How to use GCSE SatNav

A quick guide to the key features — navigating the curriculum, tracking your progress, setting exam dates, and linking a parent account.

Navigating your GCSEs

GCSE SatNav is built around five zoom levels — like Google Maps, but for your GCSE journey. Each level focuses on one thing at a time. You drill down by tapping any node.

Zoom 1HomeAll your GCSE subjects as cards. Progress ring on each.

Zoom 2SubjectAll topics in the subject as a mind map.

Zoom 3TopicAll subtopics branch out. Tap any to go deeper.

Zoom 4SubtopicSub-areas shown as a visual map. Tap to enter a concept.

Zoom 5Sub-areaLearning statements on the left. Concept detail and AI coach on the right.

The breadcrumb at the top of every page shows where you are — tap any level to go back.

Tracking progress and confidence

Marking a sub-area as done

On the sub-area mind map (Zoom 4), each node has a small circle in the top-left corner. Tap it to cycle through three states:

Not started — default state

In progress — you've started but not finished

Done — marks all concepts in the sub-area as complete

Progress updates immediately across the whole app — your subject mind map, home screen progress rings, and study planner all reflect the change.

Confidence ratings

Each subtopic shows a signal-bar indicator below its node. Tap it to cycle through the three confidence levels:

Not sure — needs more work

Getting there — partially confident

Confident — you've got this

Confidence counts appear on your planner per paper — so you can see at a glance how confident you are across each exam paper.

Tip: You don't have to mark everything — even marking your weakest areas helps the planner show you where to focus first.

Setting exam dates in the planner

The study planner calculates your revision pace and health per paper — but it needs your exam dates first.

1Go to Planner from the home screen (bottom navigation or the Planner card).

2Each subject shows its exam papers. Next to each paper you'll see a date field.

3Click the date field and enter your exam date. The planner updates immediately — showing weeks to go, pace status, and revision health.

4Repeat for each paper across all your subjects.

Tip: Check your exam timetable on your school's portal or your exam board's website for exact dates. Most GCSE exams run May–June.

Once dates are set, the planner shows a Revision Health indicator per paper — green (on track), amber (tight), red (at risk) — based on how many subtopics are left and how many weeks remain.

Exam practice

The exam simulator lets you practise answering questions and get AI marking against the official mark scheme.

1Navigate to any subtopic (Zoom 3 or 4) and tap the Practice button.

2Choose AI Practice (question generated from your learning statements) or Real Exam Question (past paper, where available).

3Select a mark value — this determines the question type and how the AI marks your answer.

4Tap I'm ready to start the timer. Type your answer, then submit.

5The AI marks your answer against the mark scheme and shows what you demonstrated, and what to include next time.

Free accounts include 2 practice attempts. Premium unlocks unlimited typed and handwritten (photo upload) practice.

Parents: linking with your child

Linking a parent account gives parents their own view of the child's GCSE journey — the same map, a parent-specific AI coach, and tools to set daily focus tasks.

The student sends the invite

1Student goes to their Home screen and taps Invite a parent.

2Enter the parent's email address and tap Send invite email. The parent receives an email with a link — valid for 7 days.

3The parent clicks the link, creates a parent account (or signs in if they already have one), and the accounts are linked automatically.

Using the 6-digit code instead

If the invite email didn't arrive, the parent can go to gcsesatnav.com/join, create a parent account first, then enter the 6-digit code shown on the invite screen.

Tip: One parent account can be linked to multiple children — each child sends their own invite.

Parents: what you can do

Once linked, parents get their own dashboard showing their child's progress across all subjects and a set of tools to stay involved in their study journey.

View the GCSE map

Navigate your child's subjects, topics, and subtopics exactly as they do — see what's been covered, what's in progress, and what hasn't been started yet.

Today's Focus — pin topics for today

From the parent dashboard or while browsing your child's map, you can pin any subtopic or concept as a focus for today. It appears as Today's Focus on your dashboard — and the child sees pinned items highlighted on their map.

1Browse to any subtopic or concept in your child's map.

2Tap the pin icon to add it to Today's Focus.

3The dashboard shows all pinned items, their completion status, and anything missed from yesterday.

Practice history

The parent dashboard shows every practice attempt your child has completed in the last 48 hours, grouped by subject. Tap any row to see the full detail — the question, your child's written answer, the AI marking feedback, and the score against the mark scheme.

Tip: Practice history is only visible for 48 hours after an attempt. Check it the same day or the day after for the full detail.

Parent AI coach

Inside the concept explorer, parents see a parent-specific AI chat instead of the student one. It gives plain-English explanations of what the concept is, why it matters in the exam, and how to support your child with it at home — without needing to know the subject yourself.

Tip: You don't need to understand GCSE content to use parent mode. The AI is designed to explain everything in plain English.

Something not covered here? Email support@gcsesatnav.com and we'll get back to you.

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