Music to get you thinking – my playlist for GCSE success

It’s GCSE year at Woods Towers, and we’re under no illusions that it will be one of those terrifyingly vertiginous fairground rides where your stomach ends up in your hairline. And not necessarily in one piece.

Last year saw the maths and English exams moved over to a ridiculously demanding syllabus devised as a form of cruel and unusual punishment by former education secretary Michael Gove. This year, every subject will be like climbing the north face of the Eiger with nothing more than a Paperchase pencil case for protection.

The grading system of 1 to 9 is so minutely calibrated that it’s all about marginal gains – which is why I am rifling through my husband’s CD collection to draw up a classical playlist, after reports that listening to the right melodies can assist learning.

I’m tempted by the Ride of the Valkyries, but apparently the music must not be too dramatic. Mozart is the obvious choice, but that’s why I prefer to use him sparingly. A mixed sound palette will be more inspirational. Or at least I hope so.

Bach: Cello sonatas

Supremely intellectual music written by a towering genius. Fingers crossed some magic will pass on to your child.

Debussy: Images

Gentle, impressionistic gems; great for creativity but not daydreaming teens.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No 21 Sweeps all along with it; should make conjugating verbs a veritable joy.

Górecki: Symphony No 3 Commemorates the Holocaust, which history students might appreciate. Its slowly shifting forms make it ideal for long periods of focus.

John Cage: 4’33”

Of course, revision purists would say it’s best not to have any music at all, so Cage’s modernist classic – notoriously 4 minutes and 33 seconds of no music whatsoever – is the ideal piece to have on repeat. And best of all, you can turn it up as loud as you like.