GCSEs at a Crossroads: Why Consistent Effort Should Trump Six Weeks of Stress

By Samantha Leach, Bespoke Minds Education

A tutor’s annual déjà-vu

Every May I repeat the same pep-talk to worried Year 11s: “Believe it or not, GCSEs can feel tougher than A levels.” Ten subjects, 20-plus exam papers, and an unforgiving six-week window would stretch any project manager—let alone a 16-year-old. This year’s Guardian headline, “They are making young people ill: is it time to scrap GCSEs?”, simply put national print to a truth tutors have whispered for years.