Reviews of
A Star Equivalency
UK Leaders in the support and delivery of GCSE Equivalency Testing since 2002.
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 from 712 Reviews
98
%
of reviewers recommend
A Star EquivalencyTestimonials from Our Learners
Hear the personal journeys of some of our learners.
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I purchased three GCSE equivalent tests: maths, English, and science. The A-star equivalents were amazing. They were clear in giving instructions and willing to guide if you needed any help with downloading the tests. I could type the answers and also take pictures of the tests. I passed all my tests.
Very satisfactory
I have successfully sat for all three (English, Maths and Biology) equivalency exams using A Star. Communication is fantastic with incredibly prompt replies. Will certainly recommend A Star to anyone looking to complete their equivalent tests.
Great Thursdays online meetings for exam preparation. Exam was smooth , easy to follow, I requested a fast track and received my result very quick.
I will recommend this provider to others.
Would highly recommend A star equivalency. Great service, fast communication, straightforward process. I paid for the course as well as the test itself and it was very helpful to have the mock tests prior to the actual exam. 10/10 service 👍
Thank you, I am very happy with all the materials provided, online webinar sessions and the smooth test process itself.
The digital certificate should be available as soon as the results are known. I don’t understand why it needs to be ordered separately and extra time taken to receive it. I paid for 48 hour test results, however the digital certificate arrived 84 hours later.
I completed the biology course with Astar and the experience was good. I sat my exam on Friday and recieved my results that I passed first time with a Grade 7!! I can now go onto my teaching course 🙂
I purchased the full course with all the learning materials at the start of December. I attended the online lessons with Sam and also used the youtube videos to help me. I made notes on everything, made cue cards, revised every day and did all the revision questions and past papers that Astar sent with the course. This really helped me with understanding how the exam would be. Anything I got wrong in the past papers, I would learn again. Remember the revision questions because it is helpful, as the questions are similar to the exam. The exam itself was very easy to follow and was delivered smoothly. I didn’t manage to finish all the exam questions on time so do try time management.
If anyone is debating on doing the course, do it! Give yourself a good few months to learn the course properly as there is a lot. And eventhough all the materials are expensive, it was really helpful so I would recommend buying it as I wouldn’t have been able to pass without it. Astar itself are really helpful with customer service and answering questions. The only reason I gave 4 stats was due to the pricing. As paying to rearrange the exam, £60 for fast track and £20 for a certificate is unnecessarily expensive.
Good luck to anyone taking the exam and I hope this review helps you!
A star Equivalency have been easily contactable and helpful. The reason I have only awarded 3 stars is because as I didn’t book the course with the exam, I wasn’t given enough details about the exam. The topics which would be covered in the exam were difficult to find and previous to the exam I was unaware of the duration of the exam. The only information I was given about the exam was the instructions for the day of the exam. However, the staff at A Star Equivalency are helpful and kind, so it made not knowing much about the exam previous to sitting it ok.
Hi Aileen,
We always recommend purchasing the course, as it provides all you need to pass the exam. However, please rest assured that crucial information such as, the specification, Exam duration, pass mark and past papers can all be found freely and clearly labelled on the exam pages. If you cannot find these please just give us a call and we would be happy to help.
I have completed the biology course with Astar and the experience was good. I sat my exam on Friday and recieved my results that I passed first time with a Grade 7!! I can now go onto my teaching course 🙂
I purchased the full course with all the learning materials at the start of December. I attended the online lessons with Sam and also used the youtube videos to help me. I made notes on everything, made cue cards, revised every day and did all the revision questions and past papers that Astar sent with the course. This really helped me with understanding how the exam would be. Anything I got wrong in the past papers, I would learn again. Remember the revision questions because it is helpful, as the questions are similar to the exam. The exam itself was very easy to follow and was delivered smoothly. I didn’t manage to finish all the exam questions on time so do try time management.
If anyone is debating on doing the course, do it! Give yourself a good few months to learn the course properly as there is a lot. And eventhough all the materials are expensive, it was really helpful so I would recommend buying it as I wouldn’t have been able to pass without it. Astar itself are really helpful with customer service and answering questions. The only reason I gave 4 stats was due to the pricing. As paying to rearrange the exam, £60 for fast track and £20 for a certificate is unnecessarily expensive.
Good luck to anyone taking the exam and I hope this review helps you!
Straight forward, got the needed support and guidance. Great experience.Thank u
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to achieve a recognised qualification in English Language. One subject I wish I’d gained at secondary school was English, now many years later after studying hard, I have achieved that goal. The study material from A Star Equivalency was excellent, plus any questions regarding the material was answered within a short time. For some reason I felt highly motivated to learn the English language topics; in fact, dare I say it was at times enjoyable. I am super happy to have an English qualification and all thanks to A Star Equivalency.
Wonderful service, providing strong support throughout the learning journey.
Wonderful service, providing strong support throughout the learning journey.
Reasonably designed course with 8 videos discussing the various exams questions. However, I still felt ill prepared when I sat the exam as it was materially more difficult text than in the mock papers. In addition, the online exam does not allow to mark up text and I lost valuable time to look for the required quotes. Personally, I am also quicker with my handwriting compared to typing the answer into the answer box (which also made it more difficult to ascertain the length of the answer). Combine these issues and it is no surprise that I ran out of time in the exam, even though I never had timing issues with the practice papers. Luckily, I passed anyway but at a considerably lower mark than the mocks predicted. Go for the paper version, if possible though this is quite a bit more expensive.
The course is very good!
Had to sit twice. First time I didn’t pass, I used bitesize and gcse books but the exam had questions that wasn’t covered in revision. I bought the course 2nd time and passed at level 8. Giving it 4 stars as the process was easy to book, exam was comfortable and examiner lovely. Didn’t need to contact about anything A star sorted it all out remotely keeping me in the loop. But they do force your hand in buying the course which is so expensive. So I really reccomend buying the course unless you are a biology wizz as your more likley to get a pass. The course is good and webinars helpful. You do need a good knowledge of biology as the exam ia hard and the study in depth, or be prepared to pack the study in. I think combined would be eaiser for general knowledge. Overall I am pleased, and now I’m able to start my teacher training. Thanks A star.
The English Equivalency was needed to enter a teacher training course, I already work as an unqualified teacher so I was able to prepare the exam in about 3 weeks using the AQA GCSE English Language resources and past papers. The day of the exam I had a problem with the link, I phoned the helpline, they answered immediately and were able to guide me to the process (link went to junk mail).
The only complain I have is about the extra cost for the Paper Certificate, that is basically the same as the Electronic Certificate I had already printed out, no extra information or extra layer of security, so use this service only if you don’t have access to a printer!
Everything was smooth and the staffs were professional.
Easy to book the exam at our comfort and the website provided every information needed to prepare for the exam. There was no need of talking to an official or help centre as everything was explained in the website itself. The free resources decribing the specifications and the practice paper with the mark scheme, together with some online free materials helped me to secure a grade 4 in English in the first sit, which was what needed for me. I would recommend A star to everyone looking for GCSE English Equivalent exam.
I like how supportive A star are, the courses are very interesting and the teachers are hard working to make every lessons functional and enjoyable. Thanks so much for A star helping me pass my combined science. I was struggling a lot so I passed it at my second go, but luckily and finally I made it, being proud of myself and grateful for A star! 🌟
Kind and helpful staff.
The service and overall experience were fantastic and very professional. Although the study materials were expensive, they were extremely helpful. I would like to give a special shoutout to the exam invigilator; he was so calm and made sure I was ready to take the exam. The icing on the cake was hiring Joe, my tutor, to help me, as this was my fourth attempt and I really wanted to succeed. Joe broke down the elements so easily for me to understand and gave me the confidence I needed.
The reason why I gave 2 stars because I kept on getting lock out during my exam for accidentally touching the screen of my computer because its touch screen couple of times I tried using ruler and I accidentally tried to use my own laptop calculator and I got lock out there too. I needed couple of more minutes at the end as I didn’t manage to finish my exam and the examiner said he ca. only allow me 10 seconds to finish my sentence which really upset me as he knew that I kept getting lock out I was not getting hand of it.
Thank you so much for the flexible test and time.
I am thrilled to share that I will be starting my PGCE next year. I feel incredibly fortunate to have discovered A Star for my biology exam. Opting for the fast track option was a fantastic decision, as I received my result in just a day and a half. The efficiency of the process allowed me to quickly download my certificate, which was immensely helpful. I highly recommend A Star for their excellent service and swift turnaround time.
I purchased Maths foundation course with exam .Really excellent experience and great customer care with prompt support.
I had an excellent experience with A star equivalency. I highly appreciate the support and guidance given by the invigilator at the exam. The lectures and all course materials were really useful to achieve the grade I wanted. Thanks again…
Hugely impressed – thank you for making what seemed like a stressful obstacle at first, so stress-free and readily achievable! Excellent materials, helpful & friendly customer support staff and invigilators. An all-round great experience.
A star Equivalency such a Great service, and really helpful about information since I decided to purchase the course and materials with A star Equivalency. It was a long journey for me since I brough the course last year in 2023 but eventually I have passed Biology in May 2024 Yay for my second attempted, the course and booklets materials really helpful for me.
I am so glad that I have chosen with A star Equivalency to be part of my further education. Finally, I am able to apply for PGCE course that I wanted for this year. Thank you very much again.
I did the english, math higher and biology test with a star equivalency.
The procedure is straightforward no complicated steps, book online study and sit for the exam.
I used the paper based exam as iam too slow on computer and time is just about enough to finish the test if i did it online i wouldn’t be able to finish the exam on time.
However its been monitored by invigilator throughout the zoom camera in closed room and nobody allowed to enter during the exam.
I did a lot of mistakes in the test paper. However, i passed first time all the three tests (not high mark but the one i required).
I used the course and its very useful specially for the math book and also astar equivalency gave you access to the QTS which is helped in english test and can access to mme for biology and math which is very useful although its all sent by astar by post including the past exam practice papers.
I did changed the date of the biology exam to a more convenience date and it was straightforward no hassle.
Only downside is the fees was a bit high for me as a low income person.
I’m glad to choose A star equlivancy. I got my desired level in GCSE English equlivancy test. Thanks 🙏🏻👍🏻
I am very satisfied by Astar. I have been well informed before during and after the exam. The invigilator was very amiable ! 5 stars
My exams rearrangement was successful
It wad really convenient and literally the best to give exams. It make the whole process very clear and easy for the students
An easy process from start to finish. A lot of hard work to get the qualification, but loads of support. Over the moon that I can now do a PGCE in September.
Very good.
Very good.
Wrote remotely and would like to thank the a star team for their patience and support during my exam…..looking forward to the results.
I really appreciate the clear communication and help during the exam
I appreciated how fast the test was arranged as well as the speed of receiving the results. However, what does not make sense is the fact that I had to specifically order an electronic certificate that takes two business days to send to me, which should be easily generated from the system and provided to me on the day the results are provided. This was disappointing, but other than that it was a good test and process.
Excellent service
Great communication
I didn’t purchase the course but did lots of study privately
Really easy process to book and complete thanks so much for helping me to achieve my dream of becoming a teacher. Really helpful staff and service.
I recently completed the English GCSE equivalency test with A Star Equivalency, and my experience has been nothing short of excellent. From the moment I engaged with their services, I found their customer service team to be incredibly supportive and helpful. They were always ready to assist, providing clear, concise information and ensuring I had everything I needed to prepare for and take the exam with confidence.The process of taking the exam itself was straightforward and well-organized, reflecting the high standards of service A Star Equivalency commits to. The exam environment was conducive to concentrating and performing at my best, which I greatly appreciated.
Amazing
Very good , I have passed my maths test with your support.
Communication was great when doing the exam. This is probably the best equivalency test out there.
Finally passed third time! It is difficult and time consuming, but doing practise papers and using the course materials properly really made a difference to my third try. I think I rushed the first two times and didn’t revise effectively. I would definitely give yourself a year as there’s a lot to learn. Also, the papers and activity booklets really show you how to answer questions and you learn how to get your marks, rather than trying to overload with useless notes like I did before! It’s definitely been worth it and I got a higher grade than I needed, bonus!
It’s one of the best test center. I have done my English and Science test and I have received great support and resources for it.
The maths course is great, the concepts are explained in an easy to understand manner and it’s so convenient having the course available to study anytime. You can learn at your own pace and plenty of practice questions are provided to reenforce the learning.
After having 2 failed attempts, I made sure that in my third I used the activity booklets, and it made all the difference. I passed with flying colours! It’s taken me a year to pass, but it’s been worth it! Make sure you do lots of practise papers!