Blog - Page 16 of 33 - Open College

How many Hours of Study is an A-Level?

23/03/202223/03/2022Open College

If you’re thinking of starting an A-Level, you may be wondering exactly how many hours of study are required for you to complete one. Awarding bodies suggest an average of 350 hours of study are required to competently cover an A-level syllabus. Now 350 hours does sound like a lot doesn’t it? But then when you remember that A-Level courses are actually meant to be studied over 2 years and that an average A-Level student studies three A-Levels, then it starts not to seem like that much of an ask. Obviously, everyone is different and learns at different speeds, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the suggested number… Read More

Home Education and A Levels

21/03/202221/03/2022Open College

Home education and A Levels is a pairing that actually works really well for students. Regardless of whether the student is new to home education or has been home schooled for a long time. In a school environment, A Level courses aren’t well known for being flexible, but with home education they are very flexible. When it comes to studying and learning A Levels, students are free to choose which subjects they wish to learn. But they do need to be aware of the ins and outs of how A Levels work when studying them with home education. Firstly, students need to understand that they will be classed as private… Read More

How do Online A-Levels Work?

18/03/202218/03/2022Open College

A-Levels are a UK school leavers qualification that students use for employment or Degree study. Usually, these courses are studied in person at a school or college and completed over 2 years. With the exciting developments of online learning, online A-Levels are now becoming more and more popular all around the World. So it’s understandable for people to be asking how online A-Levels work and how a student studying them completes them. In this blog we’re going to look at the different types of A-Levels you can study online. We will also look at how students go about studying them and how they complete the examinations. It’s important to know,… Read More

Can Adults take A-Levels?

15/03/202215/03/2022Open College

When it comes to subjects like A-Levels, you can be forgiven for thinking that these courses are not available for adults to take (or retake) if they need. But this isn’t the case, it’s actually a very simple process for adults to retake or take full A-Level courses as and when they need to and best of all, there is no need for them to quit their jobs and go back to school! Unlike previously, where A-Levels required students to attend set classes in school or college, now with the development and improvement of online learning, it’s more than feasible for students to enrol to study A-Levels online from the… Read More

Are Diplomas Worth it?

09/03/202209/03/2022Open College

Once you have left school and started your career, you may find yourself needing to update your skillset or add to it, one easy way to do this is with a Diploma, but are Diplomas worth it? A quick search on Google will demonstrate the overwhelming number of online colleges and training centres offering Diplomas in just about everything from Animal Care through to Web Design, but does that mean they are valued or even recognised by potential employers or universities? The simple answer to this lies with who the Diplomas are certified, endorsed or awarded by. As a general rule, Awards are the easiest of the qualifications to gain.… Read More

Can I do GCSEs Online?

07/03/202207/03/2022Open College

Can I do GCSEs online is a question we are often asked by students. The quick answer to this question is yes, you can. Previously, it was always the case that GCSEs had to be done via school or evening classes for students, which would often put off a lot of candidates who didn’t fall into the traditional GCSE student bracket. Now though, with the advances in online learning, it’s entirely possible for any student to do GCSEs online. Although you can’t do the examinations for GCSEs online, you can certainly do all the learning of the syllabus. Online learning is very different to buying books on the course subject… Read More

A Levels for Private Candidates

04/03/202204/03/2022Open College

Private Candidates are students who have opted to learn and study A Levels independently. This can be either entirely self study, using textbooks and online resources. Or, studying a specially written online A Level course with the help of a tutor and learning provider. There are no restrictions or specific requirements for being a Private Candidate, but if a student is of school age, then it will need to be registered with the local authorities. The flexibility of study for Private Candidates can be very appealing. As a Private Candidate, you can study as and when you want, where you want. The only restrictions you have, are when you have… Read More

AQA Awarding Body for A-Levels and GCSEs

23/02/202223/02/2022Open College

When looking at taking either A-Levels or GCSEs, one of the Awarding Bodies you will hear about frequently is AQA. AQA was established in 1997 and was formerly known as Assessment and Qualifications Alliance. The AQA Awarding Body is very widely used within schools around the UK, making it a very popular body for courses. Although it is an internationally recognised Awarding Body and universities around the world will accept their qualifications. Currently, it’s only possible to sit the examinations for either the A-Levels or GCSEs in the UK. However, with that said, this doesn’t mean that International students cannot take the exams, it just means they would have to… Read More

How to Self Study a Course

02/02/202202/02/2022Open College

Deciding to take that step and start studying is a big one. And it’s safe to say that while researching and looking for your ideal course on websites, you will have come across the phrase ‘self study course’. But what does that mean exactly? The phrase is a bit misleading and confusing if you don’t work within education. So we’re going to breakdown what self studying a course really means and the best ways to approach this type of study. Firstly, to clarify, self studying a course doesn’t mean you are left totally on your own to fend for yourself while trying to plough through endless course materials. A more… Read More

Why Distance Learning?

01/02/202201/02/2022Open College

When looking at continuing your educational journey and getting qualified, you will quickly realise there are a lot of options out there! One of which you will keep seeing is online courses (such as A Levels, GCSEs or Diplomas) with a distance learning college. Long before all the pandemic nightmare, distance learning and distance learning colleges existed and provided a great way for people to add to their qualifications remotely. We’re going to look at the pros and cons of distance learning and why it’s a great option for some and not so much for other students. By the end of this, you should have a much clearer idea of… Read More