Extended FAQ

How the CambriLearn platform works

We provide resources for a complete virtual homeschooling solution - including notes, worksheets, step-by-step learning guides, the full Cambridge aligned curriculum, marked assessments, tests and exams, pre-recorded video lessons, video resources and live lessons.

Additionally, with our Premium package, your child will have access to our teachers via direct messaging as well as weekly Q&A sessions where they can engage and interact with the teacher in a virtual classroom environment.

Everything is online except the textbooks which need to be sourced separately (we don't supply textbooks).

How does support work?

If you have any queries relating to the system, billing, or errors you may encounter you can create a support request on our website - https://cambrilearn.com/contact-us or send an email to hello@cabrilearn.com.

For student support, you will have access to the student and parent chat forums, recorded live lesson library and if you are on the premium package your child will get direct chat access to our teachers and the Online Q&A Sessions.

Pricing

The pricing is level, subject, and package dependent.
The monthly installment option is spread over 10 months.
You can mix both Standard and Premium package options together.
Textbooks are not included, but you can source the textbooks from various suppliers. You can download the textbook lists and view recommended suppliers here: https://cambrilearn.com/textbooks
Our pricing includes examination fees except for IGCSE, AS and A Levels.

Delayed Activation

With a 'delayed activation’ you can pay now and start when you are ready. Let us know when this has been completed by creating a support request so we can delay the activation on your account.

When you are ready to begin, please let us know by sending an email to hello@cambrilearn.com (or by creating a support request) to activate your account for you. This may take up to 24 business hours.

If you’ve selected the down payment option, you will register and pay for the first month’s subscription. Once your account has been activated, you’ll have access to the platform for the first month that you’ve paid for.

Once this first month has expired, you will need to re-subscribe (under the “Subscriptions” tab in the student’s profile) and re-enter your card details to activate the remainder of the monthly payments. This is done so that you are not double charged for the first month. The second month’s subscription fees will only be deducted a month after you activate those subscriptions on your account.

What we mean by flexibility

If you’ve selected the International British (aka Cambridge) Curriculum, you’ll be able to start at any time of the year.

The curriculum is flexible and a self-paced learning platform (virtual school) and doesn’t run a traditional school year with fixed terms, scheduling, or lesson times. As such, the learner's school year starts on the day in which you enroll and will run for 12 months from that point.

Bear in mind, the curriculums are 30-34 weeks in length, and students can complete their level before the 12 months are up.

For the IGCSE, AS and A levels you’ll just need to keep the Cambridge June / November exam times in mind and ensure that the student has completed the course work by using the student tracker.

If you’ve selected the CAPS curriculum, you’ll be able to structure your child’s day-to-day learning in a way that suits you. You will however still need to follow the same exam schedule as the National Curriculum.

Live lessons

The live lessons aren't in scheduled in any particular order. The teachers advise students to attend regardless of this - if they haven't reached that point in the curriculum yet, it will be good to expose them to the advanced concepts, giving the student some foundational knowledge of those principles. If they have already done that work, it would be revision.

Either way, all the live lessons are recorded and can be accessed in the 'recorded live lessons' tab. If you would like recorded live lessons on the particular section you are on now, please use this tab to access all the resources we have for them.

CambriLearn Accreditation

CambriLearn is a Cognia accredited online school, which one of the world’s largest teacher-led accreditation bodies. Students graduating from Cognia-accredited schools are recognised at the best schools and universities around the world.

Cambridge / International British Curriculum

Our International British curriculum is aligned with the Cambridge curriculum which is internationally accepted in 160+ countries (including in SA) for University entrance.

At IGCSE,AS and A Levels you’ll receive your Cambridge Qualification, which needs to be written at a registered Cambridge exam venue. You will need to register your child as a Private Candidate at an external examination venue.

Three Subject in Primary: International British Curriculum

As the students progress up the grades, more and more subjects are introduced. The logic behind this strategy is:

We get many students coming from traditional school, where they are doing up to 8 or 9 subjects. The students have very little interest in most of these subjects, and they are given to the student simply 'for the sake of it'. This understandably causes unnecessary pressure on the student.

Our aim is to focus on the core subjects - subjects that require a foundational knowledge to progress to the next level. i.e. one can't do grade 4 Maths unless they have done grade 3 Maths. Other subjects (history as an example) don't have the same foundational requirements. History is history - it doesn't build from one year to the next.

As the student progresses up the levels, we do make more subjects available, but these are more strategically chosen - we look at the student's interests, and their probable career paths, and then reverse engineer their subject choices to align with that, rather than providing them with many unnecessary subjects and hoping a couple of them stick.

CAPS Curriculum Accreditation

CambriLearn expects to receive our SACAI Accreditation in the new year, which means we will start accepting Grade 10 and Grade 11 students in 2022.

Maths Core vs Maths Extended for University Entrance

Please note that Maths Core is the 'standard' grade version of Maths with Cambridge.

Students won’t be able to take Maths further than IGCSE level with Maths Core, and there are various other subjects that one won't be able to take at AS level when taking Maths Core.

Additionally, most universities and degrees require Maths Extended, so we generally recommend you take Maths Extended and not Maths Core.

Textbooks

You can download the textbook lists and view recommended suppliers here: https://cambrilearn.com/textbooks

‍Important to note: An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) identifies a unique edition of a book.

Therefore:

A hard copy edition of a book will carry a different ISBN to an e-book or digital edition. Please confirm directly with your textbook supplier whether you intend to buy a hardcopy or e-book/digital edition.
A revised edition of a book will receive a new ISBN even when it carries the same title as a previous edition.

Special needs

Although our teachers aren't special needs trained, we do find many dyslexic /on-spectrum students prefer our platform simply because of the self-paced nature of learning.

Students can take their time and work at a pace that's comfortable to them. It is something that needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis and depends on severity. With us, students don't take as many subjects as they do in traditional school, which also helps them a lot.

Additionally, we can offer students concessions for their special needs.

Reports

The report that is issued is a CambriLearn report, which can be used to gain entrance back into schools in SA (I have never come across a case of a student being rejected in this regard).

A school should consider CBL candidates as 'homeschooled Cambridge curriculum' students, so the short answer is 'No, it shouldn't be a problem'. There are some implications for SA students who step temporarily out of the CAPS environment (whether State or Private) when it comes to the 2nd SA language and various portfolio requirements at the higher grades.

Schools can accept any child, but in some cases a Principal will ask you to provide additional documentation or complete an entrance test. We recommend to any parent who considers CambriLearn as a temporary option that they get something in writing from their possible future school on how they'll be re-integrated. Entrance tests are the easiest (in private schools) and generally, parents will need to undertake to deal with 2nd language support for their own account; and students must undertake to catch up any portfolio pieces.

Socialisation when homeschooling with us

There are several options for socialisation for your child and we encourage you to explore which one you feel will have the most positive effect for them.

All students can make use of the 'Forum' section on the platform, to socialise and network. They can ask if there are any other students in their area there.
Alternatively, there is a vast number of Facebook groups that they can join (there are 1000's of homeschoolers in the same boat looking for friends).
Lastly, they could join a tutor centre if they are looking for the physical presence with other learners of their age group

How to register for the exams?

For CambriLearn Primary and Foundation 1 & 2 students (this is Foundation Phase to High School) you don’t need to pay any additional exam fees. When you complete the exam is also entirely up to you.

If you’re 16 or older, you’re an independent student, and this means you need to write exams at a Cambridge test venue that allows ‘private candidates’ to write there.

If you need to find a test centre near you, please visit this page.

Because you’re a private candidate, you’ll have to communicate with your chosen test centre directly, as you have to register yourself when arranging your exam time. There’s an exam in May/June and another in October/November each year. You contact the exam centre at least three months before you choose to write your exam.

To view the exam timetables, please visit this page.

Do universities recognise Cambridge qualifications?

The short answer is yes. The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level is the same as a South African Grade 12/Matric. It’s also recognised by the SA Matriculation Board (UMALUSI) as the equivalent of Senior Certificate subjects (NQF4), which you’ll need to get into university.

If you’re 16 or older, and you’ve completed either International GCSE or Grade 11, then you can take this course.

How do I know which subjects to take?

The subjects you choose now will be the foundation for your future career choices. What you decide to study is very important.

Luckily, we have a team of experienced education consultants who are on hand to advise you on the best decisions to make now for your future plans. Why not speak to them now, and book some time to chat?

What's the difference between the Premium and Standard packages?

Both packages give you access to our world-class content. If you’re less in need of interaction from the teachers on the platform, the Standard package is your match.

With the Premium subscription, you’ll also have access to our professionally trained teachers, who are available on our live chat, and who will return marked assignments and present live group sessions for every subject.

How soon will my assignments be marked and sent back to me?

Assignments, Tests, and exams will be marked within 8 working days.

Are your teachers qualified?

Each of our teachers is Cambridge-trained, with many years of experience.

What support can I expect as a student?

Every level of our CambriLearn system prepares both parents and children for homeschooling. If you’re a parent who’s working full-time, and your child is without additional tutor support, we strongly urge you to consider the Premium Package, as it provides additional support from teachers to help students master their work.

On the Premium Package, you’ll get:

The full course content (British curriculum) along with notes and video lessons that you have unlimited access to
Weekly live lessons
A student tracker
Marked assignments, mock exams and progression tests
Live Question and Answer sessions with teachers
Chat function with subject experts throughout each week

On the Standard Package, you get all the course content, live online lessons, tracked progress and marked assignments, but the standard package does not include live Q&A sessions with teachers, the chat function with subject experts or mock exams.

Please help – how do I register with CambriLearn?

We're excited to start your education journey with you!
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For students completing primary school (students between the ages of 6-13) you can sign up by simply enrolling online here and by following these steps.
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For students completing high school (14-18), please submit a request to speak to one of our Education Consultants by completing this form. We want to ensure that your child selects the right subjects to meet their learning goals and ensure that they are able to get University exemption or their NCS Certificate for CAPS.

Can I cancel my subscription?

We reserve the right to cancel your subscription and access to our services if you breach any of our terms (within our sole discretion) or if we do not receive payment.

Should you wish to cancel your subscription, we reserve our right to charge a reasonable cancellation fee, which will be levied at our sole discretion. As a guideline the following penalties may be levied:

If you cancel:

within 5 days of subscribing – you will receive a full refund less transaction fee.
after 5 days and up until 4 months of subscribing – you will be charged for the number of months subscribed, rounded up to the next full month.
an additional fee will be added for processing refunds. This will be deducted from the total refund value.
no refund will be given after 4 months from subscribing. You are still liable for the full course fee.
refunds can take up to 21 working days to be processed.

Can I test CambriLearn before I commit?

Yes you can! Please visit this page for a step by step guide on how to sign up with a 7-day trial account.

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