Exciting times are ahead if you are transitioning from Year 9 to Year 10 in September. During Year 10, students are introduced to new subjects and topics and have the chance to personalise their curriculum and explore areas that spark their interest in more depth.

Of course, this also means that at the end of Y10, you will have to take your GCSE exams. And if more independence can be stimulating, Year 10 can also bring about anxieties on how to organise yourself — you may not know where to start to design a study plan that can help you reach your academic goals.

Here at My Language Lab, we make it our mission to empower pupils and students to feel confident in their language skills. We believe that every learner can excel with the right tools and routine, it is just a matter of finding out what works best for them.

That is why we wrote a free downloadable PDF guide for Y10 language students. In this post, you will learn what to expect and how to best use the guide to reach your language GCSE goals.

Is this GCSE study guide right for me?

The My Language Lab downloadable guide for GCSE exams is written with French, Spanish, and any other GCSE language student in mind. If you want to optimise your language learning experience and make sure that your efforts pay off, this guide is for you.

It is not only meant for UK-based students. International learners, those preparing for their IGCSE, Oxford International AQA examinations, and more, will benefit from our GCSE language guide. All UK exam boards are covered.

When to start studying and download the GCSE guide for language students

There is no better time than now! We embrace a holistic approach to learning in every aspect of our work — from private tutoring to, you guessed it, PDF guides for independent study.

Our GCSE preparation starts in the summer between Y9 and Y10. In the guide, you will find tips on how to take advantage of the summertime to familiarise yourself with the syllabus, identify the areas to focus on, and even explore past exams paper. You will also learn the 6 successful steps to revise your GCSE vocabulary. We want you to get a head start and build your confidence fast!

Remember that all our advice aims at giving you tools to discover your learning style and your routine. We want you to learn at your own pace and be the boss of your study plan.

Should I start studying in the summer then?

Yes! Even if you decide not to download the guide, this is the best time to get planning. This does not mean stressing out and missing out on outdoor fun and activities. Remember — your mental health affects your performance more than one or two missed study sessions.

Actionable tips for your GCSE preparation

As we explained, we cover several bases. If on one hand, the guide is built for you to develop and express opinions, get to know yourself better, and fall in love with your target languages, on the other hand, it also includes practical, actionable tips to optimise your time.

From organising your online and offline GCSE folders for effective study to our sentence expansion hacks, you will find real tips that work for real exams. These include dedicated sections to improve your writing and listening skills.

Advice on using technology to prepare for your language GCSE

Languages are our bread and butter. We love keeping up to date with the latest technologies that can help you learn a foreign language fast. We often test language apps, suggest TV and radio shows to our students, and explore online tests and learning tools.

That is why we could have not published a GCSE study guide without including a Tools+Tech chapter. Find our favourite apps for vocab and the best platforms to practice specific GCSE topics and themes.

What are the best tools to study languages?

This depends on the type of student you are and on the time you can dedicate to your GCSE preparation. Find some examples below:

• Language apps: great to study on the go and to learn new words. Not very effective to practice speaking and writing skills and become fluent overall 
• Online mock tests: very effective for specific GCSE preparation and to familiarise yourself with the exam format. Not very effective for improving your speaking skills
• TV, music, radio, podcasts, etc: perfect to improve your listening skills and boost your confidence. Choose content that sparks your interest
• Time management and organisation tools: they help you keep track of your files, time, and progress while staying focus. They need some trying and testing to find the ones that work best for your needs

Ready to get started? Download our free guide

FAQs

How to prepare for the Edexcel GCSE?

Our downloadable GCSE preparation guide is built for all exam boards. This includes, for example:

• Cambridge Assessment International Education: IGCSEs
• Pearson Edexcel: International GCSEs
• Oxford International AQA Examinations: International GCSEs 
• WJCE GCSE
• Eduqas GCSE

How is this guide different from others?

We have years of experience tutoring GCSE students. We built this guide because we identify a specific need in learners transitioning from Year 9 to Year 10 — it’s a big jump.

Don’t take our word for it, check out the numbers: 98% of our students achieve 9-7 grades!