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Guides and free tools

Plain guides to the exam years and to applying to university, for students and for parents, with the official page to check each rule against. The tools are free, work without an account, and nothing you type into one is sent to us.

Free tools

  • Grade calculator

    Turn a mock or past paper mark into the grade it would have got on the board’s real boundaries, year by year.

  • Exam timetables

    Every GCSE, A level and IGCSE paper’s date, with a calendar file for just your child’s subjects.

  • Grade statistics

    The share of students in England who got each grade, by subject and year, from Ofqual.

  • UCAS points calculator

    Add up the UCAS tariff points for A levels, AS levels and the EPQ.

  • Personal statement counter

    Count the characters in each of the UCAS personal statement’s three answers against the limit, in your browser.

  • English literature set texts

    The set texts for each board’s GCSE and A level English Literature, from its specification.

  • KS2 SATs

    Past SATs papers from gov.uk, and a calculator that turns a raw score into a scaled score.

  • Grade boundaries

    The boards’ own grade boundaries for every series we hold, by course.

  • Past papers

    Every board’s past papers and mark schemes, linked by course.

Exams and results

Mocks, tiers, extra time, results day and resits, and what the grades mean.

  • November to January

    Mock exams: what a mock grade means

    What GCSE and A level mocks are for, how schools grade them, what a mock grade does and does not tell you, and what to do in the months after.

  • August

    Results day: a guide for parents

    When GCSE and A level results come out, how to collect them, what the grades mean, clearing, reviews of marking and resits, in plain words for parents.

  • August to November

    Resits and remarks

    Reviews of marking, November resits for GCSE English and maths, resitting A levels, and the rule about English and maths after 16, for parents.

  • January to March of Year 9

    Choosing GCSE options

    How GCSE options work in Year 9, the subjects everybody takes, the EBacc, and how to keep A level and university choices open, in plain words.

  • Before the mocks

    Extra time and other access arrangements

    How students get 25% extra time, a reader, a scribe or a laptop in GCSE and A level exams, who applies, the evidence needed and when to ask the school.

  • After the Year 11 mocks

    Foundation or higher tier

    The grades Foundation and Higher tier GCSE papers can give in maths, science and languages, from the boards’ own boundaries, and how schools choose.

  • Registration in Year 5, tests in September of Year 6

    The 11+ explained

    What the 11+ is, which areas still have grammar schools, what the tests cover, when to register and how offers work, with where to check for your area.

  • All year, and on results day

    GCSE grades explained: 9 to 1 and the old letters

    What the GCSE 9 to 1 grades mean, how they compare with the old A* to G letters, what a standard pass and a strong pass are, and why a 4 matters.

Revision

How to revise so it sticks, how to use past papers, and how to plan the weeks before the exams.

  • All year

    How to revise so that it sticks

    Why testing yourself and spacing it out beats rereading and highlighting, and a weekly revision routine for GCSEs and A levels built on both.

  • All year

    Spaced repetition: what it is and why it works

    What spaced repetition is, why reviewing just before you forget beats cramming, how flashcard apps schedule reviews, and how to use it for exams.

  • From the spring before the exams

    How to use past papers well

    How to get the most from GCSE and A level past papers: timed conditions, marking with the mark scheme, examiner reports and what to do with lost marks.

  • From the winter before the exams

    How to make a revision timetable

    How to plan a GCSE or A level revision timetable backwards from your exam dates, spread topics out, mix subjects and leave time to rest.

  • All year, most of all from the mocks to the summer

    How to help your child revise

    What actually helps a child revise for GCSEs or A levels, from testing them to sleep and routine, what tends not to, and when a tutor is worth it.

University applications

Choosing a course and a university, UCAS, the personal statement, interviews, offers and money.

  • Year 12, from spring

    How to choose a university and a course

    How to choose a degree course and where to study it: what the course covers, entry requirements, how it is taught, where you would live and open days.

  • Year 11, from January

    Choosing A levels: what universities ask for

    How to choose A levels with university in mind: the subjects some degrees require, keeping options open, how many to take and where the EPQ fits.

  • Year 12 to August after Year 13

    The UCAS application, step by step

    The UCAS application year from Year 12 to results day: when applications open, the October and January deadlines, offers, replies, Extra and Clearing.

  • Summer of Year 12 to October of Year 13

    The UCAS personal statement: the three questions and how to answer them

    The UCAS personal statement is now three questions with 4,000 characters between them. What each question asks, what to put in it and the rules on AI.

  • Year 12, summer to autumn

    Predicted grades: how they are set and what they are for

    Who sets predicted grades for a UCAS application, what they are based on, how universities use them and what to do if a prediction looks too low.

  • Year 12, summer and early autumn

    University open days: what to ask

    When university open days are, what to ask the people who teach the course and the students on it, online open days, and what parents might ask too.

  • Year 13, spring

    Replying to university offers: firm and insurance

    Conditional and unconditional offers, choosing a firm and an insurance, UCAS reply dates, what happens if you do not reply, and when Extra applies.

  • Autumn and winter of Year 13

    University interviews: what to expect

    Which university courses interview, how panel interviews and multiple mini interviews work, online or in person, and how to prepare without a script.

  • July to October

    Clearing: how it works

    How UCAS Clearing works: who can use it, when it opens, the steps on results day, what to do if you did better than expected, and what to have ready.

  • From the autumn of Year 13

    Student finance explained for parents

    How student finance in England works: tuition and maintenance loans, how household income counts, how repayment works, and the new route for 2027 courses.

  • All year

    Degree apprenticeships or university

    What a degree apprenticeship is, how it differs from a degree at university, how to apply to employers rather than through UCAS, and how to choose.

  • Year 12 to autumn of Year 13

    The EPQ: is it worth doing?

    What the Extended Project Qualification involves, how it is graded, how many UCAS points it is worth, and how to decide whether it is worth the time.

  • Summer of Year 12 to spring of Year 13

    Applying for medicine

    How applying for medicine in the UK works: the UCAT in the summer, the October deadline, four medical choices, work experience, and interviews.

  • Summer of Year 12 to January of Year 13

    Applying to study law

    How applying for law at UK universities works: which universities use the LNAT, what it tests, its deadlines, the personal statement and interviews.

Oxford and Cambridge

How applying to Oxford or Cambridge differs: the early deadline, admissions tests, colleges and interviews.

There is also a page of everything for parents, and one for university and Oxbridge applications.