GCSEs: What I wish I knew way back when.

Tomorrow is GCSE results day.

In the UK, some teenagers are as young as fourteen when they are expected to choose the subjects on which they will be basing a lot of their early career choices.

FOUR. TEEN.

If I remember correctly, my brother could barely hold a conversation when he was fourteen.

As someone who was predicted straight A*s, but scraped through with a mixture of A's, B's and C's (hilariously, I managed one A* in English Language), I know all too well the pressure of having to 'get it right' and get it right first time.

I was ok at school. Forget the grade predictions - I was pretty bang average. I got sent out of class a lot for talking, answering back, usual teenager stuff. I wore too much make-up, dyed my hair (HEAVEN FORBID) and was a bit too boisterous for most of the teachers. I was a complete juxtaposition - the day after I submitted my Head Girl application, I got caught smoking outside the school gates and sat in detention for the rest of the week.

With mounting pressure, and reports of children being more stressed than ever with their exams, here's ten things I wish someone had told me before I picked my GCSE's:

1. Focus on English, Maths and Science. I know you have to pick another 4 or 5 subjects on top of that, but honestly, these ones are the ones that open up doors. Focus your efforts on these, if you flunk everything else, you will still be ok. (P.S. your teacher lied - you do have a calculator everywhere you go).
2. On that note: read. the. books. Pretending won't cut it. Wikipedia overviews won't cut it. Your mate giving you a run down won't cut it. Blagging it will get you a C. Reading the books will get you on a graduate scheme in two years' time when everyone else blagged it and got a C. Of Mice and Men is not half as dull as a company handbook or a mortgage agreement, so get used to ploughing through this boring stuff.
3. LANGUAGES. Languages, languages, languages. At the time, Frau Trottin and Madame Lloyd made me want to actually gauge my own eyeballs out with spoons. I was absolutely, 100% certain I would never need to tell anyone that I went to the park to play with my one brother and two sisters, followed by going to 'la piscine' with 'la chat' (I know that makes no sense, just run with it...). But if someone had only told me that I'd be worth an extra ￡20k in salary and I'd have an option to work in another country with no language barrier, I would've written an encyclopedia on cats and swimming pools and everything in between in exchange for doubling up on lifelong opportunities.
4. History is cool and interesting and gory and the teacher is usually the quirkiest one at school - but unless you want to be a historian, or history teacher, English will suffice.
5. No one cares if you got an A in Art, or an F in Art.
6. No one cares about Art.
7. Unless you're going to Fashion school, no one cares about Textiles, either.
8. Unless you're going to Drama school, no one cares about Drama.
9. P.E. is what all the sporty, cool kids do. Once you leave school, there's no such thing as sporty, cool kids - and having a double distinction in a sports BTEC won't get you signed to Real Madrid. If you want a career in sports, do Biology.
10. Once you've come to terms with the fact that you don't need Textiles, Art or Drama - choose cookery - or 'Food Technology' as they called it when I was at school in some wild bid to try and make it more appealing. Food Tech won't get you a high flying job in banking, but it will keep you alive during your Uni days when your go-to nutritional intake is super noodles and pasta with cheese. And who doesn't love a Chelsea bun?

Any other top (honest) tips for the youth of today? What have I missed?