It is an enjoyable programming language indeed and lays the foundations for other programming languages. I believe that it generally requires a vast amount of practise, to ensure the information learned is retained in the long term memory, regardless of whether or not you have a natural ability for coding.
I do believe that eventually I learn JavaScript, subsequent to mastering the beginners' coding languages first!
Unfortunately, my school did not offer coding as part of the curriculum during GCSEs, however - I likely would have pursued it had it been offered. Did you find Python more or less interesting than HMTL and CSS? The most difficult part of Japanese is trying to remember all of the Kanji characters and their various meanings - however, it genuinely is an awesome language to learn, as is Swedish - the latter being somewhat easier to learn than Japanese!
I am currently learning Swedish on Duolingo, which is a particularly useful resource for learning languages, as is Memrise; they are both space repetition systems (SRS) which aid the long term retention of information.
Yes, I enjoy using Codecademy too, I just hope that since implementing Codecademy Pro - that the free resources are sufficient. I am also glad that you have had a good experience with Codecademy and that you love French!
Inopportunely, I am probably not the best person to ask about A Levels, as I barely made it through A Levels due to extremely poor mental health. A lot of people have positive experiences of sixth form and/or college - it just was not for me, however; it might be okay for you; every person is different.
I suppose that the only positive aspect of such assessments that you have to pursue, is that you are able to identify the areas of the subject that you are finding a little more difficult and other areas that warrant less revision due to more confidence in those subject areas. I understand why mock exams would be worse for you, as schools have a tendency to throw several mock exams together; sometimes more than one in a single day, which is simply not ideal. Hopefully, you are able to find a better way of dealing with actual exams!
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