1 Who we are

We operate ALevelEconLab as an independent A-Level Economics revision website. For UK data protection law, we act as the data controller for personal data processed through the site.

2 Who this site is for

The site is aimed at students studying A-Level Economics (typically Year 12 and Year 13, aged 16–18). You must be at least 13 years old to create an account — we enforce this at registration using your date of birth.

If you are under 16, we recommend using the site with a parent, carer, or teacher aware of your account. If your school provides access, your school may also have its own privacy responsibilities.

3 What we collect

• Account details: full name, login email, optional second email, password (stored as a one-way hash — we never store plain-text passwords), date of birth, school year, security question and hashed security answer.
• Learning activity: quiz completions, practice attempts, marks/XP, flashcard progress, badges, Voranomics campaign/game progress, MCQ sprint history, and optional activity statistics (e.g. study streaks).
• Preferences: dark mode, ghost mode, MCQ settings, exam timer settings, leaderboard visibility, and similar choices.
• Leaderboard data: your display name and scores when you appear on public leaderboards (unless you hide yourself — see section 8).
• Technical data: standard server logs (e.g. IP address, browser type) needed to run and secure the site.
• Local storage on your device: theme, MCQ preferences, diagram/campaign progress, and cookie consent choice (see section 7).

4 Why we use your data

• To create and manage your account (contract — necessary to provide the service).
• To save progress, award XP/badges, and personalise practice (contract / legitimate interests).
• To operate leaderboards and optional statistics (legitimate interests, with your control over visibility).
• To keep the site secure and fix errors (legitimate interests / legal obligation where applicable).
• To measure anonymous site usage with Google Analytics, only if you accept analytics cookies (consent — see section 7).

We do not sell your personal data.

5 How long we keep data

We keep account and activity data while your account is active. If you delete your account (Settings → Data & privacy), we delete associated personal data promptly, except where we must keep limited records for legal or security reasons.

6 Who we share data with

We use service providers that help run the site, such as:

• Web hosting (Microsoft Azure App Service)
• Content delivery networks for fonts, icons, UI libraries, and charts (e.g. Google Fonts, jsDelivr, cdnjs, Font Awesome, Highcharts)
• Google Analytics 4 (Google Ireland Ltd.) — only after you accept analytics cookies (see section 7)

These providers process data only to deliver or measure the site. We do not share your learning data with advertisers.

7 Cookies and local storage

Strictly necessary

• Authentication cookies to keep you logged in (HttpOnly, secure when served over HTTPS).

Preferences (local storage)

• Theme, MCQ/exam preferences, optional game progress, and cookie consent status.

Analytics (optional — your choice)

• We use Google Analytics 4 (Google Ireland Ltd.).
• Analytics scripts load only if you click “Accept cookies” on our banner. If you choose “Deny analytics”, Google Analytics is not loaded.
• Google Analytics helps us understand aggregate site usage (pages visited, device type, approximate region). It is not used to sell your data or to target advertising on other sites.
• Your cookie choice (accept or deny) is stored in your browser’s local storage for up to one year, after which we ask again.

When you first visit (or after your stored choice expires), we show a cookie banner with Accept cookies and Deny analytics options. Essential authentication cookies are required for login; preference storage improves your experience. See Google’s privacy information at policies.google.com/privacy.

8 Leaderboards and public information

By default, your name and scores may appear on public leaderboards and similar features. You can turn on Hide from leaderboard in Settings at any time. When enabled, we exclude you from public leaderboard displays going forward.

9 Third-party and open data on the site

UK economic statistics shown on the site may include data published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Where that applies, we acknowledge the underlying source (such as ONS) and do not claim ownership of that raw statistical data.

Revision content is written for the Edexcel A-Level Economics specification but the site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Pearson or Edexcel. Some pages include links to external websites (for example YouTube); those sites have their own privacy policies. See our Terms of Use.

10 Your rights

Under UK GDPR you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data (also via Settings)
• Delete your account and associated data
• Export your data in a portable JSON format
• Object to certain processing (e.g. leaderboard visibility)
• Complain to the ICO (ico.org.uk)

You can export or delete your data in Settings → Data & privacy when logged in.

11 International transfers

Account data is stored on UK/EU hosting where possible. Some providers (including Google Analytics and CDN services) may process limited technical data outside the UK; where that happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards required by UK law (such as standard contractual clauses or UK extension decisions).

12 Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Continued use of the site after changes means you accept the updated policy.

13 Contact

For privacy requests, use Settings → Data & privacy while logged in, or email georgesamuelrichardson@outlook.com or visit our Contact & support page.