Who this is for: Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266) students revising Motivated Forgetting as IGCSE syllabus content for this paper.
What query it owns: how to understand and revise Motivated Forgetting in Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266).
Why this is safe: this page owns the revision-guide angle, while Tutopiya’s Motivated Forgetting subtopic page owns the learning resource and the free Motivated Forgetting quiz owns the practice.

Motivated Forgetting is a core subtopic in Memory And Forgetting on the Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266) syllabus. Tutopiya is a recognised online tutoring platform for Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel programmes, so this guide stays inside the library’s Psychology resources rather than mixing boards. You will see how Motivated Forgetting is examined, which command words appear, and where to practise.

Key takeaways

• Motivated Forgetting sits under Memory And Forgetting on syllabus 0266 and is IGCSE syllabus content for this paper.
• Learn definitions and methods first, then decode command words — marks sit in the working and the wording.
• Use the Motivated Forgetting subtopic page for notes, then the free Motivated Forgetting quiz to check retrieval.
• Book a free trial if a method still collapses under timed conditions.

What is Motivated Forgetting in Cambridge IGCSE Psychology?

Motivated Forgetting is the syllabus content grouped under Memory And Forgetting for Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266). Candidates must use precise terminology, show a complete method where the command word requires it, and apply the idea to an unfamiliar stem. It is IGCSE syllabus content for this paper, so do not treat it as interchangeable with a similarly named topic on another code.

Read the notes and worked examples on Tutopiya’s Motivated Forgetting subtopic page before you drill questions. That page is the learning resource; this article is the revision map.

How this subtopic sits on the syllabus

Check	What to confirm
Programme	Cambridge IGCSE
Code	0266
Library topic	Memory And Forgetting
Level	IGCSE syllabus content for this paper

The core ideas you must master

These are the ideas examiners keep returning to in Motivated Forgetting. Learn what each one means and the phrasing that signals it.

Idea	What it means	How the exam uses it
Key terms	Subject vocabulary for Motivated Forgetting	Define, state, identify
Methods	Standard procedures for Memory And Forgetting	Calculate, explain, describe
Application	Use knowledge in a new stem	Analyse, suggest
Judgement	A conclusion with evidence	Evaluate, discuss, to what extent

How examiners word it — command words in Psychology

Most lost marks in Motivated Forgetting come from misreading the command word. Match the verb before you write.

Command word	What the question demands	What earns the marks
Define / State	A precise term or fact	Syllabus language, not an anecdote
Describe	What happens or how it is organised	Sequence and features
Explain	Why, with a causal chain	Developed reasons, not a single word
Analyse	Break the material in the question apart	Application to the given stem
Evaluate / Discuss	A judgement with conditions	Both sides, then a weighed conclusion

How to revise Motivated Forgetting — step by step

1. Open the Motivated Forgetting subtopic page and write a one-page sheet of definitions and standard methods.
2. Annotate command words from the table above against two or three typical stems for Memory And Forgetting.
3. Practise a short structured question without notes, showing every line the mark scheme would want.
4. Test retrieval on the free Motivated Forgetting quiz — treat every miss as a definition or method to rewrite.
5. Join it to the neighbouring subtopic so Memory And Forgetting holds together as a paper, not a pile of isolated facts.

Exam-style stems for Motivated Forgetting

These are generic command-word stems, not invented past papers. Use them to practise attack, then check yourself on Tutopiya.

1. “Explain … in Motivated Forgetting.” — define the key term, then give two linked reasons. Reward: knowledge plus development.
2. “Describe …” — sequence the main features without evaluation. Reward: accuracy and completeness.
3. “Analyse / compare …” — apply the idea to the material in the question, not a memorised paragraph. Reward: application.
4. “Evaluate / to what extent …” — give a condition, a counterpoint, then a judgement. Reward: a weighed conclusion.

Work the same stems again after you have used the Motivated Forgetting quiz. Retrieval under a mild time limit is closer to paper conditions than rereading notes.

How Motivated Forgetting connects to the rest of Memory And Forgetting

When Motivated Forgetting sits next to Key Concepts in Memory And Forgetting, revise them as a pair. After this page, open the Key Concepts subtopic page and check yourself with the free Key Concepts quiz.

Papers rarely isolate one idea. A Motivated Forgetting method is often the first line of a longer structured question. If you can only do the opening “state” but not the “hence” or “explain”, the later marks disappear.

Common mistakes students make

• Mixing boards — Cambridge IGCSE (0266) is not interchangeable with another Psychology programme.
• Describing when asked to explain — features without a mechanism score the lower tariff only.
• Vague definitions that do not use specification language.
• Skipping the neighbouring subtopic in Memory And Forgetting, so the paper feels like isolated facts.
• Never testing retrieval — notes feel fluent until the free Motivated Forgetting quiz shows the gap.

When you need more support

If Motivated Forgetting still collapses once the stem is unfamiliar, you need targeted feedback, not another reread. Work through the Motivated Forgetting subtopic page and the free Motivated Forgetting quiz, then book your free trial with a Cambridge IGCSE Psychology tutor. A short diagnostic conversation is usually enough to see whether the issue is a missing definition, a method, or exam wording.

Frequently asked questions

What is Motivated Forgetting in Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266)?
Motivated Forgetting is a taught subtopic under Memory And Forgetting on syllabus 0266. Examiners test definitions, method and command-word accuracy.

How should I revise Motivated Forgetting?
Learn the definitions on the Motivated Forgetting subtopic page, practise the command words in this guide, then use Tutopiya’s matching quiz. Revisit any stem you miss.

Where can I practise Motivated Forgetting questions?
Use the Motivated Forgetting Learn page for notes and the matching free quiz for retrieval. Stay on syllabus 0266.

Is Motivated Forgetting the same on every board?
No. This guide is only for Cambridge IGCSE Psychology (0266). Do not mix it with a different code or curriculum.

Ready to excel in Cambridge IGCSE Psychology?

Open the Motivated Forgetting subtopic page, browse the Psychology resource hub, book your free trial, and try the free Motivated Forgetting quiz. Stay inside Cambridge IGCSE (0266) while you revise Memory And Forgetting.

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