Fast Track A level courses

Our Structured Fast Track A levels are designed to be studied within a 36 week period, starting in September, with a robust framework of assignments with set deadlines, live seminars, and expert tutor support.

Tutor groups will be limited in number allowing for a more personal and focused learning experience, both with the course tutor and with cohort colleagues.

An introduction to each of the Structured Fast Track courses will include quizzes that link to refresher resources to help fill in any knowledge gaps and help bridge the gap from GCSE to A level.

Live seminars led by expert tutors are scheduled throughout each course.

Support from subject expert tutors will include assignment marking, past paper marking, a mid-course review, predicted grades for UCAS applications, and UCAS references.

Studying in one year makes the course versatile for anyone looking to upskill or switch careers within a short time frame.

Students may be looking to improve on an exam grade, or add another A level qualification to help with university applications.

Students can enrol from May onwards and the course will start with a live Induction Seminar on Tuesday 26th August 2025 at 7.00pm.

When students enrol, they will have immediate access to the  Introductory Section including the interactive, adaptive Introductory quizzes which link  to Refresher Topics. These will help bridge the gap from GCSE to A level and highlight any areas that might benefit from some revision.

Students will also have immediate access to Five Steps to Getting Started and About Assessment sections, so they can familiarise themselves with how to use the learning platform, and can find out about making exam applications  including how our Exams team can help students who require Access Arrangements.

Students are provided with a study schedule which will include set deadlines for assignment submissions and scheduled live seminars.

The schedule includes a two week break at Christmas and some time at Easter, along with a scheduled revision time.

The schedule works out at about 15-20 hours of study per week over 36 weeks.

The live Induction Seminar will take place on Tuesday 26th August 2025 at 7pm.

It will provide you with an opportunity to meet your subject tutor, the Student Support team and your fellow students.

It will also introduce you to BigBlueButton, the platform that will be used for the live seminars throughout your course.

Each course has a dedicated discussion forum where you can post questions about your course. Your fellow students and subject tutor can comment on this forum.

You also have a dedicated student-only forum where you can chat to each other.

Live seminars are timetabled throughout the course- one for each section. There is also a revision seminar towards the end of the course.

Students  have the opportunity to interact with the tutor and fellow students in a supportive and friendly online environment. You do not have to have your camera on, the choice is yours.

Seminars are recorded so learners can watch them later too.

The science practical endorsement is in addition to the A level and is achieved by carrying out certain practical skills in the presence of a qualified assessor. NEC has made arrangements for the practical endorsement to be carried out and assessed at a centre(s), for an extra fee. There is more information about the practical endorsement, and how students can enter for it, in the About Assessment section of the course. Students will have access to the About Assessment section as soon as they enrol on a Structured Fast Track course

There is full guidance on all the core practicals in the course. These can be carried out at home, but where that is not possible, detailed descriptions of each investigation are provided.

Our Structured Fast Track course tutors are all subject experts and qualified teachers and have been supporting students with NEC for a number of years. They will provide detailed feedback to the assignments you submit, host the live seminars and answer questions you may have either in the seminar, via the course forum or via the messaging tool on the learn@nec platform.

Your tutor can provide a Progress Review midway through the course which will reflect on your learning and offer advice on what to concentrate on going forward.

Yes! Your course fee includes a UCAS reference and predicted grade. You will need to have submitted enough work for tutors to provide these but if you follow the schedule this is possible for the January UCAS deadline.

For students aiming for the October UCAS deadline we can provide support and advice but due to the nature of the structured course will not be able to provide a predicted grade or academic reference before this deadline. These can be sent to universities (with their agreement) at a later date.

There is a dedicated calendar on your course page that tracks assignment deadlines and seminar dates. Students can also add their own events to it and it can be exported.

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to adhere to the course schedule you do have the possibility to extend the enrolment to two years instead.

You will remain on the same course and will have access to the recorded seminars and your tutor will continue to mark assignments and provide feedback but you will no longer need to worry about sticking to set deadlines.

We have built in revision sessions and past papers as part of the course schedule.

At NEC, we understand that finding an exam centre and making sure you’re correctly entered can be stressful. That’s why we offer a guaranteed exam place for our students at one of our partnership exam centres.

By choosing to take your exams at one of our partnership exam centres you can be confident that the application process will be seamless. All of our centres work hard to provide a professional and friendly service which is valued very highly by our students.

In a traditional school or college, it can feel like exams ‘just happen’, but many distance learners who have tried organising their own exams as a private candidate soon realise that the reality is a little more complicated. Booking your exams through one of our partner centres is really simple. You just need to complete our form and we will do the rest! Booking with us allows you to concentrate fully on your studies and revision.

Student Support is a dedicated team who work to support all of our students. Students on the Structured Fast Track will have a named team member who they can contact with any non-academic queries they may have.

The Student Support team also monitors students’ progress and will keep in touch with you on a regular basis to support with overdue assignments, and remind about upcoming deadlines including those for exam bookings and UCAS applications.

Parental Communciation and Progress Tracking*

• Parents can receive updates and be contacted if there are concerns about progress or missed deadlines.
• NEC provides a clear timetable with milestone deadlines so parents can help students stay on track.
• Parents are encouraged to regularly check the student’s online course progress to support time management and motivation.

* If the student is over 18, this is done with the student’s consent.

NEC also offers a Pastoral Service to NEC students and their parents/guardians. Our expert pastoral officer and pastoral tutors can provide advice and guidance on a range of topics including study skills, timetabling, motivation, and dealing with stress and anxiety.