Summary
Highlights
The creator reflects on his overwhelming first day of secondary school, having to learn 11 new subjects for GCSEs. Despite feeling lost and scared, he achieved perfect grades in all 11 subjects, including Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, History, Latin, Music, and Additional Maths. He emphasizes that he wasn't gifted but believes anyone can achieve similar results with the right methods, especially given that he maintained a YouTube posting schedule, went to the gym, played sports, kickboxed, played instruments, and had fun throughout his studies. He promises to share his creative, time-efficient study methods for each subject.
He scored 197 out of 200 (98.5%) in Edexcel IGCSE Maths, with a grade 9 being 81%. He rated Maths as an easy subject due to taking additional, harder Maths, which made standard IGCSE Maths feel easier. He spent minimal revision time on Maths, prioritizing other subjects. His key tips include understanding 'why' behind concepts, addressing weaknesses immediately, and practicing every past paper to predict question types. He also mentions his program 'Student Accelerator' for comprehensive student guidance.
He groups Biology, Chemistry, and Physics due to similar scores (high 80s%) and study methods. Biology was his easiest, while Chemistry and Physics were more challenging. Although he lost enthusiasm for sciences during Year 11, he dedicated significant revision time. His method involved reviewing the specification, identifying strengths and weaknesses through past papers, and consistently using Quizlet for flashcards. He stresses 'little but often' revision and spamming past papers while learning from mistakes.
He achieved 139 out of 150 in English Literature and excellent results in Language, despite his disappointment compared to his mock scores. He attributes his success to being 'friendly with words' from a young age through consistent reading. His tips include mastering English essay structures, understanding what examiners look for, writing and memorizing 'skeleton essays' for common questions, writing YouTube scripts, and thoroughly knowing literary texts (e.g., reading 'Things Fall Apart' three times).
History was initially a struggle, with inconsistent grades (even a 7 in mocks) and being a subject his mom 'forced' him to take. He describes an intense period of revision, which included watching YouTube summaries, writing model answers for every possible topic, completing a massive document of practice questions, and one-on-one teacher sessions. He emphasized reading the textbook thoroughly, memorizing dates, and using flashcards. He realized the interconnectedness of historical events, which helped him grasp the subject better. He secured 85%, 10% higher than required for a 9.
French was another subject he worried about, but he surprisingly scored 144 out of 160. He felt disadvantaged as he started French later than peers. His main strategies were immersion (thinking in French, listening to French songs, playing games in French, an exchange trip) and rigorous vocabulary learning (10-20 words daily). He also found success by memorizing 30 'level 9 phrases' and idioms to sound more proficient in speaking and writing.
He combines Latin and Music as he was confident in achieving a 9 in both and therefore did minimal revision, prioritizing other subjects. For both, his strategy focused on memorization: a self-made table for music, and vocabulary and set texts for Latin. He used memorization techniques like PowerPoints with drawings, multi-sensory learning, and spaced repetition.
He identifies Additional Maths as the hardest GCSE, covering half of the A-level Maths course. His advice, similar to regular Maths, is to focus on the basics, watch video walkthroughs, read mark schemes to understand errors, and know every step of problem-solving.