Year 6 1 guide
After the 11+ and getting ready for secondary school.
KS3 (Years 7–9) 3 guides
Starting secondary school and building the base for GCSE.
Starting Year 7: how to get off to a strong start in Maths and Science
What changes when you move to secondary school, and five simple habits that make Year 7 Maths and Science easier.
What is KS3, and why does it matter for GCSE?
Key Stage 3 explained in plain English: what you study in Years 7 to 9 and how it builds the base for GCSE Maths and Science.
Year 9: how to get ready for GCSE
Choosing options, checking your science route and fixing KS3 gaps: a simple guide to making Year 9 count.
GCSE (Years 9–11) 13 guides
Choosing subjects, exam boards, tiers and exam technique.
Choosing subjects, boards and grades
GCSE grades 9 to 1 explained
What each GCSE grade means, what a 'standard pass' and 'strong pass' are, and how the new grades compare with the old letters.
Which exam board am I on? AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas explained
Why your exam board matters, how to find it, and the main GCSE boards for Maths and Science in England.
GCSE core subjects: what everyone takes
Before you pick your GCSE options, know the core. A short guide to the subjects almost every student in England studies to 16.
Choosing your GCSE options: a short guide to each subject
What each popular GCSE option involves, who it suits, and whether it has coursework, plus five tips for choosing well.
Combined Science or Triple Science: what is the difference?
Combined Science gives two GCSEs, Triple Science gives three. Here is how they differ and which one might suit you.
GCSE Maths
GCSE Maths: Foundation or Higher tier?
What the two GCSE Maths tiers are, which grades each allows, and how to decide which is right for you.
GCSE Maths: show your working and avoid silly mistakes
Most lost marks in GCSE Maths are not about hard topics. Here is how to show working, check answers and beat the non-calculator paper.
GCSE Science
Command words in science exams: state, describe, explain and more
What 'state', 'describe', 'explain', 'compare' and 'evaluate' really mean in GCSE Science, with examples of what to write.
How to answer 6-mark science questions
Long-answer science questions are marked by level, not by ticks. Here is a simple plan to get into the top level.
Required practicals: how to revise them for the exam
Practical skills are tested in the written exams. How to revise methods, variables, results and errors for every practical.
Physics equations: units, rearranging and getting full marks
How to learn physics equations, rearrange them, convert units and set out calculations so you never drop easy marks.
Revision and exams
How to use past papers properly
Past papers are the best revision tool, if you use them the right way. A step-by-step guide to doing, marking and learning from them.
A GCSE revision timetable that works (September to June)
A simple month-by-month plan for Year 11, plus how to build a weekly timetable you can actually stick to.
Study skills 2 guides
How to revise so it sticks.
How to revise: 6 methods that really work
Rereading and highlighting feel useful but do little. Here are six revision methods backed by research, and how to use them.
How to make revision cards that actually help
Most flashcards have too much writing. Learn how to make short question-and-answer cards and use them with a simple box system.
For parents 1 guide
How to help at home, even if you do not know the subject.
After GCSE 2 guides
Sixth form, the IB and paying for university.
The IB in state schools: what the funding cut means for you
The government has stopped extra funding for the IB Diploma in state sixth forms. What changed, which schools are affected and what to do if you wanted to take the IB.
Student loans explained: how paying for university works
Tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and how repayment works under Plan 5, explained simply for students and parents in England.