Anyone doing GCSEs or A Levels with NEC or ICS?

[jenjen]

Hi

Is anyone studying A levels or GCSEs with NEC or ICS? I'd be very grateful for your opinion on them either on this thread or via PM.

Many thanks

J

[Kim leanne]

It depends which A levels you are planning on taking. I enrolled on the biology and it was very good, but I ended up enrolling at my local college instead in September. Although the course was good, it is impossible to do exp from home or find a lab to use. I wasted the £200/300 it cost to enroll because I had to quit and study it with a local college as well and pay again!
Not worth doing science a levels distance learning.

[Everhopeful]

I'm doing Psych, Bio and ES through NEC. I found the Bio straightforward but the teaching on Krebs is less than optimum. You have to read more of the textbook than they tell you to, as the pages they refer you to read don't go into it in enough detail for the exam (as I found out on exam day!) Doing the Alternative Practical paper is a 'mare as you only have the examiners reports and practise papers to go on, and last summer they decided that working to the same format was "learning it by rote"...totally missing the point that it's the only thing external candidates have to go on!
For chem I tried using a correspondence course but you can't find a lab that will let you do it as an external candidate (to do with not being a registered student so you're not covered under their insurance). I've ended up going to a local college - they managed to put on classes first thing or last thing so I could fit it around work.
I've found the courses by NEC to be pretty good. My tutors have returned all my work within a couple of days, and answered all queries pretty quickly...but for subjects with a practical exam or practical written alternative paper I think you'll either need to top up with some private tuition face to face, or study at a college..
Feel free to PM me if you want any more info..