Frequently Asked Questions
Over the years we have been asked many questions about our service, please see below some of the main questions we get answered before emailing us.
GCSE Astronomy
How does it work?
Our GCSE Astronomy program is run almost entirely online. With the exception of the observational tasks and sitting the exam.
Upon enrolment, you are given login details to our portal and put in contact with your course advisor. Our resources are made up of digital interactives and quizzes with downloadable worksheets which are supported by a e-book and hard copy which is sent to you (inc P&P, Mainland UK only).
Who is the exam board?
There is only one for GCSE Astronomy, Pearsons Edexcel
How much study is recommended?
By and large we recommend at least 3 hours study a week. Obviously this will vary from learner to learner. More so if the learner is doing the course in one year.
Are there video lessons?
There are no live video lessons included with the package. There are GCSE Astronomy webinars run which cover all 16 topics but these are separate.
Pre recorded video lessons will be available soon.
Do we set homework?
No, there are quizzes and downloadable worksheets which learners are encouraged to complete. The course advisor does not mark them per se, but if there is something the learner doesn't understand they are welcome to email for support.
Are Skype sessions included?
No, for £150 per year it works out at less than £13 a month, not enough to pay a tutor to offer Skype. It might be possible your tutor could offer the service at extra cost. OASA does not charge commission on the service.
Do I have to use your exam centres?
No, in a word. We do NOT have our own exam centres. We are networked with centres who are happy to work with us. But we are not directly involved in the process. If you choose to use one of those, let us know and we'll pass you their details. It is for you to make the arrangements. If you have your own centre that's fine too.
This also means if there is a last minute problem with exam entry the Online Astronomy Society Academy will accept no liability. We provide the training only and guidance with observational tasks.
Do we sign off Observational Tasks?
Subject to them being completed, yes.
We also have a wealth of information on these which learners are encouraged to read up on. Especially if looking to sit the exams in the first year.
Do you get access to past exam papers?
Yes you do, these are available to download within the portal. A marking service may be offered by your course advisor. Again OASA doesn't take commission for doing this.
How is course advisor support offered?
Its probably a good time to mention that our tutors are not employed full time by us. They have, in many cases, full time jobs and other commitments. As such they will agree a turn around on answering email. They will not readily offer telephone or Skype support. Please note as you can image for £150 for a year they are not paid much.
Why do we have to wait for login details?
This is because it is manually done. We have looked at automation, solutions appear to be quite costly. We also like the personal touch of emailing details to our learners, we know its done then. We also know who everyone is within the portal and can remove information in accordance to GDPR once a learner completes the course and leaves.
How to we get support?
All support is offered by email. If learners cannot login, or not received an email from their course advisor, then please email info@onlineastronomycourses.co.uk
Telephone support is not available.
Please note, that while we say to allow at least 24 to 48 hours for a reply (especially over weekends and bank holidays), more often than not we reply and fix problems FAR sooner. One thing we pride ourselves is on our customer service.
If we have more questions, can we call or ask for a call?
We used to like to speak to our learners prior to sign up, however it no longer became feasible as our popularity grew. In terms of questions (and we realise there will be some). We ask learners to first read this page then email. As with our support, we are pretty quick at replying.
Will you accept credit card or cheque payment?
We are able to accept either Paypal or BACS payments. BACS details are sent if the customer chooses to pay that way. This is a manual process so the customer will need to make a manual BACS transfer before learners can be added.
What happens after payment?
You should email info@onlineastronomycourses.co.uk ASAP with the following
a) Full name of learner
b) Full postal address to send details out to.
c) Proposed exam centre
d) Email you would like us to use to register.
Why are they called course advisors and not tutors?
The expectation of many learners regarding their assigned tutors is that they were there to make contact via phone, Skype, or Zoom, despite being paid very little for supporting each learner.
As such, we worked hard to ensure all the material required was present for the learner to glean all they needed to pass the course. Including self marking quizzes and worksheets. The aim being to make the course self paced while still providing much needed support which tutors agreed to offer via email.
We are looking at offering online courses and as said above there ARE live webinars we now do offer at extra cost.
What happens after payment?
Once payment is received, the account will be setup and a letter containing enrolment details will be emailed. Please note, if we do NOT receive this information after payment, we will email using the details given. But it is up to the customer to provide these details ASAP so their learner can be added with minimal delay.
Can I do GCSE Astronomy in one year?
You can yes, please refer to our GCSE Astronomy accelerated course. We charge the same as we would for both years, including cost of the book. This is because you are paying for access to both years and your course advisor will need to be paid double as they will have to assess two lots of observational tasks in one year as opposed to two.
GCSE Astronomy Year 2
Do we get access to first year material?
Yes, at no extra cost.
What if we need to defer the exam?
Due to the fact we need to pay our tutors and have other overheads ourselves to pay, we do need to charge the extra £150 (if that's the current annual fee). While we appreciate there can be mitigating circumstances and will listen to and consider everyone on a case by case basis. It will also depend on whether the tutor is willing to offer the extra support at no extra charge. It is something we have done. The decision will depend on how much the learner has been in touch with the tutor over that academy year and did they advise us in advance there could be a problem.
Please remember this is a commercial operation with overheads and bills to pay same as any other business.
We hope the above serves to answer all or most of your questions, if there is anything we have missed, please feel free to email info@onlineastronomycourses.co.uk