All subjects

Subjects

Select a subject from the left to view available exam boards and resources

Cookie Policy

Effective May 9, 2026

Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how Past Papers Academy ("we," "our," or "us") uses cookies and similar browser storage technologies on pastpapersacademy.com (the "Site"). It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains more broadly how we handle your personal data.

When you first visit the Site, a consent banner will appear asking you to choose your cookie preferences. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential ones, or customise your choices individually. Your preferences are saved and respected on all future visits.

Your choice matters: We only activate analytics and marketing tools after you give consent. Essential storage is always active because the Site cannot function without it.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that a website stores in your browser. They allow the site to remember information between page loads and visits - for example, your language or theme preference.

This Site also uses browser local storage, which works similarly to cookies but is stored directly in your browser rather than being sent with every request to our server. Local storage is used for the same purposes as cookies on this Site.

Types by Duration

  • Session storage: Deleted when you close your browser tab
  • Persistent storage: Remains until it expires or you manually clear it

Types by Origin

  • First-party: Set directly by this Site
  • Third-party: Set by external services loaded on the Site (e.g. analytics tools)

Our Cookies & Storage

The following first-party items are stored in your browser's local storage when you visit the Site. None of these contain personally identifiable information unless you have explicitly provided it.

Name Category Purpose Duration
ppa_cookie_consent Essential Stores your cookie category choices (essential / analytics / marketing) so the consent banner does not reappear on every visit Persistent
ppa_anonymous_id Essential A randomly generated identifier that distinguishes your session from other visitors. Not linked to your name or email address. Persistent
ppa_is_new Essential Flags whether this is your first visit so we can show appropriate onboarding content Persistent
ppa_subscribed Essential Flags whether you have subscribed to the newsletter, preventing the sign-up prompt from reappearing Persistent
ppa_chat_history Essential Stores your recent AI chat conversation locally so your history is available when you return Persistent
theme Essential Remembers your dark or light mode preference Persistent
ppa_session Essential The anonymous session identifier referenced in "First-Party Site Analytics" below - groups your page views into one visit Persistent
ppa_chat_session Essential Identifies your current AI chat session to the server so your conversation history can be reloaded Persistent
ppa_recent_searches Essential Stores your recent site-search terms locally so you can quickly repeat a search Persistent
ppa_search_index Essential Caches the search index for faster results Session
ppa_popup_dismissals, ppa_popup_last_dismissed, ppa_popup_session, ppa_popup_dl_count Essential Track whether the download email-capture popup has already been shown or dismissed, so it isn't shown repeatedly in the same visit Mixed - some Persistent, some Session
tq-promo-seen Essential Flags whether a promotional modal has already been shown, so it isn't repeated Persistent
pdf-generator-prefs Essential Remembers your PDF export preferences Persistent

First-Party Site Analytics

Separately from the third-party analytics described below, we record operational data about how the Site is used directly on our own servers - which pages are viewed, how visits are grouped into sessions, and which features (search, downloads, saved papers) are used. This is event-level data, not purely aggregate: each event is linked to the same anonymous identifier described in the table above (ppa_anonymous_id) and a similar anonymous session identifier (ppa_session), so it can be used to reconstruct an individual (anonymous) visitor's path through the Site. It also includes the literal text of anything you type into the Site's search box, and, for error pages, the full URL you were trying to reach and the page you came from. No IP address is stored, no data from this is shared with or sold to any third party, and it is never used to build advertising profiles.

We treat this the same as the other essential items above - not gated behind the Analytics consent toggle, in the same way Cloudflare Web Analytics (below) already isn't - because it is first-party only, never shared or sold, and never used for cross-site tracking or advertising, which is what the Analytics/Marketing distinction below is really about. Declining the Analytics category still fully blocks PostHog (session recording, heatmaps) and the Facebook Pixel - the third-party tools - exactly as described in that section.

Third-Party Cookies

Some third-party services embedded on the Site may set their own cookies or use similar tracking technologies. We have no control over third-party cookies. Where a service requires your consent, it is not activated until you grant it.

PostHog Analytics

PostHog provides analytics, session recording, and heatmaps. It tracks how visitors interact with the Site - pages visited, features used, and (with session recording) scrolling and clicking patterns. All form inputs are masked so their content is never captured.

  • Provider: PostHog, Inc.
  • Data processed on EU servers (eu.i.posthog.com)
  • Only loaded after you accept the Analytics category
  • PostHog Privacy Policy

Facebook (Meta) Pixel Marketing

The Facebook Pixel tracks visits to the Site and helps us show relevant advertisements to you on Facebook and Instagram. It may set cookies in your browser that persist across websites.

  • Provider: Meta Platforms, Inc.
  • Only loaded after you accept the Marketing category
  • Meta Privacy Policy

Cloudflare Web Analytics Essential

Cloudflare Web Analytics provides basic traffic metrics (page views, visitor counts) using a lightweight beacon script. It does not set any tracking cookies and does not use fingerprinting. No consent is required.

YouTube Embeds Essential

Video content on the Site is embedded from YouTube. When you play a video, YouTube may set its own cookies and collect data about your interaction. All video embeds on the Site use the youtube-nocookie.com domain to reduce tracking before playback.

Google Fonts & Font Awesome Essential

These CDN services deliver fonts and icons used across the Site. They may log the requesting IP address as part of normal server operation but do not set tracking cookies.

  • Providers: Google LLC; Cloudflare, Inc. (cdnjs)

Trustpilot Essential

A Trustpilot widget is embedded on some pages to display customer reviews. Trustpilot may set its own cookies when the widget loads. Separately, once you confirm a newsletter subscription (see "Our Cookies & Storage" and the Third-Party Services section of our Privacy Policy), we automatically send your email address to Trustpilot by BCC on your welcome email, so Trustpilot can invite you to leave a review. This happens regardless of which sign-up form you used.

Managing Your Preferences

Using Our Cookie Banner

When you first visit the Site, a small banner will appear in the bottom-right corner with three options:

  • "Accept" -; Accepts all categories (Essential, Analytics, and Marketing). This enables PostHog analytics, session recording, and the Facebook Pixel.
  • "Reject All" -; Accepts Essential storage only; no analytics or marketing tools are loaded.
  • "Customize" -; Opens a preferences panel where you can individually toggle Analytics (PostHog) and Marketing (Facebook Pixel) on or off.

Changing Your Preferences

The quickest way to change your choices at any time is the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of every page, which reopens the same preferences panel shown on your first visit. Saving a change there that turns Analytics or Marketing off will reload the page so any tracker already running that session is actually stopped, not just blocked from loading again.

Your preferences are saved in your browser's local storage under the key ppa_cookie_consent. As a fallback, you can also reset your choices and see the consent banner again by clearing your browser's local storage for this site, or by running the following in your browser's developer console:

localStorage.removeItem('ppa_cookie_consent'); location.reload();

Alternatively, contact us and we can guide you through resetting your preferences.

Browser-Level Controls

Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies and local storage through their settings. Note that blocking essential storage may affect how the Site functions - for example, your theme preference and chat history will not be saved. Links to browser cookie controls:

Opting Out of Third-Party Advertising

To opt out of personalised advertising from Facebook (Meta), visit your Facebook Ad Preferences or the Your Online Choices platform.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the technologies we use or in applicable regulations. When we make material changes, we will:

  • Post the updated policy on this page
  • Update the "Effective Date" at the top
  • Increment the consent version, which will cause the consent banner to reappear so you can review and confirm your preferences

We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy or how we handle your data, please get in touch:

Past Papers Academy

Email: [email protected]

WhatsApp: +260 769 440 841

Website: pastpapersacademy.com

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 48 hours.