Overview
We tutor IGCSE and International GCSE (typically ages 14 to 16) and AS and A-Level (typically ages 16 to 18) across the main boards: Cambridge International (Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level), Pearson Edexcel (International GCSE, International Advanced Level and UK A Level), AQA and OxfordAQA, and OCR. Tutors check your specification or syllabus code, because content and paper structures differ even within the same subject; for example, Cambridge International and Edexcel IAL mathematics are organized into different units.
Most demand is in mathematics and further mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, economics, business, computer science, English language and literature, history, psychology and modern languages. Sessions combine content teaching with deliberate practice on past and specimen papers, using the board's mark schemes and examiner reports so students learn what examiners reward.
Formats and grading vary by board and change over time. Cambridge IGCSE is graded A* to G for most syllabuses, with 9 to 1 grading available for some; Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA International GCSEs use 9 to 1; A-Levels use A* to E. Pearson has also introduced onscreen exams for a growing number of International GCSE and some International A Level subjects. We check the current arrangements for your subject and series so practice mirrors the real exam.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- IGCSE and International GCSE students in international or British-curriculum schools
- AS and A-Level students in the UK or internationally, including private candidates
- Students resitting papers or taking modular International A Level units in a January, May/June or October/November series
- Students moving from IGCSE to A-Level who find the step up difficult
- Parents who want a clear plan aligned to the school's mock and exam dates
Common problems we help with
- Past-paper scores are much lower than class test scores
- Answers lack the precise key words that mark schemes require
- Longer 'extended response' or 6-mark questions are consistently under-scored
- The step up from IGCSE to AS-level content feels too steep
- Required practicals and practical-skills questions cause confusion
- Revision across several subjects is disorganized as exams approach
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Specification check: board, qualification and syllabus code, tier (Core/Extended or Foundation/Higher) and exam series
- Diagnostic using board-style questions to identify content gaps and technique issues
- Content tutoring mapped against the specification's topic list
- Past-paper practice with board mark schemes, examiner reports and grade-boundary context
- Exam technique: command words, extended responses, calculations with working, and time management
- Practical skills: required practicals (AQA, OCR and Edexcel A Level sciences) and practical-based papers or alternatives to practical in Cambridge syllabuses
- Mathematics and Further Mathematics: pure, statistics and mechanics components across boards
- Essay-based subjects: structuring answers to assessment objectives (such as AO1 knowledge, AO2 application, AO3 analysis and evaluation)
- Onscreen exam familiarization where your subject is taken onscreen
- Revision planning across subjects before mocks and final exams
Not included
- Writing or editing coursework or non-exam assessments (NEA), such as A-Level English literature coursework, history NEA or computer science projects
- Completing school homework or assessed classwork
- Registering students as private candidates or acting as an exam center
- Promising grades or predicted grades
What you receive
- Specification map
- Your specification's topics marked as secure, developing or not yet covered, used to prioritize sessions.
- Learning and revision plan
- Weekly plan aligned with school mocks and the exam series, covering all tutored subjects.
- Marked past-paper practice
- Past-paper questions marked against the official mark scheme, with comments on lost marks and how to earn them.
- Key-term and method sheets
- Concise lists of definitions, equations and mark-scheme phrasing that frequently earn marks in your subject.
- Progress reports
- Regular summaries of performance on timed practice, with notes for parents where relevant.
How it works
Confirm the specification
We identify your board, syllabus code, tier or options, and exam series, since these determine everything else.
Diagnostic
Board-style questions across the specification reveal both content gaps and technique problems.
Content and technique sessions
Topics are taught and immediately practiced with exam-style questions of increasing difficulty.
Past-paper cycle
Timed papers, marking against mark schemes, and focused review of the questions where most marks were lost.
Final revision
Targeted review of weak topics and exam-day strategies in the weeks before each paper.
How exam-board tutoring works
- Specification-first planning
- Every session is traceable to a topic or skill in your board's specification, so no time is spent on content you won't be examined on.
- Mark-scheme analysis
- Studying how marks are allocated (method marks, accuracy marks, levels-based marking) to shape answers.
- Examiner report insights
- Using published examiner reports to identify common errors in recent series.
- Assessment objective mapping
- For essay subjects, making sure each paragraph addresses the AOs being assessed.
- Timed practice with reflection
- Short timed sections, followed by analysis of time spent and marks lost, building toward full papers.
- Spaced revision
- Revisiting earlier topics at increasing intervals, especially in linear A-Levels where everything is examined at the end.
Why the exam board matters
Specifications for the same subject differ in content, paper structure and practical assessment. A student studying Cambridge International A Level Physics sits different papers, including a practical paper, from one studying AQA A Level Physics, which uses required practicals and a separate practical endorsement in England. Edexcel International Advanced Level subjects are modular, with units that can be taken across several series, while UK A-Levels are linear. Tutors adapt to these differences rather than teaching a generic version of the subject.
- Cambridge International: Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Level, with main exam series in May/June and October/November
- Pearson Edexcel: International GCSE, International Advanced Level (modular units) and UK A Level
- AQA and OxfordAQA: UK A Levels and GCSEs, plus international GCSEs and A Levels
- OCR: UK A Levels and GCSEs, including options such as OCR A and OCR B (Advancing Physics, Salters chemistry)
The IGCSE to A-Level step
A-Level content is more abstract and the questions are less structured. In mathematics, students must set up multi-step problems without guidance; in sciences, they must connect topics; in essay subjects, evaluation becomes central. Students who did well at IGCSE sometimes drop sharply in AS mocks. Early tutoring in the first term of Year 12 (or its equivalent) often prevents that gap from widening.
Coursework and non-exam assessment
Some subjects include coursework or NEA, marked by teachers and moderated by the board. Boards have strict rules on the help students can receive, and teachers must authenticate the work. Tutors can teach the relevant skills with separate practice tasks and explain the published criteria, but they don't give feedback on drafts of the assessed piece or contribute to its content.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample marked practice: IGCSE-style biology question
A fictional Cambridge IGCSE Extended candidate answered a 4-mark question on the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. The feedback is invented to show how marking is explained.
Student answer (summary)
Activity increases with temperature until it 'dies' at high temperatures.
Feedback
One mark likely for describing the increase. Missing: the idea of more kinetic energy and more frequent successful collisions; the optimum temperature; and that the active site changes shape (denatures), so the substrate no longer fits. Enzymes are proteins and don't 'die'; mark schemes expect 'denatured'.
Follow-up
Two similar questions on pH and substrate concentration, answered in timed conditions, followed by a comparison with the mark scheme wording.
Illustrative feedback on an invented answer; actual marks are determined by the board's mark scheme.
What you’ll need to provide
- Board, qualification and syllabus or specification code
- Tier or options (for example Core/Extended, or chosen literature texts and history units)
- Exam series and mock dates
- Recent test results, reports and teacher feedback
- Formula sheets, data booklets and calculator rules
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Qualification level (IGCSE, AS or A-Level) and number of subjects
- Session frequency and length, including intensive pre-exam blocks
- Amount of marked past-paper practice between sessions
- Specialized subjects such as Further Mathematics
Turnaround depends on
- Tutor availability for your board and subject
- Mock and exam series dates
- How quickly the specification code and recent work are shared
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Do you know my specific exam board?
We tutor the main boards: Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, AQA/OxfordAQA and OCR. Tell us your syllabus or specification code and we'll match you with a tutor familiar with it.
Can you help with my coursework or NEA?
We can teach the skills involved, like research, analysis, programming or essay writing, using separate practice tasks, and explain the criteria. Board rules restrict outside help on the assessed work itself, so tutors don't review drafts or contribute content.
I'm a private candidate. Can you still help?
Yes, with tutoring and exam preparation. You'll need to register through an exam center yourself. For sciences, check practical requirements for private candidates with your center and the board.
Is IGCSE graded A*–G or 9–1?
It depends on the board and syllabus. Cambridge IGCSE uses A*–G for most syllabuses and offers 9–1 for some; Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA International GCSEs use 9–1. Your school will know which applies.
When should tutoring start before exams?
Ideally early in the course, so gaps don't accumulate. Shorter, intensive blocks before mocks or finals can also help, especially focused on past-paper technique.