The new Science Cafe revision portal is open. I've spent months building it around one simple idea: revision works best in short, focused bursts, with lots of recalling and plenty of feedback. That's how I needed to study, and it's how the research says most of us learn best. Here's a tour of what your teen will find inside, and why each part is there.

If you'd rather see it than read about it, I've recorded nine short walkthrough videos of the key features. Watch them all on the New Portal page, and I've linked the right one under each section below.

Built for their exact course

Every student is set up on their own exam board and course, so they only see what they need to learn. The portal covers AQA, Edexcel, OCR Gateway, OCR 21st Century, Eduqas/WJEC, Pearson Edexcel IGCSE and Cambridge IGCSE, for both Combined and Separate (Triple) Science, with OxfordAQA International GCSE coming soon.

Higher-tier content is highlighted inside each lesson, so Foundation students can focus on the core and Higher students can see exactly what extra they need.

Students start by ticking off the topics they've already covered in school, so everything else in the portal builds from where they actually are. Video: Set the topics you've covered in school

Why it helps: no wasted time revising content that won't come up, and no overwhelm from a giant list of everything at once.

Lessons you can read or listen to

Every lesson has clear notes, diagrams and an audio version, so your teen can listen on the bus, on a walk or with their eyes closed. Parents have told me this is the feature that gets their teen revising on the go, in moments that used to be lost.

Lessons also link to a Key Ideas page with short videos and podcasts that explain the trickier ideas in a different way. Video: What you get in a lesson

Why it helps: hearing, seeing and reading the same idea makes it stick, and it's far easier to start when you can just press play.

Flashcards and quizzes after every lesson

Every lesson comes with flashcards and a short quiz. This is retrieval practice: pulling information out of memory, rather than re-reading it. It feels harder than highlighting notes, and that's exactly why it works.

Why it helps: retrieval practice is one of the most reliable ways to move knowledge into long-term memory.

A personalised daily revision task

Each day your teen gets a 10-minute revision task on their dashboard, built from the topics they've ticked off and gradually focusing more on their weakest areas. Each day includes two or three exam-style questions, and keyword definitions are marked rather than ticked off, so they can't just say they know it. Five days out of seven keeps their weekly streak going. Video: Completing your daily revision

Why it helps: no more staring at a revision timetable wondering where to start. The decision is made for them, and it's small enough to actually do.

Exam-style questions for their board

The portal has banks of past-exam-style questions written in the style of each exam board, tagged by Foundation or Higher and Combined or Separate, and every question shows how many marks it's worth. Students practise the kind of questions they'll actually face, with the command words and mark allocations they need to get used to.

Why it helps: knowing the science is only half of it. Exam technique is where a lot of marks are won or lost.

End-of-topic tests with feedback

At the end of each topic there's an online test that can be completed in 50 minutes, whichever route your teen is on. Answers are marked straight away using the exam board's marking rules, with feedback on what to revise next. If your teen disagrees with a mark, they can ask for a review and I'll check it myself. Video: Lesson quizzes and end of topic tests

Why it helps: students find out exactly where the gaps are, rather than guessing.

Downloads for every topic

Each topic has downloadable resources, including a knowledge organiser that puts the whole topic on one page and the end-of-topic test with its mark scheme. Required practicals have their own Practicals at Home PDFs with simple home activities and exam questions. I'm sharing some of these free on the blog over the next few weeks, starting with osmosis in a potato and the kitchen reaction that gets colder.

Help whenever they're stuck

Science Sarah Bot is an AI tutor trained on my lessons and the way I teach. Your teen can ask a question at any time and get an answer that matches their course. Video: Ask Science Sarah Bot

There's also the Blurt Box, where students write down everything they can remember about a topic and get feedback on what they've missed. Video: How to use the Blurt Box

Why it helps: questions get answered while they still matter, instead of piling up until the next lesson.

Learning how to revise

A lot of students have never actually been taught how to revise. The portal has a How to Revise section built from my Calm the Chaos workshop, with simple techniques that work for busy, distractible brains, plus notifications to keep them on track. Video: How to Revise and notifications

Points, badges and rewards

Everything your teen does earns points: quizzes, daily tasks and exam questions. Points go towards the leaderboard and a ladder of science-themed badges, with a new badge every 250 points. VIP members also earn real-world rewards and join live weekly group lessons with me. Video: Points, badges and the leaderboard

Why it helps: motivation matters, especially for teens who find it hard to get started. Seeing progress build up keeps them coming back.

Parents can see the progress

Parent and student accounts are linked, and the portal builds a strengths and weaknesses report from everything your teen does. You can see what they're doing well and where they need a nudge, without having to ask "have you done any revision?" (we've all been there). Video: Your strengths and weaknesses

Why I built it this way

Everything in the portal is built on what works for learning:

• Short, focused tasks, so revision actually happens

• Retrieval practice through flashcards, quizzes and blurting

• Spaced repetition, bringing topics back just before they're forgotten

• Exam technique, through board-specific questions every day

• Fast feedback, so gaps are fixed early, not discovered in the exam hall

• Visible progress for both students and parents

As a former Head of Science, and as someone with ADHD who had to find a way of studying that worked for my own brain, I built this for the students who find traditional revision hard. It works for everyone else too.

Ready to get started?

If your teen is sitting their GCSEs next summer, the best value is my £99 until the exams plan: full access to everything above for one payment of £99, lasting right through to their exams. No monthly fees, nothing to remember to cancel, and like every plan it starts with a 14-day free trial.

Get the £99 until the exams plan

Prefer to pay monthly? Essential is £18 a month, and VIP adds live weekly group lessons with me, tutor support through the portal and real-world rewards.

Already a member? Log in to the portal here. And if you'd like a quick walk-through before you decide, get in touch and I'll happily show you around.

Sarah
Founder, Science Cafe