgrade.

Honest closing thoughts 

Papyra is not a quick fix for students who don’t want to study, or for those with significant gaps in their maths education. 

For self-motivated, otherwise able students who want to bump up their grades using maths past papers, however, Papyra is a fun, smart, and super simple revision tool. It will set you back the cost of a couple of takeaway coffees per month and provide your learner with unlimited practice questions and a structured revision plan.

Perhaps most impressively, Papyra is built by people who understand the pressures of GCSE and A-Level exams and how to pass them with flying colours. 

Guest Article by Kevin Kavaliauskas, Co-founder of Papyra, in partnership with A Mum Reviews. Readers get 20% off Papyra Scholar with the code MUMREVIEWS20.