Exam Boards & Papers English Literature is a standard exam at GCSE level, taken with English Language, resulting in a double award for both English exams. It is fully examined with two papers (except I-GCSE or WJEC as these also include NEA Non-Examined Assessments). Most boards use an essay style question paper for both papers… Read More »

Exams are an integral part of academic life, often bringing a mix of anxiety and anticipation. Effective preparation can transform this anxiety into confidence, leading to better performance and outcomes. Understanding the Importance of Preparation Before we delve into specific strategies, it’s crucial to understand why preparation is so important. Preparation not only helps reinforce… Read More »

Why is A Level Biology so tricky? If you’re a parent of a child who’s studying A Level Biology, you have probably seen them reading a massive textbook, and lugging it back and forth between home and school. And it’s true – A Level Biology is incredibly content heavy. Students are not only expected to… Read More »

Having worked as a maths teacher, and a Justin Craig maths tutor for several years, I use the end of June and the first two weeks of July to mark GCSE Maths exam papers for the two largest exam boards. I won’t name them, but we only have four and two of them are much… Read More »

Many Economics students in year 12 can struggle to grasp the basic concepts and theories as it is often a new subject for them, having never had the opportunity to study the subject previously at GCSE. It can be overwhelming to hear lots of new concepts and theories, along with having to draw and adapt… Read More »

Tips and Resources for A Level Geographers from our expert tutor, Joel. As a teacher since 1997, I’ve lived with the growth of the internet and the massive number of resources and ideas available for teachers and students. It’s hard to keep track of them all, and the ‘bookmarks’ on my internet browser have become… Read More »

Our expert tutor, David, explains how the Duke of Edinburgh award can really help students grow, academically and personally. Introduction The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a globally recognized program that encourages young people to develop essential life skills through a series of challenges and activities. Available at three levels—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—the award… Read More »

GCSE and A Level Mocks are an important step in students’ preparation for the summer exams.  As well as providing students with valuable perspective on their readiness to sit the actual exams, mocks provide a great opportunity to try out different revision strategies, identify and address gaps in knowledge and build confidence. It’s common for… Read More »

Transitioning to GCSEs or A Levels? With the school year now in full swing, many Year 10 and 12 students are struggling to come to terms with the differences and increased demands of a step up. For Year 10, they need to cover a lot of material over a breadth of subjects, plus possibly playing… Read More »

So here we are, back in September as brand new Year 10 students ready to start your GCSE courses. As a teacher with over 22 years of experience as both a Head of Year and Head of department, our tutor, Gareth,  suggests that spending just 900 seconds each day from the start of Year 10… Read More »