The University of Cambridge's Isaac Science learning platform has reached a significant milestone, with students attempting the 200 millionth question on the system this week. The platform is used by more than 3,000 schools across the United Kingdom each year.
Originally launched as Isaac Physics in 2014, the free programme was created to address challenges faced by many state schools in teaching physics. Over time, it has expanded to include maths, chemistry, and biology. The aim is to provide all UK school pupils from age 11 through university with access to high-quality resources regardless of their location or background.
Isaac Science also supports teachers. More than 3,500 teachers in the UK use its resources, including about 1,000 who are not physics specialists but have been assigned to teach the subject due to a national shortage of qualified physics teachers.
A recent study by the Institute of Physics found that one quarter of English state schools do not have a single specialist physics teacher. This situation particularly affects students in less affluent areas and means that over half of GCSE-level physics lessons are taught by staff who have not studied a related subject for years.
Professor Lisa Jardine-Wright, co-founder of Isaac Science at Cambridge’s Department of Physics, said: “Isaac Science isn’t just a resource that saves teachers’ time, but also a community. We are there to help to reinvigorate, retain and connect experienced teachers, to support those starting out on their physics teacher journey and to encourage and develop those already working in schools who have been asked to teach physics, often at short notice. We want to prevent valuable teachers from leaving the profession.
“Teachers tell us that it really helps to take the pressure off them. They also use it because they can rely on it being accurate. One teacher told us: ‘If Isaac Science didn't exist, I'd retire tomorrow’.”
The platform emphasizes active problem solving rather than rote memorization and aims for students finishing A-levels to be prepared for university STEM courses—a concern raised previously by academics regarding mathematical readiness.
Each academic year so far has seen an average daily user base exceeding 12,000 students; at peak times up to 280,000 questions were answered within a single day. The system provides hints and scaffolding support while allowing students direct assistance from University teaching staff if needed.
For educators, classroom materials and automatic marking tools reportedly save about six hours per week per teacher—totaling over half a million hours annually—which can then be redirected toward instruction.
To further professional development among educators new or returning to teaching physics due to shortages in specialists, Isaac Science hosts regular Teacher Symposiums and interactive sessions while recently introducing 'Teacher Quarters,' offering concise video-based lesson introductions designed primarily for newcomers.
Research collaborations with Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology—responsible for designing and developing the platform—have revealed gender differences in how boys and girls approach hints when solving problems. Boys typically submit an answer before seeking hints if incorrect; girls tend first to consult hints before submitting answers as confirmation.
Prof Jardine-Wright explained: “We know that a student’s belief in their own ability in science is positively linked to their desire to continue to study, and a lack of self-confidence is a challenge for girls in particular. Our research has shown that providing scaffolding helps both genders achieve better results, and bridge the gap between the skills development and assessment they experience at school, and that which is expected at university. But it builds the confidence of women preferentially.”
To foster confidence-building rather than competition or anxiety about mistakes or repeated attempts at questions—or reliance on hints—the platform does not display data about hint usage or number of attempts made; only whether questions were attempted correctly is reported back.
“One of the things that we have been very keen to make sure,” Prof Jardine-Wright added,“is that Isaac offers a low stakes environment for students to learn in and build that confidence themselves... The result is that students keep trying, develop resilience,and see their own progress develop as they need lessand less help.”