Open College, Author at Open College

Can you Study A-levels without GCSEs?

23/05/202223/05/2022Open College

Traditionally, in the British educational system, students are expected to study and successfully complete their GCSEs before then progressing on to studying A-Levels. However, that linear method of study progression doesn’t always work for everyone and sometimes leaves students returning to studying thinking they would have to complete their GCSEs before they can move on to A-Levels. This isn’t actually the case at all. If you’re a student returning to study and you need A-Levels but don’t hold GCSEs or even a GCSE in the same subject, that doesn’t mean you can’t study the course. Thankfully, with the development of online learning and the wide availability of online A-Level courses,… Read More

Home Education and GCSEs

20/05/202220/05/2022Open College

Home education (or home schooling) of children in the UK is growing in popularity. Not only does it offer a greater flexibility in learning for children, but it also allows parents to have more control over the way their children are introduced to various topics of education. Rather than children being stuck with set term times and being in the classroom all day every day, parents are able to switch up the learning process and allow for their children to experience what they are learning about. Which all sounds great for younger children, but what about for older kids who are about to embark on their GCSEs or even A-Levels,… Read More

What are GCSE Past Papers?

18/05/202218/05/2022Open College

GCSE Past Papers are question papers that awarding bodies for GCSEs release from previous years to help and assist students. The papers allow for students to practice their answering technique in preparation for examination. They are also an effective way for students to revise their knowledge of their course and also gain a clear idea of their potential grade. If you’re a student at a traditional school or college, your teachers will frequently set you GCSE past papers as part of your learning. This allows for them to assess your progress and also determine what they feel your likely grade will be. If you’re a Private Candidate (independent) student, then… Read More

Are A Levels Hard to Study?

16/05/202216/05/2022Open College

Are A Levels hard is something we are often asked by students. A Levels are one of those courses that people believe are very hard to study and take a lot of commitment. But this isn’t strictly true and studying A Levels can be very straight forward and rewarding for people. The qualification itself is Level 3, which means the syllabus is created and designed to give students a solid foundation understanding of the topic to then go on and study it at a higher level. Whether a student will find A-Levels hard depends on a number of factors. For example, if you’re a student with no previous experience of… Read More

What does ‘Open Enrolment’ mean?

11/05/202211/05/2022Open College

Open enrolment is a phrase you will see a lot when looking at online learning, but what exactly does that mean? Open enrolment refers to the entry requirements for the course. With traditional schools and colleges, there are usually mountains of restrictions on who can and can’t enrol on a course. These restrictions include things such as the qualifications you need to enrol on the course and when you can enrol on the course. Online learning is different. Almost every course, even the ones that have examinations tied to examination periods (like GCSEs or A-Levels) are available for students with open enrolment. So in effect, you can decide on a… Read More

5 Reasons to Start Studying

09/05/202209/05/2022Open College

Due to popular demand, we’ve written a blog about 5 reasons to start studying. As an online college, we are frequently asked why people should start studying and of course we’re going to be all for it, as it’s our thing! But aside from that, there really are lots of benefits and reasons for people to start studying courses. Regardless of the course, A-Levels, GCSEs or Diplomas, the end results achieved by students are always positive. A lot of people who come to us think that studying is one of those things you stop doing once you leave school or college, but that’s not the case at all. Starting studying… Read More

Are GCSEs Important?

04/05/202204/05/2022Open College

As an online college, we are frequently asked by our students whether GCSEs are important. The simple answer to this is yes, believe it or not. Although they may seem like just another formality of school and something to get out of the way, you would be surprised how many times you will find you really do need to hold GCSEs to get on in life. We’re going to take a closer look at the qualifications as a whole. Looking at why you need them, which subjects are most useful and how you can retake them if you need to. What do you need GCSEs for? For everything from employment… Read More

A Level 2022 Dates

27/04/202227/04/2022Open College

(Updated April 2022) The A Level 2022 Dates have now been released by awarding bodies and it’s important for students to take note. After the disruption of the last two years, students can look forward to a more normal examination period. Most importantly, the Department of Education has announced planned changes to help students better prepare (you can read these here). Students sitting their exams in 2022 will be relieved to know that marking of exams will be lenient. The decision was made to allow for this, due to the disruptions experienced in the lead up to examination. But with that said, the approaching exam season will still be stressful… Read More

5 Reasons to Resit your A-Levels

25/04/202225/04/2022Open College

If you’re one of the many students who didn’t get the A-Level results they were looking for, don’t worry. You are definitely not alone. Whether you got your results years ago or recently, there are many options open to you. We’re giving 5 reasons to resit your A-levels and reassuring you it’s not as bad as you might think. First things first, restting A-Levels does not mean you have to go back to school or college. You have lots of different options available to you, and your old school or college isn’t one. Secondly, resitting your A-Levels won’t take another two years of study, you can actually complete resitting your… Read More

5 Reasons to Self-Study A Levels

20/04/202220/04/2022Open College

Reasons to self-study A Levels are wide ranging. Contrary to popular belief, A Levels aren’t subjects that have to be studied at school or college with a teacher. It is perfectly feasible for a student to decide to self study A Levels at home, either with full tutor support and an online course, or purely through text books by themselves. Although a traditional qualification, A Levels are still flexible and so, the way they’re studied can be adapted to suit. The difference between online A Levels and traditional A Levels is purely the method of learning. The actual syllabus that students learn and cover in preparation for examination is exactly… Read More