In episode one we meet three Year 9 girls facing the mounting pressure of their first year of GCSE preparation. For all three, so much of the journey is about confidence. In Port Talbot, avid reader and top-tier student Ann Marie knows she wants to go to university, but she suffers from anxiety around her exams. Meanwhile in Tamworth, Shakira's school recognises that she is a talented artist and tries to help her find her creative voice by pushing her out of her comfort zone. Confidence is less of an issue for Birmingham-based aspiring paediatrician Jada: her determination to ace her Year 9 exams is pinned on her dream of winning a future place at nearby Sixth Form grammar school. But however determined she and her mum are, money may halt her dream.