01
A-Level grades are decided at the end
In England, A-Level exams are taken at the end of the two-year course. AS-level results do not count towards the A-Level grade.1 Gaps from Year 12 are carried straight into Year 13 unless someone closes them.
Integrated Academic Pathway · Year 12 intake
Not a revision course. A managed route to the offer.
For Year 12 families who want the whole journey planned. Two academic years, one accountable Lead Academic Advisor, and a measured path from today to the university place.
Social sciences only
Every educator DBS checked
Limited places by design
Why Year 12 decides more than families expect
The result is in summer 2028. The outcome is shaped now.
Year 12 is the first year of A-Levels, for students aged 16 to 17. UCAS is the UK university application service. Three facts explain why families who plan early do better than families who wait.
02
Applications move before the exams do
Students apply to university in the autumn of Year 13, before they sit a single final paper. Universities see predicted grades, and many schools set these from the end-of-year Year 12 exams.2 Year 12 is the evidence base.
03
The route, term by term
Six terms. One plan.
The plan is written at the start and reviewed every month. Each term has a clear purpose and something you can see at the end of it.
Term 1Autumn · Year 12
Baseline and plan
Academic DNA diagnostic to show how your child learns. Each subject mapped to what the exam board rewards. Your Lead Academic Advisor agrees targets with you and books the first monthly review.
You seeA written baseline and a plan for each subject.
Term 2Spring · Year 12
Build the foundations
Weekly one-to-one sessions with a subject specialist in each enrolled subject. Marked work against the CC framework. The plan is adjusted each month from the evidence.
You seeStructured written updates, and the Parent Portal.
Term 3Summer · Year 12
The data point that travels
End-of-year exams are prepared for with timed practice and Criterion Verification. The result is the number many schools use for predicted grades, so the preparation is deliberate. University shortlisting begins.
You seeA briefing before and after the exams, and a first university shortlist.
Term 4Autumn · Year 13
The application
University and course strategy, built around your child's grades and goals. Guidance on the personal statement. Early deadlines for Oxford, Cambridge and medicine are planned for first.
You seeA submission plan with dates, and a final list of choices.
Term 5Spring · Year 13
Offers and proof
Mocks are used as measured readings, not verdicts. Offers are weighed against the evidence. Exam technique and command-word training sharpen the marks that are still available.
You seeA second measured reading and a clear grade gap by skill.
Term 6Summer · Year 13
The exams
Timed papers, final verification against the criteria and a plan for each paper. The 2027 timetable ran from 10 May to 22 June; we expect a similar window in 2028 and will confirm once it is published.5
You seeA paper-by-paper plan and weekly progress to the last exam.
The Pathway is billed per academic year. Year 13 continues on the same plan and renews at the start of that year. Term labels are a guide; your Lead Academic Advisor adjusts the sequence to your child's school calendar.
What surrounds the student
One person accountable. Every week measured.
Most teaching covers the subject. We teach the criterion: what examiners reward, mark by mark.
A Lead Academic Advisor
One person is accountable across every subject. They set the plan with you, run the monthly review and reset the strategy when the evidence says so.
Weekly sessions with a subject specialist
One-to-one, every week, in each subject your child studies. Specialists work to the criterion, so time goes where marks are.
Marked work, measured progress
Selected work is marked by examiner-experienced academic instructors against the CC framework. The gaps feed the next week's plan.
Parents always in the picture
Structured written updates, and the Parent Portal where you can see platform progress.
ICriterion MappingEach paper mapped to what the mark scheme rewards.
IIDNA AlignmentTeaching shaped to how your child learns.
IIICriterion TrainingTimed, exam-style practice on each skill.
IVCriterion VerificationWork marked against the criterion; gaps feed the plan.
The difference
You are not buying hours. You are buying a managed outcome.
| Hourly lessons (typical) | Integrated Pathway | |
|---|---|---|
| Who plans across subjects | Usually the parent. | A Lead Academic Advisor. |
| What is measured | Often a general sense that it is going well. | Marked work against a fixed criterion, reviewed every month. |
| University route | Handled separately, if at all. | In the plan from Year 12: shortlist, application strategy, personal statement guidance. |
| What parents see | A message after some lessons. | Structured written updates, plus the portal. |
| Year 12 to Year 13 | Often restarts each time. | One plan carried across both years. |
Investment
Priced per subject. Places limited by design.
Integrated Academic Pathway
£8,500per subject · per academic year · one student
Paid in three equal instalments of about £2,833 across the academic year.
One subject£8,500
Two subjects£17,000
Three subjects£25,500
Each subject includes
- Weekly one-to-one session with a subject specialist
- A Lead Academic Advisor across all your subjects
- Monthly academic review and strategy reset
- University pathway and UCAS strategy
- Structured written updates and the Parent Portal
Not ready to talk? Start with the free Academic DNA overview to see how your child learns.
We take a small number of new families each year so every Lead Academic Advisor stays close to their students. We confirm availability at the consultation. The consultation is free and is held only where there is a likely academic fit.
How it starts
Four steps, no pressure.
You apply
About three minutes. Tell us where your child is and where they want to go.
Free consultation
A 30-minute academic strategy conversation, subject to academic fit. We reply within 24 hours.
Baseline and proposal
Academic DNA diagnostic and a written proposal with the plan and the fee.
You decide
If you go ahead, your Lead Academic Advisor is named and the first week is scheduled.
Who leads it
“The best result is rarely a last-minute one. It is the one planned two years before.”
- Jay Fanimo (“Mr J”), founder. BSc Economic History, London School of Economics
- More than twelve years teaching, one-to-one and in independent, state and international schools
- Previously taught Economics and Business at David Game College, an independent college rated Outstanding by Ofsted6
- Every Curriculum Circle educator is DBS checked
90%
of students who work with us for two terms or more improve by at least two grades.7
How we measure this: 35 students in the 2023 to 2026 cohort who worked with us for at least two terms, engaged with their academic advisor and used CC resources. Starting grades are the grades students reported, checked against a school report where available. 90% improved by at least two grades in CC assessment, and 90% by at least one grade in their final results. Final results can be affected by things outside learning. This is our own record, not an independent audit.
Questions families ask
Straight answers.
Is this only for students aiming at top universities?
Most families who join are aiming for competitive courses. The better test is whether your child will do the work. The consultation will tell you honestly whether the Pathway fits.
Why is it priced per subject?
Each subject has its own specialist, its own weekly session and its own marked work. The Lead Academic Advisor then coordinates across all of them. Two subjects is £17,000 for the academic year.
Can we start part-way through Year 12?
Yes. The plan starts from where your child is today. Places are limited, so we recommend applying early.
Who marks the work?
Selected work is marked by examiner-experienced academic instructors against the CC framework. The criteria are written by Curriculum Circle. We do not use exam board papers or mark schemes inside our paid materials.
Does this replace school?
No. It runs alongside school. We map our plan to what your child's school is teaching and to the exam board they are entered with.
We live abroad. Can we join?
Yes. Sessions run online and updates are written in clear English. Please tell us your time zone, any language needs and where your child plans to study when you apply.
Our child sits exams in summer 2027. Is this the right programme?
Usually not. Exam Intensive is built for students sitting exams in 2027. See Exam Intensive.
Sitting exams in summer 2027?
Exam Intensive is the capped 90-day programme for students with exams this coming May and June, with the baseline set in the January mock.
Apply
Start the conversation.
Tell us where your child is today and where they want to be. We use the answers to decide whether the Pathway fits and whether we have space.
- You apply. It takes about three minutes.
- We reply within 24 hours and, if there is a fit, book a free 30-minute consultation.
- You decide. No payment is taken at this stage.
Sources
- Pearson Edexcel: A levels are fully linear, with exams at the end of the two-year course; AS levels are stand-alone and no longer contribute to an A level grade. qualifications.pearson.com
- Examples of sixth forms setting UCAS predicted grades from Year 12 end-of-year exams: Beauchamp College; St Michael's Catholic Grammar School. Practice varies by school.
- UCAS equal consideration deadline for 2027 entry, 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time, as published by universities: University of Bath; University of Exeter. Some sources show 14 January; please confirm on ucas.com.
- Earlier deadline of 15 October 2026 for Oxford, Cambridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses (2027 entry): Immerse Education summary; for medicine, University of Leicester.
- Joint Council for Qualifications, June 2027 series (the most recent published): first exam 10 May 2027, final A-Level exam 22 June 2027. 2028 dates are not yet published. jcq.org.uk
- Ofsted, David Game College (URN 100544): rated Outstanding. reports.ofsted.gov.uk
- The Curriculum Circle, internal results record, 2023 to 2026 cohort (35 students). Self-reported starting grades; not independently audited. Method summarised above.