Winter Academy · How it works

Two Weeks. Four Classes. One Clear Goal.

Find the gaps. Fix the weaknesses. Build exam confidence.

Winter Academy is a focused 2-week online programme (4 live classes, Mondays and Wednesdays) for GCSE, IGCSE, AS and A Level Economics and Business students.

It is designed to help students review what they have learned so far, identify the areas holding them back, strengthen exam technique and begin the new term with a clear action plan.

This is not two weeks of generic revision.

Every student starts with a diagnostic, works through carefully selected high-impact topics, completes exam-style practice and finishes with personalised next steps.

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Your Winter Academy journey

Step 1 — Complete Your Winter Diagnostic

Before the first live class, every student completes a short online diagnostic. It checks three areas:

Knowledge

Which topics are secure and which need more attention?

Exam Skills

Where are marks being lost? This may include:

  • weak analysis
  • missing application
  • inaccurate diagrams
  • weak evaluation
  • calculation errors
  • poor time management

Priority Areas

Which areas would make the biggest difference to the student's performance?

The teacher reviews the cohort results before the first class so teaching can be adapted to the students attending.

Step 2 — Attend Four Live Classes

Students attend two focused live classes each week — Mondays and Wednesdays — across two weeks. Each class combines retrieval practice, focused teaching, worked exam questions, independent timed practice, marking and feedback, and personalised targets.

Class 1 · Week 1 Mon

Strengthen the Foundations

Class 2 · Week 1 Wed

Repair High-Impact Weaknesses

Class 3 · Week 2 Mon

Apply Knowledge to Exam Questions

Class 4 · Week 2 Wed

Perform Under Exam Conditions

The four classes follow the same journey across every level.

Inside a session

What happens in each class?

Each live session follows a consistent structure.

1

Retrieval Challenge

Students begin with a short set of questions testing prior knowledge. This helps identify misconceptions quickly and strengthens long-term recall.

2

Teach & Repair

The teacher revisits the most important concepts and fixes common misunderstandings. Teaching is focused on areas most likely to improve performance rather than trying to reteach the entire syllabus.

3

Worked Exam Questions

The class works through exam-style questions together. Students see how strong answers are built step by step.

4

Independent Exam Challenge

Students complete a timed question independently. This moves them from understanding the theory to actually producing marks.

5

Mark & Target

Answers are reviewed and students identify one clear improvement target. These targets contribute to their final Winter Action Plan.

Curriculum

What will we cover?

Class 1 — Economics Foundations

Students review:

  • scarcity
  • opportunity cost
  • factors of production
  • production possibility curves
  • economic systems
  • demand
  • supply
  • market equilibrium

The class also addresses weaknesses identified in the Winter Diagnostic.

Class 2 — Markets & Government Intervention

Students cover:

  • shifts in demand and supply
  • equilibrium changes
  • price elasticity of demand
  • market failure
  • indirect taxation
  • subsidies
  • maximum prices
  • minimum prices
  • diagram technique

Class 3 — The Economy & Development

Students cover:

  • economic growth
  • inflation
  • unemployment
  • government objectives
  • fiscal and monetary policy
  • living standards
  • economic development
  • international trade
  • applying economics to short extracts and data

Class 4 — IGCSE Exam Masterclass

Students practise:

  • multiple-choice technique
  • calculations
  • diagram questions
  • explain questions
  • analyse questions
  • evaluation
  • timed exam questions

Students finish with a mini mock and personalised targets.

Included

What every student receives

  • a Winter Diagnostic
  • 4 live online classes
  • targeted revision
  • exam-style questions
  • timed practice
  • class recordings
  • progress tracking
  • teacher feedback
  • a mini mock
  • personalised improvement targets
  • a Winter Action Plan

Final week

Your Winter Action Plan

At the end of Winter Academy, students receive a clear summary of what to work on next.

Strongest Areas

Topics and skills the student is already performing well in.

Priority Weaknesses

The areas currently costing the student the most marks.

Exam Technique Targets

Specific improvements such as deeper analysis, stronger application, better evaluation, more accurate diagrams, improved timing and stronger calculations.

Recommended Practice

The most useful topics and question types for the student to practise next.

Next Steps

Clear priorities for the spring term.

Small classes. More attention.

Winter Academy cohorts are deliberately kept small. Maximum class size: 10 students. This allows students to:

  • ask questions
  • receive individual feedback
  • contribute during lessons
  • have their work reviewed
  • receive more personalised support

This is not generic revision.

Winter Academy does not attempt to rush through every topic on the syllabus. Instead, we focus on:

  • the concepts students most commonly struggle with
  • the skills examiners reward
  • the weaknesses identified by the cohort diagnostic

This allows students to make meaningful progress in two focused weeks.

The Winter Academy formula

Five moves, in order.

Diagnose

Find out what is holding you back.

Repair

Strengthen the concepts that matter most.

Apply

Turn your knowledge into exam marks.

Perform

Practise under exam conditions.

Progress

Leave with a clear plan for what comes next.

Who is Winter Academy for?

Winter Academy is suitable for students who:

  • want to improve after their first term
  • have January or winter mocks approaching
  • feel unsure about parts of the syllabus
  • understand the content but struggle with exam questions
  • want more structured revision
  • want to improve their exam technique
  • want to enter the spring term feeling more confident

Students do not need to be struggling to join. High-performing students can use Winter Academy to sharpen exam technique and push towards the highest grades.

Ready to strengthen your winter?

Two focused weeks can change how you approach the rest of the academic year. Choose your programme:

  • IGCSE Economics
  • IGCSE Business
  • AS Economics
  • AS Business
  • A Level Economics
  • A Level Business
Reserve Your Winter Academy Place