Education apps for GCSEs and A Levels: 7 of the top-rated free Apple apps for last minute exam revision

• With the right apps, phones can be useful study tools - not just distractions
• Many of the most highly rated education apps utilise some AI features
• But some of the most popular teach students how to learn, rather than just giving them the answer
• While there are plenty of free education apps for exam revision, they often have paid, premium versions available.

When it comes to brushing up on what teens have learned at school in time for exam season, there really is an app for that.

The 2024/25 school year’s summer exam series is now almost upon us. GCSEs start the week of May 5, while A Levels will get underway a week later - from May 12 - running until late June. They then face a likely-agonising wait until their respective results days; on August 14 for A Levels, and August 21 for GCSEs.

Learners sitting exams this month have hopefully already been studying hard for quite some time. But information learned early on in their courses can be tough to hold onto, as they are taught new topics and challenged in new ways throughout the rest of the school year.

Many teens will probably still be wading through packed study schedules over the coming weeks - and some might turn to their phones for help. This can leave them in a tricky position - and with so many available, it can be hard to tell which apps will really help them learn, and which will just spit out answers without giving them the chance to put in the work.

Back in December, we sorted through the most popular free ‘education’ apps in the Apple App Store for Great Britain and curated a list of those aimed specifically at revision or perfecting skills that might come up in exams. This means that we’ve excluded some high-rated education apps, including brain training apps aimed at adults, classroom apps, and those that are more game than study tool.

Here were seven of the top-rated choices, and how teens can use them to help with revision - as exams approach:

1. Gauth: AI Study Companion

Even as of the first week of May, Gauth: AI Study Companion remains one of Apple’s top free education app for iPhones in Great Britain. It’s rated 4.8 stars out of 5 by more than 124 thousand users.

You might assume an AI app would be used for finding homework answers and little else, but Gauth is a chart-topper for a reason. Formerly a maths-oriented app, it can now be used across different school subjects - including physics, biology, and chemistry - and at different levels. While it will give highly accurate answers to homework questions (you just have to snap a photo) all answers are “accompanied by animated instructions and detailed explanations”. This is essentially a tutoring function, teaching kids how to break down and work out similar problems in the future.. These can also be saved in the app’s Question Bank, for easy revision later.

One user wrote: “It’s better than other homework help apps because... it gives you a step by step guide of the question and how to solve them, making it useful for revision. Something I love about this is that it isn’t all just AI, it also gets answers from previous exams and specialised experts.”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Gauth is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

2. Duolingo

Duolingo is now a household name when it comes to free language learning apps, and it shows. The app has a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 by more than 772 thousand users, and on any given day, is almost always in the top 3 education apps for Great Britain.

Teaching more than 40 different languages, Duolingo now also offers maths and music theory lessons - which can be great for building a strong and flexible foundation of knowledge to complement your classwork in these subjects (or for keeping it fresh during the school holidays). Its famously bite-sized lessons are rooted in a firm, science-based teaching methodology, its developers say, which include speaking, listening, reading and writing exercises to master all facets of a new language. The lessons are also fun and game-like, and the app (and its quirky owl mascot) are infamous when it comes to motivating users to turn learning into a daily habit.

One user wrote: “With its friendly approach and awesome updates, Duolingo’s long been one of our favorite apps for learning another language. Its secret: making the process genuinely fun. Engaging mini-games test your reading, writing, and speaking skills, and joining a club (where you can encourage and compete with others) adds a great social element.”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Duolingo is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

3. Gizmo: AI Flashcards

Gizmo - formerly known as ‘Save All’ - is has a rating of 4.7 out of 5, by about 2,500 users.

A relative newcomer compared to some of the others on the list, it’s a neat revision app. It allows students to make flashcards on nearly any subject to help them study, and even has features built in for scanning handwritten notes or converting PowerPoints or YouTube videos. If you don’t have time, there are about a million flashcard sets created by other students available for free, which you can use to quiz yourself - and test your knowledge.

“If you are someone who hates usual cue cards and finds it monotonous. THIS IS THE APP FOR YOU,” one user said: “I have 100% seen results with using this app everyday. Alongside blurting on a whiteboard and practice questions, I went from Cs and Bs to A*s... I wish I had this for my GCSEs!”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Gizmo is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

4. Quizlet: AI-powered flashcards

A similar app, Quizlet is another popular choice, which also usually remains near the top of the charts for education apps. It is rated 4.7 stars out of 5, by about 99 thousand users.

Also largely an AI flashcard app, Quizlet can even be used by teachers to test their pupils’ knowledge by uploading class notes. But it can also use notes to create practice test questions or essay prompts, for “any subject imaginable”.

One user described it as “a vital tool for me whilst studying during my GCSEs and A Levels”. However, recent reviews did point out that some of what they found to be the app’s most effective tools were now only available to paying users.

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Quizlet is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

5. Kahoot!

Kahoot! has a rating of 4.2 stars out of 5, and is also a highly-ranked education app for iPhone users.

Some young learners might have used Kahoot in class, with the app famous for its live quiz function. But it also has many features that make it great for studying at home. These include flashcards, the ability to form ‘study groups’ with classmates - where yes, you can still compete with them using the quiz function - and the ability to add photos, diagrams, or videos to questions, just like you’d see in many exam questions.

One user said: “You can make your own quiz or pick a ready made one! There are TONS!!! Education ones to improve your knowledge in a certain area, or fun ones for friends to enjoy! It’s a really useful app.”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Kahoot! is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

6. Photomath

Similar to Gauth in some ways, Photomath is rated 4.6 stars out of 5, by over 22 thousand users. Mathematics is a required subject for GCSE pupils, and those that don’t pass usually have to resit their exam later - so this app is the perfect opportunity to brush up on maths skills.

Photomath allows users to scan any maths problem and find the answer. But as its developers say, “maths isn’t just about an answer. It’s about every step along the way”. Using teacher-approved methods, the app says it breaks problems into bite-sized steps to help users understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’, along with the ‘how’. It can help with anything from algebra to trigonometry (both on the curriculum for the GCSE maths exam) and even has a ‘textbook’ feature available for people wanting to take a deep dive into a topic.

One recent user called is a game changer. “This app changed my life, literally. I was so bad at maths for a long time, it took me 3 attempts to pass my GCSEs,” they wrote. “I originally got this app to cheat in class, I won’t lie. And used to take pictures when my tutor wasn’t looking and then let the app work it out. But the more I used to app, the more I actually learnt how to solve the equations.”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Photomath is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

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7. Seneca

Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by a little over 2,600 users, Seneca also remains a highly ranked app in the education category as of May.

Seneca is a free revision tool which has specific content for students studying towards their GCSE and A Level exams, although it also provides content for younger schoolchildren too. It has exam board-specific courses available, including AQA, so pupils can make sure they are learning what they need to, and gamifies studying by allowing you to gain ‘XP’. It also has different revision and testing modes available.

One user wrote: “It’s the best revision app I’ve ever had honestly and I love that it tracks my progress because I like seeing exactly how much I’ve done... I’ve been using it since the start of year 10. I would advise buying premium during exam [season] but honestly it’s fine without.”

While classified as free, it does offer in-app purchases. Seneca is suitable for children aged 4 and up. You can find it in the Apple App Store here.

Special mention: BBC Bitesize

It didn’t make the top of the Apple chart, but BBC Bitesize also has a revision app available for students studying towards their GCSEs or A levels. It has perhaps the most comprehensive coverage of what students will actually need to learn and be tested on throughout the course of their studies - and is great for subjects not necessarily covered by more general learning apps too - like English Literature.

You can find it in the App Store here.

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