There are a number of reasons why students decide that distance learning is a suitable form of education for them and their needs. In Mia’s case, she decided to take on GCSEs early and as a result, found a passion for creative writing.

Mia shares: “My parents researched online and thought the NEC would be the best place for me to gain my GCSEs. My main motivations were in the pursuit of knowledge and so I could gain some qualifications at an earlier age than I normally would have.”

Mia’s thirst for knowledge combined with NEC tutors and course materials allowed Mia to gain a positive online learning experience. 

“I have always loved learning and the NEC continues to provide me with the opportunities to gain knowledge in an array of areas. Also, they have given me the opportunity to gain some of my GCSEs earlier than I normally would have. The course materials are helpful, particularly the assignments, the flexibility is wonderful and I felt I had a nice relationship with my tutors, especially with my English Language tutor.” 

Although Mia took on two GCSEs, it was through her English Language course where she developed a passion for writing. 

“When I completed my 4th assignment for my English Language course, my feedback made me truly realise I wanted to study and pursue creative writing further. The assignment was to write a short story based on a writing prompt and my tutor told me mine was one of the best short stories they’d read in a long time, including published ones. This feedback made me realise just how much I loved creative writing and that I wanted to study it as a subject further. I have since entered two of my short stories in different competitions and they were both selected for publication in young writers anthologies. These are achievements which I owe to my parents for their encouragement, and to my wonderful English Language tutor for her informative feedback and motivating words.“ 

From such positive words, it came to no surprise that Mia was happy to share some feedback when asked if she would consider another NEC course: “I’m doing another course with the NEC right now. In fact, I’m doing two more! I plan on doing more next year as well. The NEC, in my mind, remains the perfect place for me to study subjects that interest me as well as gain the qualifications that I want to progress to sixth form. It continues to fit with my schedule and I love the flexibility it has! My triumphs with the NEC continue to thrill me and I still learn valuable lessons from the feedback I receive in my assignments, I always have something to learn from them. So yes, I would do more courses with the NEC and I would recommend them to other students.”

We are excited to see where Mia goes next with her studies!

If you have been inspired and would like to explore taking a GCSE or A level with NEC, take a look at our courses today.