How GCSE Gym uses your data

The short version: we keep as little as possible, we never sell it, we never show ads, and you can delete it all. Last updated 12 October 2026.

What we store about you

• Your email address, a username, a nickname, the month and year you were born, and the year you sit your exams. No surname, no school, no home address. We ask your age because GCSE Gym is for people aged 13 and over, and some rules are different for under 16s.
• Your password, scrambled (hashed) so even we can't read it.
• Your subjects, the answers you write (including any photos of your working), your marks, feedback and tutor conversations, so the app can work out what you need to practise next.
• Subjects you've asked us to add, and anything you send through the Feedback button.

Your parent or carer's email

• If you choose to, you can give us a parent or carer's email so we can send them a payment request, a reminder about it, or your scorecard. We only email them when you ask us to, plus one reminder if a payment request is still waiting the day before your free access ends.
• We never use their email for marketing unless they opt in themselves on the payment page. You can't sign them up, and we never share it. You can remove it from your Account page.

Payments

• Payments are handled by Stripe. Card details are entered on Stripe's secure page and go straight to them: GCSE Gym never sees or stores card numbers.
• Stripe tells us whether a subscription is active, plus the payer's email and a customer reference, so we can switch Plus on and send receipts. Stripe handles payment data under its own privacy policy.
• Whoever pays (you or a parent) can cancel at any time from the link in Stripe's receipt email or the Account page.

Emails we send

• To confirm your email address and to reset your password.
• About your free access ending (the day before, and when it ends) and your subscription.
• When a subject you asked for is ready.
• Scorecards and payment requests, only to people you choose.
• Marketing emails (study tips, new subjects, features) only if you tick the box to say yes. You can switch them off from your Account page or with the one-click link in every email. We keep a record of your choice and the words you saw. See how we handle marketing.

Who sees your data

• You.
• The small team running GCSE Gym can see usernames, email addresses, answers and usage, to keep things working, safe and within budget, and to check marking quality.
• Your answers are sent to Anthropic's Claude AI to be marked and to power the tutor. Anthropic doesn't use them to train its models and deletes them after a limited retention period.
• Our service providers process data on our behalf: Vercel (hosting), Neon (database), Resend (email) and Stripe (payments).
• No advertisers, no data brokers, no selling data. One cookie keeps you logged in; there are no tracking cookies.

Things to know

• Marking is done by AI against the mark scheme. It's good, but it isn't a teacher or an exam board. If a mark looks wrong, use "Challenge this mark" and a person will check it.
• Questions are original and written in the style of the exam boards. GCSE Gym isn't connected to any exam board.
• Please don't write personal details in your answers.
• If you write something that suggests you might be struggling, the app will show you where to get support (like Childline, 0800 1111), and a member of our team may review it to make sure you're OK.

How long we keep it

While your account is open. If you delete your account, your answers, marks, subjects and emails are removed straight away. Payment records are kept by Stripe for as long as the law requires. If you'd unsubscribed from marketing, we keep a scrambled (hashed) copy of your email so we never email you by mistake.

Your rights

You can see, correct or delete your data at any time. Delete everything from Account → Delete my account. To ask what we hold, or for anything else about your data, use the Feedback button and choose "Something else", and we'll reply. You can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you're unhappy with how we handle your data.