how to achieve a 7 in gcse spanish

I had a student a couple of years back — bright, capable, doing everything “right” on paper. Flashcards every night, a revision timetable stuck to her wall, past papers ticked off one by one. She came to me convinced she was on for a 5, maybe a 6 if she was lucky. She got a 7. When I asked her what she thought had actually shifted, she didn’t say “I did more flashcards.” She said, “I stopped being scared to just talk.” That’s the bit that doesn’t fit neatly into a revision checklist, and it’s the bit that actually makes the difference between a 5 and a 7.