Where curiosity grows into exam success
An online learning environment for students looking for inspiration and IGCSE Biology exam success
Who is Amanda?
What are Topic Pods?
What's in the hub?
Exam information
How does the hub support learning outside sessions?
How do I join?
Ask a question
What are Topic Pods?
What's in the hub?
Exam information
How does the hub support learning outside sessions?
How do I join?
Ask a question
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
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Hi, I’m Amanda. I’ve been teaching IGCSE Biology to home-educated students since 2017 and teaching Biology since I qualified as a Science teacher in 2010. I have a BSc in Zoology, an MSc in Applied Entomology and have worked in biological research as an earthworm ecotoxicologist and equine welfare researcher all over the world. My menagerie of weird and wonderful animals helps me bring my teaching to life. I love to inspire children by teaching Biology with real things and interactive demonstrations.
Find out more about me and why I built the hub. |
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What are Topic Pods?
What's in the hub?
What's the timeline with regard to exams?
How does the hub support learning outside sessions?
How do I join?
Ask a question
What's in the hub?
What's the timeline with regard to exams?
How does the hub support learning outside sessions?
How do I join?
Ask a question
The Topic Pods tell a story through the whole curriculum, building a deep and integrated understanding of key biological processes and the connections between them whilst focusing continually on exam skills and techniques:
For example...
You can join for the whole course (Ten Topic Pods: April 2026 to November 2027), or on a monthly basis to revise, connect or extend.
For example...
- Connecting topics are taught together: Photosynthesis and respiration for example, which are traditionally taught far apart, are taught together at the beginning, connecting them through their fundamental role in energy cycling in biological systems. Learning becomes meaningful and relevant
- Learning is by relevance not memorisation: Topics that traditionally require memorisation, like the organelles of cell structure, are taught throughout when they're relevant. We learn about chloroplasts when we learn about photosynthesis for example. We learn about ribosomes when we learn about protein synthesis, and so on.
- Fundamental processes are continually reinforced and connected: Photosynthesis, respiration, natural selection, organisational and cellular structure etc are continually linked throughout. Students gain deeper understanding and can more easily gain exam marks requiring joined up thinking between topics.
- Plants, animals and microorganisms are more integrated than in the traditional structure, reducing the common tendency for students to emerge from GCSE level favouring one over the other, and emphasising the role of humans as just one part of the interconnected biological processes on the planet.
You can join for the whole course (Ten Topic Pods: April 2026 to November 2027), or on a monthly basis to revise, connect or extend.
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
What do people say about learning with Amanda?
What's in the hub?
There are six main areas in the hub that collectively cover the whole Edexcel IGCSE Biology specification.
You can complete every Topic Pod and cover the whole specification, or just dip in and out to consolidate and connect your own learning (see more about enrolment options here).
Weekly tuition sessions take place on Tuesdays from 11.30am to 1pm, with a short break mid way through. You'll be able to access recordings in the hub afterwards to watch at your own pace and in your own time. Whenever you join the hub you'll be able to access previous tuition recordings.
See the full programme (with dates for the live sessions throughout the course)
Select a component to find out more...
You can complete every Topic Pod and cover the whole specification, or just dip in and out to consolidate and connect your own learning (see more about enrolment options here).
Weekly tuition sessions take place on Tuesdays from 11.30am to 1pm, with a short break mid way through. You'll be able to access recordings in the hub afterwards to watch at your own pace and in your own time. Whenever you join the hub you'll be able to access previous tuition recordings.
See the full programme (with dates for the live sessions throughout the course)
Select a component to find out more...
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
Every video is structured to make it easy for you to find the relevant topics in the exam board specification (Edexcel IGCSE Biology), and to see the key learning points / concepts and phrases that lead to exam marks:
✅ Exam specification references are shown throughout on the left of each video
✅ Key words / phrases / concepts that get exam marks are shown on the right in each video
✅ Each tuition session comes with a PDF showing the topics included and key words, extension suggestions and more...
✅ Each video library is searchable by key words and specification index numbers
✅ Exam specification references are shown throughout on the left of each video
✅ Key words / phrases / concepts that get exam marks are shown on the right in each video
✅ Each tuition session comes with a PDF showing the topics included and key words, extension suggestions and more...
✅ Each video library is searchable by key words and specification index numbers
Watch a video:
What do people say about learning with Amanda?
Credentials
✅ Qualified Teacher Status (QTS: PGCE Science 2010)
✅ GCSE teaching experience since 2010 (AQA), IGCSE (Edexcel and Cambridge) since 2018
✅ Nearly a decade working closely with the home-educating community.
✅ Postgraduate level Science: MSc.
✅ Certified in "Autism Awareness in Education"
✅ Certified in "PDA for Educators" (PDA Society)
✅ Certified in "ADHD Awareness" (TES)
✅ Certified in "Working with children with disabilities and learning difficulties"
✅ Safeguarding certified (Level 3 DSL)
✅ Diverse experience teaching children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
✅ Nine years of experience working in biological research
✅ Comprehensive public liability insurance
✅ Paediatric first aid qualification (OFQAL certified Level 3)
✅ Enhanced DBS
✅ Qualified Teacher Status (QTS: PGCE Science 2010)
✅ GCSE teaching experience since 2010 (AQA), IGCSE (Edexcel and Cambridge) since 2018
✅ Nearly a decade working closely with the home-educating community.
✅ Postgraduate level Science: MSc.
✅ Certified in "Autism Awareness in Education"
✅ Certified in "PDA for Educators" (PDA Society)
✅ Certified in "ADHD Awareness" (TES)
✅ Certified in "Working with children with disabilities and learning difficulties"
✅ Safeguarding certified (Level 3 DSL)
✅ Diverse experience teaching children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
✅ Nine years of experience working in biological research
✅ Comprehensive public liability insurance
✅ Paediatric first aid qualification (OFQAL certified Level 3)
✅ Enhanced DBS
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
Exam information
Exam board
The hub focuses on the Pearson Edexcel International Biology GCSE (IGCSE) specification (Linear).
Students studying other exam boards are likely to benefit from the hub for revision, supplementation or enrichment, but will not find the whole of. their other specification is covered in the hub.
Collectively by November 2027, all the components of the hub provide the full specification content for students studying
Where content is relevant only to those students studying 4BI1 and not 4SD0 (given in bold in the specification), there may be additional live or recorded sessions offered occasionally specific for that content (you can see the details in the full programme below).
Exam fees and registration
Please note that Sparking STEM is not an exam centre and cannot enter your child for exams. Exam fees are not included in hub membership.
Timeline
The structure of the hub allows for a flexible approach:
Join the whole course, live
The Edexcel IGCSE Biology / Double award (4BI1 / 4SD0) content is delivered from 14th April 2026 to October 2027 through ten Topic Pods including:
You have access to all materials until you choose to cancel your membership.
(See the full programme - April 2026 to October 2027 and beyond)
Use the hub to revise or supplement learning, or join late
The Flexible Monthly option allows you to join and leave the hub at any time, so you can join for individual Topic Pods if you want to use them to supplement other learning, or for revision, or simply to bring enjoyment and inspiration to GCSE level biology learning!
Whenever you join the hub you gain access to all recorded content since April 2026, so you can join late and catch up, or use it to work at your own pace.
(See the full programme - April 2026 to October 2027 and beyond)
The hub focuses on the Pearson Edexcel International Biology GCSE (IGCSE) specification (Linear).
Students studying other exam boards are likely to benefit from the hub for revision, supplementation or enrichment, but will not find the whole of. their other specification is covered in the hub.
Collectively by November 2027, all the components of the hub provide the full specification content for students studying
- IGCSE Biology 4BI1 - Biology Papers 1 and 2, and those studying
- Double Award IGCSE in Science 4SD0 - Biology Paper 1 (Note that Chemistry and Physics are not included in the hub)
Where content is relevant only to those students studying 4BI1 and not 4SD0 (given in bold in the specification), there may be additional live or recorded sessions offered occasionally specific for that content (you can see the details in the full programme below).
Exam fees and registration
Please note that Sparking STEM is not an exam centre and cannot enter your child for exams. Exam fees are not included in hub membership.
Timeline
The structure of the hub allows for a flexible approach:
Join the whole course, live
The Edexcel IGCSE Biology / Double award (4BI1 / 4SD0) content is delivered from 14th April 2026 to October 2027 through ten Topic Pods including:
- Live sessions (weekly, term time only + recordings)
- Recorded video tutorials (Practical, Maths and Exam Skills + Biology is Everywhere!)
- Community forum for Q&A and specific exam-focused support
- Where content is applicable only to those studying for Biology (4BI1) and not Double award (4SD0) this will be stated or delivered in additional live or recorded tuition sessions.
You have access to all materials until you choose to cancel your membership.
(See the full programme - April 2026 to October 2027 and beyond)
Use the hub to revise or supplement learning, or join late
The Flexible Monthly option allows you to join and leave the hub at any time, so you can join for individual Topic Pods if you want to use them to supplement other learning, or for revision, or simply to bring enjoyment and inspiration to GCSE level biology learning!
Whenever you join the hub you gain access to all recorded content since April 2026, so you can join late and catch up, or use it to work at your own pace.
(See the full programme - April 2026 to October 2027 and beyond)
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
How does the hub support learning outside the live sessions?
The structure of the whole hub offers lots of opportunities for students to take effective notes and consolidate learning with exam question practice and guidance:
- Each live session comes with a PDF (available in advance of the session) that includes information to support students with note taking and further learning. You can see an example here.
- Where relevant to aid learning, sessions will come with accompanying worksheets or diagrams to label (see below). They'll be able to use the information in the live sessions and videos that week to help them.
- There will be quizzes and consolidation activities throughout the live sessions, and often as a follow up also, either in the tuition section of the hub or in the community, where students can also ask and answer each others questions with regular support and clarification from Amanda.
- In most of the Exam Skills videos that are added to the hub each week, the video will go through at least one exam question relevant to the tuition content or Practical Skills content that week. The question(s) and mark schemes will be provided also (where applicable), giving guidance on exam technique and walking through a worked example, as well as showing how to use the mark scheme to mark it. Students could either have a go at the question before watching the video and use it to improve / mark / correct their answer, or could simply follow the video to complete the question(s). Over the whole course, they could potentially build up a collection of around 75 or more completed exam questions whilst learning the skills and techniques to gain marks.
- Many of the Maths Skills videos will use exam questions in this way too.
How do I join?
Joining the hub gives you full access to all 6 components.
The hub will be available to join from 7th April (register for updates to be notified of updates and discounts).
Live tuition starts on 14th April.
The hub will be available to join from 7th April (register for updates to be notified of updates and discounts).
Live tuition starts on 14th April.
Flexible Monthly Access
£32/month
✅ Join at any time, cancel any time
✅ Access to current live tuition and all previous recordings
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub, until you cancel your membership
✅ Change Membership type any time*
Annual Membership (Best Value)
£348 one-off payment for 12 months of membership (equivalent to £29 per month)
✅ Join any time (gain access to all previous recordings)
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub for 365 days
✅ Change Membership type any time*
6 Month Membership (Best Value)
£174 one-off payment for 6 months of membership (equivalent to £29 per month)
✅ Join any time (gain access to all previous recordings)
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub for 183 days
✅ Change Membership type any time*
*To change from monthly to annual membership simply cancel your monthly subscription and purchase the annual or 6 month membership
(By logging into your account to purchase using the same email address and password, you will regain access to your same account)
The hub will be available to join from 7th April 2026.
If you'd like to be notified of updates, discounts and booking, please register here.
See full Terms and Conditions here.
£32/month
✅ Join at any time, cancel any time
✅ Access to current live tuition and all previous recordings
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub, until you cancel your membership
✅ Change Membership type any time*
Annual Membership (Best Value)
£348 one-off payment for 12 months of membership (equivalent to £29 per month)
✅ Join any time (gain access to all previous recordings)
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub for 365 days
✅ Change Membership type any time*
6 Month Membership (Best Value)
£174 one-off payment for 6 months of membership (equivalent to £29 per month)
✅ Join any time (gain access to all previous recordings)
✅ Full access to all six components of the hub for 183 days
✅ Change Membership type any time*
*To change from monthly to annual membership simply cancel your monthly subscription and purchase the annual or 6 month membership
(By logging into your account to purchase using the same email address and password, you will regain access to your same account)
The hub will be available to join from 7th April 2026.
If you'd like to be notified of updates, discounts and booking, please register here.
See full Terms and Conditions here.
The hub will be available to join from 7th April!
What do people say about learning with Amanda?
