One parent’s story:
From a grade 3 to a first class degree

Looking back, the summer of Year 10 exams was the first sign that my son – who was studying GCSE Triple Science – was falling behind. His grades across all three science subjects were lower than predicted but didn’t cause undue concern as we thought he simply hadn’t revised enough for the end-of-year tests and that things would improve when he started (hopefully!) working harder in year 11.

However, when he then failed one of the science subjects in his GCSE mocks, we realised he needed extra support. Between the demands of working and looking after two younger children, my husband and I hadn’t fully appreciated the situation.

GCSE science papers
Andy Gardner, Founder & Tutor Director at Up Your Grade.

Up Your Grade’s solution

Having heard about Up Your Grade tutor agency from friends, I then contacted Andy Gardner. We had an initial telephone conversation about my son’s needs and Andy advised that my son probably needed support across all three science subjects in a session, rather than concentrating on just one subject. We arranged in-person tuition with Andy visiting our house for an hourly session once a week.

Andy used my son’s past exam papers to identify areas of weakness, working with him on subject knowledge but also, critically, on exam technique. Andy gave my son tasks in each subject to work on between sessions and we bought the relevant revision guides for extra support. I also received weekly feedback so I could test my son/ensure homework tasks were completed.

Excellent results

We were delighted when my son achieved three Grade 6s for his GCSE science subjects – a result that seemed unobtainable six months earlier when his mock grade was a 3. The strong GCSE science grades meant he could study A-levels in Psychology and Geography (both of which required a GCSE grade 5 in a science subject), as well as English.

We only fully realised the importance of my son’s GCSE results when he was applying for undergraduate degrees. He was keen to study Environmental Sciences which required two science subjects at A-level. Fortunately, both Geography and Psychology were classed as science subjects and he was able to proceed with his application.

My son has just graduated from a Russell Group university with a first class degree. We’re still grateful to Up Your Grade for the extra boost to his GCSE science studies which allowed him to pursue his A-levels and, ultimately, his preferred degree choice.

Secondary school students outside school.

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