How the Wolsey Hall System Works

H OW T H E WO L S E Y H A L L OX FORD 

SYSTEM WO R KS 

I N T RODUCTION 

Before applying for a Wolsey Hall Oxford course it’s very important that you understand exactly how the 

Wolsey Hall Oxford homeschooling system works. In this document we have set out as clearly as we can 

what you can expect on a Wolsey Hall Oxford course and the level of support you will receive. At Wolsey 

Hall Oxford we believe that learning is a lifelong journey and we try to encourage our students to become 

independent learners. Our system is based on over one hundred years’ experience of helping students gain 

qualifications by home study. But this approach will not suit everyone. 

Please note that our Tutors do not teach online. We have students in over 90 countries and several time 

zones and we therefore do not offer online classes in real time. Most students find that this gives them more 

flexibility as they don’t need to attend classes at fixed times. But if you do require online tuition then the 

Wolsey Hall Oxford model may not be suitable for you. 

H OW I T WO R KS 

1. T H E W E LCOME E M A I L A N D I N I T I A L S K Y P E C A L L 

Shortly after enrolling, you’ll receive a welcome message from your Tutor in your Canvas Inbox, inviting you 

to arrange an introductory Skype call. This is your chance to meet and get to know your Tutor and ask them 

any questions you may have about the course or the materials. 

Make sure that you get the most out of the call by arranging it after your textbooks have been delivered and 

once you have familiarised yourself with Canvas and how it works. You should look over the Programme of 

Study, the materials in the General Resources section and in Module One on Canvas before you speak to 

your Tutor. If there is a Frequently Asked Questions document on your course, look at that too and jot down 

any additional questions you may have for your Tutor. 

When you arrange the Skype call with your Tutor, take account of any time differences between where you 

and your Tutor are based. If you need to cancel the call for any reason, please give your Tutor at least 24 

hours’ notice so they can reschedule the call. 

If you are under 16, you should have a parent or guardian present during the Skype call. If you prefer not to 

have the webcam on during the call, that is fine – your Tutor will be happy to have an audio-only call. 

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HOW THE WOLSEY HALL OXFORD SYSTEM WORKS 

2. YO U R A S S I G N M E N T S C H E D U L E 

When you enrol your Student Progress Manager (SPM) will generate an Assignment Schedule for you, showing 

when each of your assignments is due. The schedule is based on the time you have available to complete 

your course and it will allow time for revision before any exams at the end of the course. 

You should check over your Assignment Schedule when you receive it, and try to stick to it as closely as you 

can. If you fall behind this schedule for any reason, such as illness or holidays, do contact your SPM so that 

you or they can adjust the schedule as necessary. 

3. A S S I G N M E N TS 

At the end of each module on your course, you will submit an assignment to your Tutor online via Canvas. 

This is a chance for you to consolidate your understanding of the material covered during or prior to that 

module. 

Make sure you are fully prepared before you begin each assignment. Have everything to hand that you need 

to complete it, and read the instructions provided carefully. 

You should pay attention to any specific instructions given about word counts, timing and whether you are 

allowed to have access to notes. These requirements differ from subject to subject, so always check each 

specific assignment and follow the guidelines given. 

You should write all assignments by hand and then scan them as a single PDF file before you submit them. We 

ask you to write assignments by hand because, unless you have special permission to use a word processor, 

you will be required to write by hand in your exams. 

Many of us use computers so much now that we are much slower when writing by hand than when typing. 

We are used to being able to copy and paste, or to change things around if we don’t like them. Unfortunately, 

this also means that we often don’t think about spelling or grammar, because of the autocorrect functions 

available on our laptops. Writing by hand gives you the opportunity to do this and gain good practice before 

facing your exams. 

You also need to get used to writing (and planning) by hand so that you are comfortable and efficient when 

doing so in your exams. It is important to get as much practice in as possible as early as possible. It is also 

useful for your Tutor to see your handwriting in case there are any issues here about which you need to be 

aware before the exams. We recommend that you also make your notes and practise writing notes by hand 

too, as every little helps. 

If you have a writing difficulty and have received permission from the exam board to use a word processor in 

your exams, please make your SPM aware of this. 

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4. T U TO R F E E D BAC K 

Once you have submitted your assignment, your Tutor will mark this within 3-5 working days. You will be 

alerted via email when your marked assignment is ready to view. You should read through your assignment 

again carefully, looking at your Tutor’s annotations on the assignment itself as well as their final, summative 

comment at the end. If your Tutor has left audio instead of written feedback, please listen to this carefully. 

For homeschooling students, this feedback is a major part of the ‘tutoring’ on the course. It is vital that 

you reflect on this feedback carefully, making sure you take on board the tips for improvement. You should 

assimilate these tips into your next assignment, which is why we ask that you do not submit a new assignment 

until the last one has been marked. 

If you don’t understand any of the feedback or how to use it in your next assignment, let your Tutor know so 

he or she can explain things. 

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5. C A N VA S - T H E O N L I N E L EA R N I N G P L AT FORM 

You will access all of your course materials via Canvas. This is where you will find the key course documents, 

materials, resources and assignments. You will find detailed instructions about how to use Canvas in the 

Canvas Guide, sent to you on enrolment. You should read through this as soon as possible and certainly 

before you begin your studies. 

You will submit your assignments via Canvas and your Tutors will grade them and provide detailed feedback. 

Canvas allows you to see all of your marks for each subject and track your progress. You will be alerted via 

email when your Tutors have graded any assignments or if they have sent you any messages. You will also 

see announcements on your course(s) from time to time, telling you when new materials have been added 

to your course(s) or to let you know when Tutors are taking annual leave. Read these announcements to stay 

informed. 

If you need to contact your Tutor(s), you should do this via Canvas messaging. This will allow you to keep all 

correspondence with your Tutors in one secure place. 

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6. YO U R P ROGRAMME O F STUDY (P O S) 

Every Wolsey Hall Oxford course on Canvas has a POS. This document gives you an overview of the subject 

material you need to cover to complete the course. This is the single most important document on any course 

and you should follow it closely throughout. It will act as your guide through the course, and is designed to: 

• break the course down into modules; 

• break the modules down into easily manageable topics; 

• tell you when to complete specific tasks and in what order; 

• direct you to Canvas when you need to access specific resources, such as worksheets, videos and podcasts; 

• give you tips for effective study, what to expect from the course and how to approach particular topics; 

• provide specific exam information for IGCSE and A Level courses. 

You should use the POS in every study session. Please note: we do update our POS from time to time, so 

always make sure you are using the most recent version, which will appear on Canvas once an updated 

version has been announced. 

7. E X A M E N T R I ES 

As an external or private student, you will need to register for your exams at an external exam centre. We 

offer guidance on this process and can advise on the exam centres most convenient to you. 

D E F E R R A L O F E X A M S 

If you need to defer your exams for any reason, it is vital that you let your SPM know as soon as possible. It 

is important that they adjust your Assignment Schedule accordingly and update your Tutor(s). And deferring 

your exams may mean you need to receive different versions of the textbooks or that you need to cover 

additional course content as syllabi can change from year to year. Please keep us informed about your plans 

so we can ensure you are enrolled on the correct course and are working with the correct materials. 

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8. T E X T B O O KS A N D R ESOURCES 

T E X T B O O KS 

Every Wolsey Hall course has a designated textbook or textbooks provided as part of the course. For IGCSE 

and A Level, these are usually endorsed by the relevant exam board. Your POS will tell you which pages to 

read for each topic. We recommend that you make good use of the textbook and complete any activities 

provided to maximise your chances of success. 

Every course will also contain additional resources to supplement the textbook. These may be online 

resources, such as useful revision websites, online articles, YouTube videos, online tutorials, games, quizzes 

and podcasts. There may also be specific documents created by tutors. 

We try to include a wide range of different types of resources on our courses to suit different learning needs. 

You should make good use of these if you are to get the best out of your course. Each resource can be accessed 

via Canvas and you will find the links or the document in the corresponding module under ‘Modules’. 

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M A R K S C H E M ES 

Once your assignment has been marked you will have access to the corresponding mark scheme on Canvas. 

Make sure you refer to this as you read through the comments from your Tutor. You will then understand 

why you have received a particular grade. Look at what is required for a higher grade and bear it in mind for 

your next assignment. 

S P EC I M E N A N SWERS A N D E X E M P L A R R ESPONSES 

Learning by example is an invaluable part of your home schooling course. Many of our courses contain 

Specimen Answers, which are examples of high-scoring work from other Wolsey Hall Oxford students. You 

will have access to these once your marked assignment has been returned to you. Make sure you read 

through any Specimens to pick up tips on how to improve your grades. You can learn a lot from other people’s 

work and you will also be able to read the feedback the student was given. 

E X E M P L A R R ESPONSES 

Exemplar Responses are examples of assignments that would score full marks. These are often generated by 

Tutors and give examples of how to approach tasks and the amount of detail required for full marks. Nobody 

expects you to be working at this level at the start of the course, but you should refer to any Exemplar 

Responses on your course(s) for tips and examples to help you improve your own work. 

S U B S C R I PTIONS 

Many of our courses also come with subscription access to educational websites. Where this is the case, you 

will be given a username and password. The Programme of Study tells you when to use these websites and 

links will be provided in the corresponding modules on Canvas. You may also wish to use these websites for 

additional reading, revision and consolidation of your learning. 

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9. SUPPORT 

Your Student Progress Manager 

When you have enrolled on one of our courses, you will be allocated 

a Student Progress Manager (SPM). Your SPM will be in regular 

contact to help you organise and stay on track with your studies. 

S/he will generate your Assignment Schedule and will liaise with 

you as you progress through your course(s) to ensure that all is 

running smoothly. 

Your Tutor(s) 

For each subject you study with Wolsey Hall Oxford, you will have a 

designated Tutor who will work with you through the course. He or 

she will be responsible for marking your assignments and answering 

any course-related questions you may have along the way. You will 

receive your Tutor’s profile when you enrol on the course, so you 

can read more about them before you meet them in the Skype call. 

Exams Officers 

Our Exams Officers are here to help you with queries you may have 

about registering for your exams or finding a convenient exam 

centre. 

Additional Support Services 

In addition to the support provided above we also the following two 

services for an additional fee. 

Learning Support Manager 

If you have a special educational need, require additional support in 

your studies or feel a lack of motivation to study, we offer a variety 

of support options. These include: study skills coaching, mentoring, 

advice and specialist support for specific learning difficulties. These 

services are all delivered via Skype and complement the work of 

our Tutors in helping you succeed in your studies. If you feel you 

would benefit from any of these services, then go to the Wolsey 

Hall Oxford website for more information. 

University Advisor 

Our University Advisor can help you: 

• select your subjects; 

• choose a university that’s right for you; 

• prepare for your application and interviews; 

• write your personal statement; 

• get through Clearing (for UK universities) should that be necessary. 

If you aim to attend university after completing your A Level course 

and would like help along the way, do contact our Advisor as early in 

the process as possible. Please see the Wolsey Hall Oxford website 

for more information. 

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How the Wolsey Hall System Works

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