After 17+ years in the classroom, I want to share a secret: success now is about strategy, not stress!

Here’s my advice on what to do the night before the maths GCSE exam, to ensure things go as smoothly as possible on the day!

Every April, I ask my GCSE and A-Level students a simple question: "What advice would you give to someone just starting your course?"

They are brutally honest about what helps and what is a waste of time. Here is the unfiltered advice from the Class of 2026 for the next generation of students.

It is a mistake to think the calculator paper is "easier." While the calculator handles the arithmetic, the questions are often much more complex to interpret.

If your child has mocks or final exams looming, the Easter break can feel like a lot of pressure. The most common question I get from parents and students alike is: “How much revision should I actually be doing?”

One of the most common questions I get from parents and students is: “Should we choose Foundation or Higher for GCSE Maths?”

This decision usually lands in Year 10 or at the start of Year 11, and it can feel understandably heavy.

How can you use statistics to plan effectively? What type of questions does your child need to excel at to achieve their target grade?

Is it realistic to move up one, two, or even three grades in around 15 weeks? The short answer is yes. With the May exams roughly 15 weeks away, there is still time to make a significant difference.

I was reminded how important it is to push myself and to feel genuinely stuck, both mathematically and pedagogically. As educators (and parents), we often teach what feels safe and familiar. But real learning happens when you struggle.

Here are three simple things you can do that don’t involve learning new content, but will make exam preparation in 2026 feel calmer, more structured, and far more achievable.

Based on my teaching experience, here are ten common reasons students lose marks, and what can be done to stop it happening.

Revision should always balance challenge, practice and consolidation. A clear structure incorporating all three makes learning more manageable and effective.