The Exam Coach Story
5th January 2022
Thanks for visiting our website, it means a lot to us that you’re here!
We’ve come a long way since The Exam Coach was created in 2014. James Davey, our founder, started the company fresh out of university, and he’s never looked back.
However, in his own school days, it’s safe to say James wasn’t the best of students… Have a look at a copy of his school report aged 13 below.
This might hit a little close to home for some of you. You or your child may have experienced a similar rough patch at school — just like James did! As we grow up there are many challenges thrown our way and staying on track at school is just one of them. School can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride.
This is exactly how it was for James; just a few weeks prior to receiving these reports, he’d won an academic and sports scholarship to Bradfield College. At times, he could produce some really great work but his lack of self-discipline and tendency to become distracted regularly threw him off-track.
James Davey (Founder):
I didn’t understand it fully at the time, but without the scholarship, there was absolutely zero chance of me gaining admission to a school like Bradfield. Since graduating, I've come to appreciate just how important school entrance exams can be from the perspective of a parent. In particular, the 11 plus for entrance to grammar schools and scholarship examinations for entrance to independent schools. Admission to the right school can put a child in the best position to succeed in life whilst also limiting financial strain. My parents did everything they could to give me the best opportunities to develop and be successful in whatever I wanted to do. As a result, I’m passionate about paying this forward and helping other parents do the same for their children.
After a short struggle (and a couple of firm talkings to), James firmly got his education back on track. His excellent GCSE and A-Level grades gave him access to pretty much any university in the country (an extra special achievement considering no-one in his family had been to university before) and he ended up attending Exeter University.
At The Exam Coach, this is exactly what we want for your child. We want them to seize every opportunity they are given and achieve the best they possibly can.
After graduating, James was asked to return to Bradfield College to talk to the students about the changes he had made to aid his studies. Finding an unexpected passion for the topic, James ignored all guidance given and spoke for well over an hour on exam and revision techniques, as well as tips on avoiding procrastination and distractions. By 2015, The Exam Coach was formed and James was working with over twenty schools (including King's College University London and The King's School Canterbury) to help top performing students prepare for their exams.
Take a look at the video below for a quick summary.
In the past 8 years, The Exam Coach has had the opportunity to work with thousands of students from a wide range of backgrounds up and down the UK and online across the world. During this time, we’ve discovered a huge amount about how students learn and how we can help to push them of their full potential.
Over time, it became clear over to us that students’ knowledge of how to prepare and study effectively for exams varied significantly. As for the parents, many wished to play a part in their child's education and were seeking reliable advice and guidance. So, The Exam Coach grew and evolved to help both parents and students achieve better exam results together.
The Exam Coach is dedicated to figuring out what the highest performing students are doing to achieve top grades and helping other students replicate it. To do this, we have worked with thousands of students and parents, providing them with free revision resources or tutoring (such as our The Online Exam Preparation Bootcamp for GCSE and A Level students or free taster workshops for the 11 Plus). In return, we asked students/parents to send us their results and give us feedback on what they think they did well/not so well in their exams.
Have a look at some of the feedback we were sent below.
Then COVID-19 struck… With huge disruption to UK schools and exams, The Exam Coach took a step back and reevaluated how we could still help students. This caused our main focus to shift to the 11 Plus exams and helping students get into top performing grammar and independent schools across the country, just as James had done.
We now use our knowledge of successful exam techniques to offer top preparation for grammar and independent school entrance in the UK. We provide preparation workshops, courses, practice papers and other resources for GL, CEM, ISEB, CAT 4, Kent, Sutton SET and independent school exams.
We are proud to deliver the best live 11 Plus exam preparation courses on the internet for:
English comprehension
Creative writing
Persuasive writing
Verbal Reasoning
Mathematics (algebra, fractions, decimals and percentages)
Non-verbal reasoning
Due to the continuation of COVID-19, all our workshops and courses now run online via Zoom. This allows students from across the UK and the world to benefit from our teaching.
Take a look at the highlights of a recent 11 Plus free taster session below.
Ellie Daniels (Operations Manager):
When I joined The Exam Coach, I was struck by the company’s pure passion to help students from all backgrounds. Their focus on providing free tuition and resources to those in need really resonated with me. The Exam Coach helped my brother and many of his friends pass their GCSE’s with flying colours. I’m proud to now be working with James to help the next generation of students do the same.
Since 2019, we’ve expanded The Exam Coach team and tutored thousands of students across the country.
In 2022, our mission is to continue sharing what we have learnt with as many students as possible, whether it’s through free resources, paid workshops and courses or free taster sessions. The pandemic may have put some students at a major disadvantage, but we hope, with our help, we can get them back on the right track. We are actively working towards a future where more students will be able to achieve the grades they require in order to be in the best position to succeed in life.
Thanks again for visiting our site! We hope to see you in one of our workshops or courses soon!
The Exam Coach Team