Academic Programme

Pearson Online Academy UK Global students aged 14-24* will prepare for the high quality and globally recognised Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A Level qualifications.

These qualifications, taken by over 100,000 students in over 80 countries each year, are designed for international learners and are equivalent to UK GCSE and GCE A level. As the UK’s largest awarding organisation, Pearson Edexcel is best placed to provide qualifications that closely aligned to the British Curriculum.

Concepts are presented in a way that is interactive and engaging, using video and text explanations alongside graphics, simulations and frequent checks of understanding. The self-study components of our courses are supported by LiveLesson® sessions with their teachers, where students have the chance to discuss and practise what they have learnt.

* Over 18's are in separate classes to students aged 14-18.

International GCSEs are currently available in the following subjects

International A Levels are currently available in the following subjects

A levels are currently available in the following subjects

Find our more about our subjects and their content here.

Dedicated Learning Time

Each two-year course has been designed to give students the ideal blend of structure and autonomy, with learners completing engaging self-led online lessons at their own pace, while LiveLesson® sessions with their teachers deepen understanding through discussion and problem-solving activities.

International GCSE

For each subject, our International GCSE Students will complete two self-guided lessons (or three for maths), and one LiveLesson session with their teacher and peers, as well as 40 minutes of homework each week.

Grace's story

Grace is based in the UK and likes to do her self-study lessons throughout the week, but always makes sure to complete them before that subject’s LiveLesson® sessions. She prefers to tackle homework at the end of the day, except on Fridays when she mixes it up with self-study and extra-curriculars. Grace takes advantage of teacher office hours and looks forward to meeting fortnightly with her Success Coach.

*Our courses are designed to be accessible by students from around the world, as such Friday/Sunday will be interchangeable, in order to work with either a Monday–Friday or Sunday–Thursday school week.
(Most lessons and other school activities are in 45-minute blocks; schedule reflects transition and spillover time.)

International A Level

Our International A Level students will complete five self-guided lessons and two LiveLesson® sessions with their teacher, in addition to one hour of homework, for each subject every week.

Ahmed's story

Ahmed lives in the UAE and prefers to do his self-study lessons in a combination of intensive blocks plus one self-study immediately before each subject's LiveLesson® sessions. As an elite tennis player, he likes being able to tackle his homework in the mornings, so he can do his tennis training at the end of each day. Ahmed also makes time for online extracurriculars with his Pearson Online Academy schoolmates. He takes full advantage of teacher office hours and looks forward to meeting fortnightly with his Success Coach.

*Our courses are designed to be accessible by students from around the world, as such Friday/Sunday will be interchangeable, in order to work with either a Monday–Friday or Sunday–Thursday school week.
(Most lessons and other school activities are in 50-minute blocks; schedule reflects transition and spillover time.)

In total, our full-time students will be expected to dedicate a total of approximately 6 hours per day or 30 hours per week to learning, including flexible access to all their course content and scheduled timings for LiveLesson® sessions with their teachers, Success Coaches and peers.

Keeping on Track

All our online courses incorporate formative and summative assessments throughout, to provide detailed student performance reports. These may take the form of homework activities, quick checks at the end of each lesson, term tests or mock exam practices. All of them provide opportunities to reinforce prior learning.

Students’ progress and engagement is actively monitored by our teachers, who are empowered with rich, real-time data. This provides teachers with a level of insight rarely seen in a traditional classroom, enabling them to quickly step-in to provide personalised support – or extra challenge – for each student, as and when they need it.

School Calendar

Pearson Online Academy UK Global follows the British academic year, with classes beginning in September. Terms run from September to mid-December, January to early April, and late April to June.

Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs are two-year courses assessed at the end of the second year of study (in May-June). Pearson Edexcel International A Levels are two-year courses, with modular exams available throughout the two years of study, in January and June assessment windows.

Our courses are designed to be accessible by students from around the world; as such, Friday and Sunday will be interchangeable, in order to work with either Monday–Friday or Sunday–Thursday school weeks.

This allows students to dedicate either Friday or Sunday to prepare for Monday's LiveLesson®, and complete local activities, such as sports, or personal lessons, such as learning a musical instrument, or additional English tuition where needed.

Individual Course Experience

At Pearson Online Academy UK Global, we offer individual International GCSEs and A Levels for those students wanting to supplement their current learning with additional studies. This is completed on a part-time basis, with each course spanning a two-year period.

Our individual courses prepare students for success in Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A Level qualifications, which are recognised by the world's leading universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and the Ivy League.

International A Level courses consist of seven 50-minute lessons per week: five self-directed lessons, and two live online teaching sessions. International GCSE courses consist of three 45-minute lessons per week: two self-directed lessons, and one live online teaching session.

Students’ taking individual qualifications will benefit from the same active progress monitoring from our teachers, as full-time students, with rich, real-time data used to enable teachers to personalise your support.

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