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Terms of Service

Last updated: 31 December 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Minigem Study ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

Minigem Study provides coding exam practice with examiner-style marking for Computer Science students. The Service includes practice questions, scenario-based assessments, and pseudocode exercises with instant examiner-style feedback and mark breakdowns.

3. Age Requirements and Eligibility

Minimum Age: You must be at least 13 years old to create an account and use the Service. This requirement is set to comply with:

  • Google Account Terms: Minimum age of 13 (or applicable age in your country) to use Google services for authentication
  • Microsoft Account Terms: Minimum age of 13 to create a Microsoft account for authentication
  • LinkedIn User Agreement: Minimum age of 16 (or applicable age in your country) for LinkedIn authentication
  • UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018: Age 13 is the minimum age for consent to data processing for online services in the UK

Users Aged 13-17

If you are between 13 and 17 years old:

  • You confirm you have obtained permission from your parent or legal guardian to use the Service
  • Your parent or guardian agrees to be responsible for your compliance with these Terms
  • Your parent or guardian agrees to be responsible for any purchases made on your behalf
  • We recommend parents or guardians review these Terms and our Privacy Policy

Users Under 13

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, you may not create an account or use the Service. If we learn that a user is under 13, we will terminate their account and delete their data.

Educational Institution Users

If you are using the Service through an educational institution (school, college, tutoring centre), your institution may have obtained the necessary parental consents on your behalf in accordance with UK education data sharing guidelines.

4. Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must sign in using a third-party authentication provider (Google, Microsoft, or LinkedIn). You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials with these providers.

We do not store passwords. Authentication is handled entirely by the third-party providers you choose to sign in with. By signing in, you confirm that your use of that provider's service complies with their terms and age requirements.

5. Credits, Payments, and Refund Policy

The Service operates on a credit-based system. Credits can be purchased as one-time packs (Pay-As-You-Go) or through monthly/annual subscriptions via Stripe, our secure payment processor.

Pricing Tiers

Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) - One-Time Purchases

  • Starter Pack: £2.99 for 10 credits
  • Value Pack: £12.99 for 50 credits
  • Pro Pack: £23.99 for 100 credits

Monthly Subscriptions

  • Basic Monthly: £9.99/month for 50 credits (reset monthly)
  • Pro Monthly: £24.99/month for 300 credits (reset monthly)
  • Ultimate Monthly: £34.99/month for 500 credits (reset monthly)

Annual Subscriptions

  • Basic Annual: £95.99/year for 600 credits (reset yearly)
  • Pro Annual: £239.99/year for 3,600 credits (reset yearly)
  • Ultimate Annual: £335.99/year for 6,000 credits (reset yearly)

Credit Rules

  • New accounts receive 3 free credits upon registration
  • PAYG credits do not expire
  • Subscription credits reset at each billing period (unused credits do not roll over)
  • Credits cannot be transferred between accounts
  • 1 credit = 1 Paper 2 Scenario assessment OR 1 Pseudocode Practice session

Refund Policy (UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 Compliant)

As a UK-based business, we comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

One-Time Purchases (PAYG) - 14-Day Cancellation Right

  • 14-Day Period: You have 14 days from the date of purchase to request a full refund
  • Condition: ALL credits from the purchase must remain unused
  • Digital Content Waiver: By using any credits, you explicitly consent to immediate performance and acknowledge that you lose your 14-day cancellation right once credits are used
  • Ineligible: No refund available if any credits from the purchase have been used

Subscriptions - 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

  • 7-Day Period: Cancel within 7 days of your first subscription charge for a pro-rata refund
  • Full Refund: If ALL subscription credits remain unused, you receive a full refund
  • Pro-Rata Refund: If credits have been used, unused credits are charged at £0.20 per credit (see calculation below)
  • After 7 Days: You may cancel anytime; your subscription continues until the end of the current billing period (no refund for remaining time)
  • Renewal Charges: No refunds for renewal charges. Cancel at least 24 hours before your renewal date to avoid the next charge
  • Credits Remain: After cancellation (outside 7-day period), your credits remain usable until the subscription period ends

Subscription Upgrades and Downgrades

  • Upgrades: Take effect immediately. Stripe calculates proration and you are charged the difference. The credit difference between tiers (new tier credits minus old tier credits) is added to your balance immediately
  • Downgrades: Take effect immediately. Stripe calculates proration and credits the difference to your next invoice. The credit difference (old tier credits minus new tier credits) is deducted from your balance immediately
  • Example Upgrade: Upgrading from Basic Monthly (50 credits) to Pro Monthly (300 credits) adds 250 credits to your balance
  • Example Downgrade: Downgrading from Pro Monthly (300 credits) to Basic Monthly (50 credits) deducts 250 credits from your balance
  • Credit Balance Required: For downgrades, you must have sufficient credits to cover the difference. If your balance would go negative, you may need to wait until your balance is sufficient

Subscription Cancellation Refund Calculation (Within 7-Day Period)

If you cancel within 7 days and have used some credits, we calculate a pro-rata refund using a fixed rate of £0.20 per credit:

  • Formula: Refund = Amount Paid − (Credits Used × £0.20)
  • Fixed Rate: £0.20 per credit (equivalent to Basic Monthly pricing)
  • Why Fixed Rate: This prevents exploitation of the 7-day cooling-off period by purchasing discounted annual plans, using credits, then cancelling for a refund at a cheaper per-credit rate
  • Example 1 (Monthly): Basic Monthly (£9.99, 50 credits) with 10 credits used: £9.99 − (10 × £0.20) = £7.99 refund
  • Example 2 (Annual): Basic Annual (£95.99, 600 credits) with 50 credits used: £95.99 − (50 × £0.20) = £85.99 refund
  • Maximum Charge: You will never be charged more than the amount you originally paid, regardless of credits used
  • Remaining Credits: Upon refund, unused subscription credits are removed from your account

How to Request a Refund

All refunds are processed automatically through our self-service system, powered by Stripe.

  • Self-Service Portal: Visit the Request a Refund page to view eligible purchases and submit your request instantly. The system automatically verifies eligibility based on purchase date and credit usage.
  • Via Profile: Go to your Profile page, find the transaction in your history, and click "Refund" for eligible purchases.
  • Processing: Approved refunds are processed immediately through Stripe. Funds typically appear in your original payment method within 5-10 business days, depending on your bank or card provider.

Subscription Management: You can cancel, upgrade, or downgrade your subscription at any time from the Subscription page. All changes are processed instantly through Stripe.

Consumer Rights Notice

By purchasing credits or subscribing, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • You are purchasing digital content that is delivered immediately upon purchase
  • You expressly consent to immediate access to the digital content
  • By using any credits, you acknowledge that your 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 is lost
  • This acknowledgment does not affect your statutory rights for faulty, misdescribed, or mis-sold services under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

6. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use the Service responsibly and lawfully. You must not:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws
  • Share your account access with others or allow others to use your account
  • Attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with the credit system or payment mechanisms
  • Copy, reproduce, distribute, or sell any content from the Service without permission
  • Use automated scripts, bots, or tools to access the Service or extract content
  • Submit offensive, abusive, defamatory, or inappropriate content through assessments
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems, other users' accounts, or data
  • Interfere with the proper functioning of the Service or impose unreasonable load on our infrastructure
  • Use the Service to develop competing products or services
  • Misrepresent your identity or age
  • Exploit system vulnerabilities to avoid credit deductions or obtain free assessments
  • Repeatedly refresh, close, or interrupt assessment sessions to avoid payment
  • Use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Service

Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy may result in immediate termination of your account without refund. See Section 13 for our Account Suspension and Ban Policy.

7. Feedback Collection and User Surveys

We may request feedback from you about your experience using the Service. This includes:

  • Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys: Periodic requests to rate the Service on a 0-10 scale
  • Written Feedback: Optional comments about your experience, suggestions, or concerns
  • Feature Requests: Input on desired features or improvements
  • Bug Reports: Reports of technical issues you encounter

How Feedback is Used

Your feedback helps us improve the Service. We may use feedback to:

  • Identify and fix technical issues
  • Prioritise new features and improvements
  • Measure user satisfaction and service quality
  • Train and improve our AI assessment systems
  • Create aggregate analytics (without identifying individual users)

Feedback Privacy

Feedback is stored securely and associated with your account for internal analysis purposes only. We do not share identifiable feedback with third parties. You may provide feedback anonymously if the option is available, or decline to participate in feedback requests without any impact on your access to the Service.

By submitting feedback, you grant us a perpetual, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and adapt your feedback for the purpose of improving the Service. You waive any claims of compensation for feedback-inspired improvements.

8. Intellectual Property

All content, features, and functionality of the Service—including but not limited to text, questions, graphics, logos, icons, images, code, and software—are owned by Minigem Study and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

IGCSE and Cambridge are registered trademarks of Cambridge Assessment International Education. Minigem Study is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with Cambridge Assessment International Education.

Your Content: You retain ownership of any code or answers you submit for assessment. By submitting content, you grant us a limited license to process it through our AI systems for the purpose of providing feedback.

9. AI-Assisted Assessment Disclaimer

The Service uses AI technology (OpenAI GPT-4) to provide examiner-style marking and generate feedback. You acknowledge that:

  • Examiner-style feedback is for educational and informational purposes only
  • AI assessments may not always be accurate and should not be solely relied upon for exam preparation
  • Mark allocations are indicative and may differ from actual examination results
  • We do not guarantee that using the Service will improve examination performance
  • AI models may occasionally produce errors, inconsistencies, or inappropriate content

We recommend using the Service as one of multiple study resources and consulting with teachers or tutors for comprehensive exam preparation.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that:

  • The Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
  • The results from using the Service will be accurate or reliable
  • Any errors in the Service will be corrected
  • The Service will meet your specific requirements

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Minigem Study and its directors, employees, partners, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for:

  • Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
  • Any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill
  • Any damages arising from your use or inability to use the Service
  • Any damages arising from AI-generated content or assessments
  • Any damages exceeding the amount you paid for the Service in the 12 months preceding the claim

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by English law.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Minigem Study, its directors, employees, partners, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any rights of another party
  • Any content you submit to the Service

13. Account Suspension and Ban Policy

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently ban accounts that violate these Terms, engage in abuse, or otherwise compromise the integrity of the Service. This section outlines our enforcement procedures.

Usage Monitoring

To protect the Service and ensure fair use, we monitor certain usage patterns:

  • Submit-to-Credit Ratio: We track the number of assessment submissions compared to credits spent. A significant discrepancy may indicate attempts to exploit the system.
  • Session Behaviour: Patterns such as repeatedly starting assessments without completing them, or frequent session interruptions, may trigger review.
  • API Usage: Unusual request patterns or automated access attempts are logged and reviewed.
  • Payment Anomalies: Suspicious payment activities, chargebacks, or payment disputes are investigated.

Warning System

For minor or first-time violations, we may issue a warning before taking further action:

  • Automated Warnings: Our system may flag accounts showing suspicious patterns and notify administrators for review.
  • Manual Review: All flagged accounts are reviewed by a human administrator before any suspension.
  • User Notification: You will be notified via system message if your account is flagged or at risk of suspension.

Account Suspension (Temporary Ban)

Accounts may be temporarily suspended for:

  • Suspected violation of the Acceptable Use Policy pending investigation
  • Unusual activity that may indicate compromised account security
  • Failed payment or outstanding balance
  • Request by law enforcement or regulatory authorities

During suspension, you cannot access the Service, but your data remains intact. You may receive a message explaining the suspension reason and any required actions for reinstatement.

Permanent Ban

Accounts may be permanently banned for:

  • Confirmed and serious violations of the Acceptable Use Policy
  • Repeated violations after warnings
  • Fraudulent activity, including payment fraud or identity misrepresentation
  • Distributing or selling access to account or content
  • Attempting to circumvent a previous suspension or ban
  • Activity that harms other users or the Service integrity

A permanent ban results in immediate and permanent loss of access. Unused credits are forfeited and no refund is provided except where required by law.

Appeal Process

If you believe your account was suspended or banned in error:

  • Check any system messages in your account (if accessible) for details
  • If you can log in but are restricted, you may receive an option to submit an appeal
  • Appeals are reviewed within 7 business days
  • Decision on appeals is final

Data After Ban

Upon permanent ban, your account data will be retained for a minimum period required by law or for fraud prevention purposes, then deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You may request deletion of personal data under GDPR subject to legal retention requirements.

14. Account Termination and Deletion

Self-Service Deletion: You may delete your account at any time through your Profile page. Scroll to the bottom and click "Delete Account" in the Account Settings section. Account deletion is immediate and permanent.

What Happens When You Delete Your Account:

  • Any active subscription is automatically cancelled (no further charges)
  • All your personal data is permanently deleted from our systems
  • Your transaction history, assessment results, and progress are removed
  • Unused credits are forfeited (except within applicable refund periods)
  • This action cannot be undone

Termination By Us: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account immediately, without prior notice, if you:

  • Violate these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy
  • Engage in fraudulent activity
  • Provide false information about your age or identity
  • Fail to pay for services

Upon termination by us, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. We will delete your account data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and GDPR requirements.

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated Terms on this page with a new "Last updated" date
  • Sending an email notification to registered users for significant changes
  • Displaying a prominent notice on the Service

Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the new Terms, you must stop using the Service.

16. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction provide otherwise.

Alternative Dispute Resolution: If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, you may be entitled to use an online dispute resolution platform. You can access the EU ODR platform at: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other legal notices published on the Service, constitute the entire agreement between you and Minigem Study regarding your use of the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

19. Help and Support

Minigem Study is designed for complete self-service. You can manage all aspects of your account without contacting support:

  • Help Centre: Visit our Help Centre for answers to frequently asked questions
  • Refunds: Process refunds instantly via your Profile page
  • Subscriptions: Manage, upgrade, downgrade, or cancel via the Subscription page
  • Account Deletion: Delete your account from your Profile page

We do not offer email or phone support. All account management functions are available through our self-service platform 24/7.