Please note that currently, GCSE qualifications are generally only available to residents of England & Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland do not offer GCSE qualifications as standard. If residing in Scotland or NI, and you still wish to sit the GCSE exam, you will need to find a UK examinations centre prepared to accept you as a private candidate, who also offer the Edexcel Astronomy GCSE exam. If you reside outside the UK, an International School or examinations centre that offers Edexcel qualifications and is also prepared to accept you as a private candidate, will be required. They will of course, also be required to offer the Edexcel GCSE Astronomy exam.
We stongly recommend you find an examinations centre that will be prepared to register you as an external candidate before enrolling on the course.
All courses are currently only available in the English language format.
The Syllabus
The GCSE syllabus covers the basic concepts of astronomy. Whether you are at the beginning of your astronomy journey or consider yourself an experienced amateur, this course can develop your skills and provide you with a GCSE certificate in a recognised science subject.
The Lessons
Our GCSE course consists of nine lessons and assignments. When you complete a lesson, you send the relevant assignment to us, to recieve a mark and feedback, which we return to you along with your assignment. In addition to the lessons, we ask you to sit a ‘mock’ exam, which we will also mark and provide feedback on.
Your marks and feedback will help you keep track of your progress and help prepare you to answer questions in the exams. To gain the GCSE qualification, you will have to sit two formal exams, but before you can sit the exams, you are also required to complete two practical observation tasks – the ‘Observational Component’. Details of this requirement are given below.
Equipment Required
You will need some basic materials to work with in addition to the lesson content that we provide you. None of the items are compulsory, with the possible exception of the scientific calculator. Although most people have access to one of these if they own a computer, you would not be able to take a computer/tablet/smartphone into the examination room.
The links we have provided do not generate us any commision and you are free to find alternative suppliers, we have merely made suggestions.
Observational Component
The two practical tasks do not count towards your grade, however you must complete them to a minimum standard in order to be able to sit the exam. Once they have been completed, an assessment form is then sent to the exam board via your examination centre. There is a deadline for the submission of this form and it can not be extended.
On each exam paper, there will be at least one question which will test your knowledge of practical observations. The practical work is designed to prepare you for these questions.
Due to the nature of these practical tasks, it is recommended that you attempt to complete the GCSE course over two years. Both tasks require repeated observing sessions and it is difficult to complete them to a satisfactory level within just one year, especially if you have other commitments.
Examinations
The new style GCSE Astronomy exam consists of two papers which are generally sat in May or June of each year. Both papers are 1h 45min long and will be sat on different days, usually a week apart. Your marks for the two papers form 100% of your overall grade.
To sit the exams, you are required to find an approved examination centre that is willing to register you as a candidate. Fees for this can vary, but are generally in the region of £25-50, which you must pay to your chosen centre in January of the year in which you wish to sit the exam. You must attend this centre to sit the exams, but you can only do so if you have completed the practical work and had it signed off.
Price
There is a slight discount for paying the full amount of the course at the beginning, but you are able to pay in two installments if this makes things easier for you. If you decide to pay in installments, you are agreeing to treat each installment as a seperate purchase. Please note that we do not offer the option to pay by installment, to students based outside of the UK. Please read our ‘Course Terms and Conditions’ for further information.
We accept payment via cheque and Paypal. If paying by cheque, we will send out the lessons once the payment has cleared, which usually takes 3-5 days after depositing the cheque.
UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) | Rest Of World | |
Single Price | Installments | Single Price |
£170 | £90 | £200 |
£90 | ||
Total | Total | Total |
£170 | £180 | £200 |
Before making any payment, please make sure that you have read and fully understood our terms and conditions for courses. A link to these is given below.