K-12 learning 🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Since 2006

GCSEPod

Short GCSE video lessons, quizzes and assignments for secondary schools.

Visit gcsepod.com All companies
subscribing schools, according to Access
1,700+
curriculum-mapped videos
13,000+
per pupil a year, lowest school price
£1.60
on Trustpilot, 12 reviews
2.2

About GCSEPod

GCSEPod is a UK revision and homework platform for secondary schools, now sold as Access GCSEPod by The Access Group. Students watch short video lessons called pods, 3 to 5 minutes long, and test themselves with Check & Challenge quizzes. The library has more than 13,000 videos in 30+ subjects, mapped to AQA, Edexcel, Edexcel International, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas and Cambridge IGCSE, plus SQA in Scotland. Only schools can buy it: prices start at £1.60 per pupil a year plus a £150 platform fee, and there is no parent or home plan. Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson founded the company in 2006, and The Access Group bought it in October 2021.

GCSEPod turns the GCSE course into short audio-visual lessons called pods. Each pod lasts 3 to 5 minutes, and teachers and former examiners write the scripts. Students pick their exam board and see only the pods for their specification. After a module they take a Check & Challenge quiz, and a Boost Playlist then points them to the pods they need to watch again.

North East entrepreneurs Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson founded the company in 2006. SoundbiteLearning UK Limited was registered on 1 September 2006, and its headquarters were in Newcastle. In 2021 GCSEPod won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for international trade. At that time more than 1,600 schools in 39 countries used it, and international schools made up over 10% of subscribers.

The Access Group, a UK business software company, bought SoundbiteLearning in October 2021. Access UK Ltd now publishes the product as Access GCSEPod, with AI tools for lesson planning, assignments and marking. In May 2026 Access released a student app for iPhone and Android.

History

  1. 2006 Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson found the company. SoundbiteLearning UK Limited is registered on 1 September.
  2. 2008 Soundbite Learning Limited is registered on 28 July. Pendle Vale High School says it has used GCSEPod since 2008.
  3. 2017 The first Trustpilot review praises the pods and complains about clips still in production for the new specifications.
  4. 2021 GCSEPod wins the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade. More than 1,600 schools in 39 countries use it.
  5. 2021 Access UK Ltd takes control of SoundbiteLearning on 18 October. Oaklins Cavendish advises the sellers.
  6. 2021 The Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear presents the Queen’s Award at the Newcastle headquarters in December.
  7. 2026 Access releases the GCSEPod student app on the App Store on 19 May and on Google Play.
  8. 2026 Access publishes school prices from £1.60 per pupil a year and counts 1,700+ schools and 13,000+ videos.

How GCSEPod works

videos
13,000+
GCSE and IGCSE subjects
30+
per pod
3–5 min
  • Content filtered by exam board
  • Check & Challenge quizzes
  • Boost Playlists
  • Ready-made and exam-style assignments
  • Self-marking questions
  • Tips for Success pods
  • Accessibility toolbar
  • Parent view of activity
  • AI lesson planning and marking for teachers
  • MIS integration
Access says it compared GCSEPod usage with results for 3,527 Year 11 students in 24 schools, and regular users achieved 1.5 grades higher on average than non-users. The analysis is the company’s own. Earlier figures differ: the help centre says one grade higher per subject from about 3,500 students, and the 2021 award release says 0.7 more Progress 8 points.
gcsepod.com, help-accessgcsepod.theaccessgroup.com and The Access Group, January 2022

Subjects and exam boards on GCSEPod

English5

  • KS3 English
  • English Language
  • English Literature
  • Achieve Grade 5 English
  • Texts for Drama

Maths4

  • KS3 Maths
  • Maths
  • Statistics
  • Achieve Grade 5 Maths

Science7

  • KS3 Science
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Combined Science
  • Co-ordinated Science
  • Single and Double Award

Arts and humanities7

  • KS3 History
  • KS3 Geography
  • History
  • Geography
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Art & Design

Languages5

  • French
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Welsh Second Language
  • IGCSE English as a Second Language

Computing and business3

  • KS3 Computing
  • GCSE Computer Science
  • Business

Bonus content9

  • Study Smart
  • British Values
  • Getting Ready for KS4/KS5
  • Spelling and Grammar
  • Music Theory
  • Design and Technology
  • Food Prep and Nutrition
  • PE
  • Health and Fitness

Exam boards7

  • AQA
  • Edexcel
  • Edexcel International
  • OCR
  • WJEC
  • Eduqas
  • Cambridge IGCSE

SQA, Scotland10

  • English
  • Maths
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • History
  • Geography
  • RMPS
  • French
  • Spanish

Other courses2

  • GCSE Resits in Maths and English
  • Functional Skills English and Maths, Entry 3 to Level 2

From the Access GCSEPod pricing, GCSE, IGCSE and SQA pages, checked on 7 October 2026. The GCSE page lists 30 subjects, the help centre 28. Pricing calls Art & Design part of the pack, the FAQ on the same page says it is coming soon.

Products

  • Pods Video lessons of 3 to 5 minutes, written by teachers and examiners and filtered by exam board. Students search by subject, topic and module and save pods to My Favourites. Student page
  • Check & Challenge A quiz after each module. Students can ask for a hint during the quiz, and teachers and parents see the results. A Boost Playlist then lists the pods to watch again. How it works
  • Assignments Teachers set ready-made or exam-style assignments with pods and questions. GCSEPod marks part of the answers itself, and teachers mark the rest. Assignments can be printed for exam halls. Teacher page
  • AI tools for teachers The Lesson Planning Wizard, Assignment Creation Wizard, Marking Assistant and Access Evo for Education Copilot come with every school package. See pricing
  • GCSE Resits A Maths and English Language resit course of 12 modules per subject, with video, quizzes and workbooks. Each lesson follows four steps: watch, quiz, practise, apply. GCSE Resits
  • GCSEPod app A student app for iPhone and Android, released in May 2026. It is free and works only with a login from a subscribing school. App Store

How much is GCSEPod?

  • Single Subject Learning Pack £1.60/pupil a year or £2,100 a year per school, one subject area, KS3 and KS4
  • Core Learning Pack £2.56/pupil a year or £3,600 a year per school, English, Maths and Science
  • Most popular Complete Learning Pack £4.00/pupil a year or £6,000 a year per school, all six Learning Packs
  • Parent or home access Not available register interest only

Is GCSEPod free?

There is no free plan and no parent or home plan. Access says individual students cannot buy access and can only register interest. Students at a subscribing school pay nothing, and the app is free for them.

Prices in pounds for UK schools, new customers, per pupil per year or as a fixed fee per school, from the Access GCSEPod pricing page on 7 October 2026. A £150 platform fee per school per year applies. Implementation (FlightPath) and a support plan cost extra, and a minimum contract length applies. Packages differ by subjects.

GCSEPod for schools

See school pricing
  • 01Schools pay per pupil or a fixed fee per school, plus a £150 platform fee a year.
  • 02A Head of Department can buy one subject area without the whole school.
  • 03In a multi-academy trust every school has its own subscription.
  • 04Access says 95% of international schools re-subscribe.

From £1.60 per pupil a year or £2,100 per school a year, checked on 7 October 2026.

Ratings

2.2Trustpilot · Bad 12 reviews · company profile claimed in September 2024

GCSEPod app

Seller
Access UK Ltd
Released
19 May 2026, version 1.0.0
Price
Free, school login required
Google Play
1K+ downloads, no rating yet

Is GCSEPod worth it?

What students and teachers like

What students and teachers criticise

What users write in reviews, not our rating. The Trustpilot page has only 12 ratings, most from students whose school set GCSEPod as homework. Several 1-star reviews are jokes. Teacher quotes come from Access’s own pages.

GCSEPod reviews

  • Very supportive and an excellent platform
    “I have needed a great deal of help/guidance and advice to ensure success.”
    Ms F Teague · 9 May 2023 · App Store
  • it does not let you correct your…
    “it does not let you correct your answers if you get them wrong”
    Luke · 9 September 2026 · App Store

Latest news

  1. SoundbiteLearning presented with Queen’s Award, The Access Group
  2. EdTech firm SoundbiteLearning honoured with Queen’s Award for Enterprise, Business Up North
  3. GCSEPod (Soundbite Learning) has been acquired by Access Group, Oaklins

Contacts and company data

Legal entity
Access UK Ltd, Armstrong Building, Oakwood Drive, Loughborough University Science & Enterprise Park, Loughborough, LE11 3QF, United Kingdom
App publisher
Access UK Ltd, 02343760, England and Wales, active
Original company
SoundbiteLearning UK Limited, 05921961, registered 1 September 2006
Owner since
Access UK Ltd, 75% or more of shares from 18 October 2021

Alternatives to GCSEPod

How we built this profile

  1. Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
  2. Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 7 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
  3. Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
  4. Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

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GCSEPod FAQ

An online revision and homework platform for secondary schools. Students watch pods, video lessons of 3 to 5 minutes, and test themselves with Check & Challenge quizzes. The Access Group sells it as Access GCSEPod.

Schools pay from £1.60 per pupil a year for one subject area, £2.56 for English, Maths and Science and £4.00 for all subjects. A fixed fee per school costs £2,100, £3,600 or £6,000 a year. A £150 platform fee, implementation and support come on top.

No. Access says individual students cannot buy access, and there is no parent plan. Students get a login from their school. If the school does not subscribe, a student can register interest or share the brochure with the headteacher.

AQA, Edexcel, Edexcel International, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas and Cambridge IGCSE. Students see only the pods for their board. A separate package covers 10 SQA subjects for National 4, National 5 and Highers.

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