Ever wondered how your cells manage thousands of chemical reactions... Show more
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Subjects
Responding to change (a2 only)
Infection and response
Homeostasis and response
Energy transfers (a2 only)
Cell biology
Organisms respond to changes in their internal and external environments (a-level only)
Biological molecules
Organisation
Substance exchange
Bioenergetics
Genetic information & variation
Inheritance, variation and evolution
Genetics & ecosystems (a2 only)
Ecology
Cells
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Britain & the wider world: 1745 -1901
1l the quest for political stability: germany, 1871-1991
The cold war
Inter-war germany
Medieval period: 1066 -1509
2d religious conflict and the church in england, c1529-c1570
2o democracy and nazism: germany, 1918-1945
1f industrialisation and the people: britain, c1783-1885
1c the tudors: england, 1485-1603
2m wars and welfare: britain in transition, 1906-1957
World war two & the holocaust
2n revolution and dictatorship: russia, 1917-1953
2s the making of modern britain, 1951-2007
World war one
Britain: 1509 -1745
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142
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9 Dec 2025
•
Erin Lawley
@eerinlawley
Ever wondered how your cells manage thousands of chemical reactions... Show more









Think of metabolic pathways as your cell's assembly lines - they're series of biochemical reactions that transform one molecule into another. Just like a factory needs quality control, cells use enzymes to manage these pathways perfectly.
Your cells are incredibly smart about resource management. They use three key features to control metabolic pathways: reversible steps, irreversible steps, and alternative routes. This clever system prevents waste and stops your cells from making too much of any product.
Reversible steps act like safety valves - when there's too much of an end product, the reaction can go backwards to prevent overproduction. Meanwhile, irreversible steps ensure you make enough of the final product by keeping the pathway moving forward when needed.
Quick Tip: Remember that cells hate waste! Every control mechanism exists to use resources efficiently and avoid dangerous build-ups of products.

Glycolysis (the first stage of respiration) perfectly demonstrates how these control mechanisms work in practice. When glucose enters your cell, it's immediately converted to glucose-6-phosphate in an irreversible step - this keeps glucose flowing into the cell.
The next step creates fructose-6-phosphate through a reversible reaction. If this intermediate builds up (which would harm the cell), the reaction reverses, creating a perfect feedback system. This also opens up alternative routes when the main pathway gets congested.
The final conversion to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is irreversible again, ensuring your cells can produce pyruvate without complications. It's like having traffic lights and bypass roads to keep everything flowing smoothly.
Real Connection: This happens in your muscles right now as you read this - your cells are constantly balancing energy production through these controlled pathways!

Your body runs two types of metabolic superhighways that work in opposite directions. Anabolic pathways are like construction sites - they build complex molecules from simple ones, but this requires energy input (think building muscle from amino acids).
Catabolic pathways work like demolition crews, breaking down large, complex molecules into smaller, simpler ones. The brilliant part? These pathways release energy that your anabolic pathways can use.
This creates a beautiful balance in your cells. When you eat food, catabolic pathways break it down and release energy. That energy then powers anabolic pathways to build the proteins, fats, and other molecules your body needs to function and grow.
Memory Trick: Think "Anabolic = Adding up" and "Catabolic = Chopping down" - the first letters match!

Enzymes are protein-based biological catalysts that make life possible by speeding up chemical reactions. They're like skilled mechanics who can fix cars faster and then move on to help with the next one - they never get used up in the process.
Every enzyme has an active site with a specific shape determined by amino acids. Substrates have high affinity for this site (they're strongly attracted), but once converted to products, they have low affinity and get released.
Scientists use two models to explain how enzymes work. The lock and key model suggests the active site is rigid and perfectly shaped for the substrate. The induced fit model is more accurate - the active site is flexible and moulds around the substrate for a better fit.
Exam Essential: Understanding that enzymes lower activation energy is crucial - this is why reactions happen faster with enzymes present.

Temperature dramatically affects enzyme performance, creating a classic bell-shaped curve. At low temperatures, enzyme activity is sluggish. As temperature increases, activity speeds up until reaching the optimum temperature - after this point, enzymes start to denature (lose their shape) and stop working entirely.
pH concentration works similarly - each enzyme has an optimal pH range. Stray too far from this optimum (either too acidic or too basic), and the enzyme's active site changes shape, making it useless. Different enzymes have completely different pH preferences.
Substrate concentration creates an interesting pattern. More substrate means more enzyme-substrate collisions and faster reactions. However, once all enzyme active sites are occupied, adding more substrate won't increase the reaction rate - the graph levels off.
Study Tip: Draw these graphs from memory - they're exam favourites and the shapes tell the whole story about enzyme behaviour.

When substrate concentration is low, many enzyme active sites sit empty because there aren't enough substrate molecules to go around. This creates slow reaction rates since enzymes are essentially waiting for work.
High substrate concentration means most active sites stay busy, dramatically increasing reaction rates. However, there's a ceiling effect - once every active site is occupied, the reaction rate plateaus no matter how much more substrate you add.
Product concentration can actually slow things down through two mechanisms. High product levels can trigger reversible reactions to run backwards, preventing overproduction. Products can also physically occupy active sites, blocking new substrates from binding and creating a bottleneck.
Real-World Connection: This is why your body carefully regulates blood glucose levels - too much or too little disrupts the delicate balance of enzymatic reactions.

Enzyme inhibitors are molecules that can slow down or stop enzyme reactions entirely. Competitive inhibitors are particularly sneaky - they have similar shapes to the normal substrate and literally compete for the same active site.
The more competitive inhibitor present, the slower your enzyme reactions become, creating a predictable downward trend. Think of it like musical chairs - substrates and inhibitors are fighting for the same spots (active sites).
Here's the good news: competitive inhibition can be overcome! If you increase substrate concentration enough, substrates will outcompete the inhibitors and reaction rates recover. It's like adding more players to increase your chances of winning musical chairs.
Memory Aid: "Competitive" = "Competing for the same spot" - both substrate and inhibitor want the active site!

Non-competitive inhibitors play dirty - instead of competing for the active site, they bind elsewhere on the enzyme and change the active site's shape. This means substrates can no longer fit, and unlike competitive inhibition, adding more substrate won't help because the problem isn't competition.
Feedback inhibition is your cell's built-in thermostat. When the final product of a metabolic pathway builds up to dangerous levels, it travels back and inhibits an earlier enzyme in the pathway. This automatically reduces production until levels drop back to normal.
This feedback system is brilliant for preventing toxic build-ups and conserving resources. It's like having an automatic shut-off valve that prevents your bathtub from overflowing - the system regulates itself without any external control needed.
Key Insight: Feedback inhibition shows how sophisticated cellular control really is - your cells can self-regulate without conscious input from you!
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
Quotes from every main character
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Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
Erin Lawley
@eerinlawley
Ever wondered how your cells manage thousands of chemical reactions without creating chaos? Metabolic pathways are like your cell's production lines, carefully controlled to make exactly what you need, when you need it. Understanding these pathways and the enzymes that... Show more

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Think of metabolic pathways as your cell's assembly lines - they're series of biochemical reactions that transform one molecule into another. Just like a factory needs quality control, cells use enzymes to manage these pathways perfectly.
Your cells are incredibly smart about resource management. They use three key features to control metabolic pathways: reversible steps, irreversible steps, and alternative routes. This clever system prevents waste and stops your cells from making too much of any product.
Reversible steps act like safety valves - when there's too much of an end product, the reaction can go backwards to prevent overproduction. Meanwhile, irreversible steps ensure you make enough of the final product by keeping the pathway moving forward when needed.
Quick Tip: Remember that cells hate waste! Every control mechanism exists to use resources efficiently and avoid dangerous build-ups of products.

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Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Glycolysis (the first stage of respiration) perfectly demonstrates how these control mechanisms work in practice. When glucose enters your cell, it's immediately converted to glucose-6-phosphate in an irreversible step - this keeps glucose flowing into the cell.
The next step creates fructose-6-phosphate through a reversible reaction. If this intermediate builds up (which would harm the cell), the reaction reverses, creating a perfect feedback system. This also opens up alternative routes when the main pathway gets congested.
The final conversion to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is irreversible again, ensuring your cells can produce pyruvate without complications. It's like having traffic lights and bypass roads to keep everything flowing smoothly.
Real Connection: This happens in your muscles right now as you read this - your cells are constantly balancing energy production through these controlled pathways!

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Improve your grades
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By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Your body runs two types of metabolic superhighways that work in opposite directions. Anabolic pathways are like construction sites - they build complex molecules from simple ones, but this requires energy input (think building muscle from amino acids).
Catabolic pathways work like demolition crews, breaking down large, complex molecules into smaller, simpler ones. The brilliant part? These pathways release energy that your anabolic pathways can use.
This creates a beautiful balance in your cells. When you eat food, catabolic pathways break it down and release energy. That energy then powers anabolic pathways to build the proteins, fats, and other molecules your body needs to function and grow.
Memory Trick: Think "Anabolic = Adding up" and "Catabolic = Chopping down" - the first letters match!

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Enzymes are protein-based biological catalysts that make life possible by speeding up chemical reactions. They're like skilled mechanics who can fix cars faster and then move on to help with the next one - they never get used up in the process.
Every enzyme has an active site with a specific shape determined by amino acids. Substrates have high affinity for this site (they're strongly attracted), but once converted to products, they have low affinity and get released.
Scientists use two models to explain how enzymes work. The lock and key model suggests the active site is rigid and perfectly shaped for the substrate. The induced fit model is more accurate - the active site is flexible and moulds around the substrate for a better fit.
Exam Essential: Understanding that enzymes lower activation energy is crucial - this is why reactions happen faster with enzymes present.

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Temperature dramatically affects enzyme performance, creating a classic bell-shaped curve. At low temperatures, enzyme activity is sluggish. As temperature increases, activity speeds up until reaching the optimum temperature - after this point, enzymes start to denature (lose their shape) and stop working entirely.
pH concentration works similarly - each enzyme has an optimal pH range. Stray too far from this optimum (either too acidic or too basic), and the enzyme's active site changes shape, making it useless. Different enzymes have completely different pH preferences.
Substrate concentration creates an interesting pattern. More substrate means more enzyme-substrate collisions and faster reactions. However, once all enzyme active sites are occupied, adding more substrate won't increase the reaction rate - the graph levels off.
Study Tip: Draw these graphs from memory - they're exam favourites and the shapes tell the whole story about enzyme behaviour.

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When substrate concentration is low, many enzyme active sites sit empty because there aren't enough substrate molecules to go around. This creates slow reaction rates since enzymes are essentially waiting for work.
High substrate concentration means most active sites stay busy, dramatically increasing reaction rates. However, there's a ceiling effect - once every active site is occupied, the reaction rate plateaus no matter how much more substrate you add.
Product concentration can actually slow things down through two mechanisms. High product levels can trigger reversible reactions to run backwards, preventing overproduction. Products can also physically occupy active sites, blocking new substrates from binding and creating a bottleneck.
Real-World Connection: This is why your body carefully regulates blood glucose levels - too much or too little disrupts the delicate balance of enzymatic reactions.

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Enzyme inhibitors are molecules that can slow down or stop enzyme reactions entirely. Competitive inhibitors are particularly sneaky - they have similar shapes to the normal substrate and literally compete for the same active site.
The more competitive inhibitor present, the slower your enzyme reactions become, creating a predictable downward trend. Think of it like musical chairs - substrates and inhibitors are fighting for the same spots (active sites).
Here's the good news: competitive inhibition can be overcome! If you increase substrate concentration enough, substrates will outcompete the inhibitors and reaction rates recover. It's like adding more players to increase your chances of winning musical chairs.
Memory Aid: "Competitive" = "Competing for the same spot" - both substrate and inhibitor want the active site!

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Non-competitive inhibitors play dirty - instead of competing for the active site, they bind elsewhere on the enzyme and change the active site's shape. This means substrates can no longer fit, and unlike competitive inhibition, adding more substrate won't help because the problem isn't competition.
Feedback inhibition is your cell's built-in thermostat. When the final product of a metabolic pathway builds up to dangerous levels, it travels back and inhibits an earlier enzyme in the pathway. This automatically reduces production until levels drop back to normal.
This feedback system is brilliant for preventing toxic build-ups and conserving resources. It's like having an automatic shut-off valve that prevents your bathtub from overflowing - the system regulates itself without any external control needed.
Key Insight: Feedback inhibition shows how sophisticated cellular control really is - your cells can self-regulate without conscious input from you!
Our AI Companion is a student-focused AI tool that offers more than just answers. Built on millions of Knowunity resources, it provides relevant information, personalised study plans, quizzes, and content directly in the chat, adapting to your individual learning journey.
You can download the app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good
Thomas R
iOS user
Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.
Basil
Android user
This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.
Rohan U
Android user
I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.
Xander S
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now
Paul T
iOS user