I am a current medical student with with 6 years of experience tutoring English literature, (further and standard) mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics and computer science at GCSE level. I have also supported numerous able students to achieve highly in SATS and 11+ examinations. I attained 12 grade 9s in my own GCSE examinations (one of just 16 students nationally) - while hard work was of course an immense part of this, I strongly believe that certain, specific exam techniques are of the utmost importance to students aiming for grade 8s and 9s. Though GCSE exams have been completed by the current cohort, in my experience an early (holiday!) start is pivotal in order for students to minimise the risk of stress-induced underperformance closer to the exam dates.