Macclesfield Tutorial College is open and enrolling students for the current academic year. Whether you are looking for a complete GCSE or A Level study course, a private tutor, or an approved centre to sit your exams, we are here to help. We are accredited with each of the main UK examination boards and are experienced providing tuition and exams in most subjects across various levels, typically GCSE and A Level.

 

Peace of mind in difficult times

 

The College has implemented thorough Covid-19 compliant procedures to ensure the safety of students, visitors and staff. Tuition rooms are clearly marked for social distancing between tutor and student, rooms are cleaned between lessons, hand sanitiser is provided in the building, and a one-way system is in operation. The College is also regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Throughout lockdown , we continued to support our students and exam candidates, despite closure of the College itself. Where appropriate, lessons were conducted remotely via our online portal and work was set for students to complete at home. Our exam centre continued to support the many hundreds of private candidates enrolled to sit exams in the cancelled Summer 2020 GCSE and A Level series. In fact, given our desire to make qualifications accessible to all, we continued to accept exam applications from private candidates who had been withdrawn from other centres around the country and to offer help and advice to everyone who contacted us.

 

Education to suit your needs

 

Our students benefit from tailor-made education packages designed to meet their needs. We match students with the best available tutors, offer bespoke timetables to fit in around other commitments, and can accommodate flexible delivery to ensure teaching is optimised for each student. Our examination services are also offered according to need to make qualifications accessible to all. Whether sitting exams at home or in a private room, providing extra time or rest breaks, use of a reader or scribe or any other required and approved Access Arrangements, our exams staff make every effort to adapt to the needs of the candidate.

 

Get in touch to discuss how we can help you

 

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are always happy to help, offer guidance and support. If you’re not sure how to proceed, call us for an informal, no-commitment conversation about your options and for an idea of what we can do to help you. Whether you’re considering occasional tuition, studying towards a qualification, or planning to sit an exam, we have a solution for all your learning needs.

 

CONTACT US

In addition to our tailor-made, one to one science practicals packages, we also offer A Level Science Practical Endorsement classes.

An A level science practical class with Macclesfield Tutorial College gives applicants the opportunity to attempt the Practical Endorsement for the JCQ examination boards – AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC/Eduqas – or to prepare for the practical component of the Cambridge International A Level science qualifications.

A comprehensive package

A class includes four consecutive days of laboratory time including the recommended 12 practical activities. This covers the required skills and techniques for the A Level Practical Endorsement with each of the JCQ awarding bodies. Our classes are supervised by one of our professional and enthusiastic tutors, who each has vast experience administering A Level qualifications with each of the main UK examination boards.

In 2017, 2018 and 2019, 100% of our A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics candidates achieved a Pass for the Practical Endorsement.

When can I do a class?

Confirmed class dates for the coming academic year are as follows.

1. BIOLOGY: Monday 28th October 2019 – Thursday 31st October 2019  CLASS COMPLETE
2. PHYSICS: Monday 17th February 2020 – Thursday 20th February 2020
3. BIOLOGY: Monday 6th April 2020 – Thursday 9th April 2020
4. CHEMISTRY: Monday 14th April – Thursday 17th April 2020

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For Full terms and conditions, please see our A Level Practicals page: PRACTICAL ENDORSEMENT CLASSES WITH MTC

We are currently looking for invigilators to assist with the Summer 2019 exam series, which takes place in May and June. The work involved is part-time and would require you to be available for the supervision and administration of morning or afternoon exams. Rates of pay are attractive and no prior experience is necessary, although you would be required to attend an invigilator training session at the College in advance of the exam series commencing.

If you are interested, please contact the Exams Officer on (01625) 501440.

If you are already studying for, or considering taking an A-Level science qualification with one of the AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC examination boards, you have probably already heard of the associated Practical Endorsement. It is very important that you are aware of what is involved and what is required of you before you start your A-Level Science course, to ensure that you choose the right options.

 

What is the A-Level Science Practical Endorsement?

 

In simple terms, the practical endorsement is a minimum of 12 practical activities to be carried out by students under controlled conditions and assessed by teachers using Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC). Students who demonstrate the required standard across all the requirements of the CPAC will receive a ‘pass’ grade.

 

What You Need To Be Aware Of

 

First things first – the practical endorsement is not an obligatory component of A-Level study and does not contribute to the overall grade awarded to a candidate.

HOWEVER, there are a number of critical considerations to bear in mind before you opt out of undertaking the endorsement.

1. if a candidate opts to omit the practical endorsement, their final certificate will show the endorsement as “Not Classified”, which is the same as if they had undertaken but not passed the endorsement.
2. Overall, 15% – 25% of the marks for all A-Level science courses from AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC will examine the candidate’s knowledge of practical skills. That means, potentially a quarter of the available marks in the written exams will be based upon skills and competence acquired through laboratory work. The practical endorsement covers all of these required skills and competences.
3. Many UK universities and further education establishments require an applicant to have passed the practical endorsement in order to enter into an undergraduate course. This is especially true where the undergraduate course in question relates to a scientific discipline, such as medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine. In fact, some of the universities which we contacted specified that, if a candidate has taken one of the sciences at A-Level, they will expect them to have passed the practical endorsement irrespective of which undergraduate course they wish to apply for. We recommend that each student verifies whether that is the case with their preferred institution(s).

 

Where Can I Do The Practical Endorsement?

 

You can undertake the A-Level Science Practical Endorsement right here at Macclesfield Tutorial College.

The Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual have mandated that any candidate undertaking an A- or AS-Level Science specification with a JCQ awarding body (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC) must be given the opportunity to attempt the accompanying Practical Endorsement at the same centre with which they are sitting the written papers. In other words, if you wish to attend Macclesfield Tutorial College and attempt the Practical Endorsement in our fully equipped laboratory, you must also be entered for the written examinations with our Examination Centre.

 

Want To Know More?

 

Please visit our GCE Science Practical Requirements page for full details, including the value for money Practical Packages we offer.

A Leading UK Private Exam Centre

As well as offering private tuition and full/part-time GCSE and A Level courses, Macclesfield Tutorial College is also a fully accredited private exam centre. We cater for private candidates taking qualifications with the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and Cambridge International exam boards.

Candidates of all ages

We accept applications from candidates of all ages, from all over the country to sit exams with us here in Macclesfield. We also have extensive experience of administering exams in external locations, such as a candidate’s home whenever there are verifiable reasons for a candidate being unable to attend the College exam locations.

Most subjects available

We consider applications for most subjects, from the ever popular English, maths, modern foreign languages and sciences, to ICT, business studies, humanities, art and much, much more. The College facilities enable students to undertake all manner of non-exam assessments, from language orals through to the full A Level science practical endorsement in our full equipped laboratory. If you are unsure whether your chosen subject will be covered, contact a member of the College exams office staff who will be happy to discuss your needs.

If you’re unsure, just ask

Taking exams outside a traditional school environment can be a daunting prospect – which exam board to use? which specification would be best suited to your needs? what are the correct unit codes? when are the exams? To make the process easier, we have compiled a wealth of useful information and made it available on our website. Whether you are looking for exam timetables, past papers, exam entry codes, fees, deadlines, science practical requirements, or exam board contact information, you can find it within the Examination Centre section of the College website: MTC website. Alternatively, call us and we will be happy to help you navigate through the examination process.