Maths and sciences
Higher and Foundation tier maths, combined science and the separate sciences. Required practicals are taught as examinable content, because six marks routinely turn on them.
UK GCSE · AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas
GCSE tutoring that starts with which board you are actually on
Four boards, two tiers and a great deal of overlap that is not quite overlap. A GCSE course here begins by confirming the specification, because teaching the wrong one is the single most common way tutoring wastes money.
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Four boardsAQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas
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Two tiersFoundation and Higher
9️⃣
9 to 1Grading scale
Why specification comes first
Same subject, four different exams
AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas each set their own papers, and the differences are not cosmetic. Set texts differ in English Literature, required practicals differ in the sciences, and the balance between calculation and explanation differs in physics. A tutor who does not know which board a student is on is guessing.
So the first question we ask is not how confident the student feels; it is which specification the school entered them for and at which tier, and the answer changes the plan more than anything else in the diagnostic.
- Specification and tier confirmed before the plan is written
- Set texts and required practicals matched to your board, not to a generic list
- Foundation and Higher tier decisions discussed honestly, with grade ceilings named
- Non-examined assessment supported within the rules, which means coaching rather than writing
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Board confirmed
Tier discussed
Set texts matched
Course at a glance
What a GCSE course commits to, and the decisions it puts in front of you early.
BoardsAQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas
Year groupsYears 10 and 11, ages 14 to 16
Grading9 to 1, with 4 a standard pass and 5 a strong pass
TieringFoundation and Higher in mathematics and the sciences
Exam seriesMay and June, with November resits in English and mathematics
Session length55 minutes, or 85 minutes as a double
NEA supportCoaching and feedback within board rules, never written work
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Tier honesty
Grade 4 and 5
November resits
Professional expert tutoring
GCSE subjects we cover
Every course is planned against your school's specification, and the tutor will tell you if the school has entered a combination that limits the achievable grade.
English and humanities
English Language and Literature taught to your board's set texts, with history and geography structured around the specific assessment objectives each board weights.
Computing, business and languages
Computer science with real programming rather than pseudocode alone, plus business, and modern languages taught with the speaking exam in mind from the first session.
Non-examined assessment is supported strictly within board rules. Tutors will discuss approach, structure and feedback on drafts, and will not write or dictate content that a student must produce independently.
How a course actually runs
How a GCSE course runs
Two years, or one, or a term. The structure holds either way.
01
Confirm the specification
Board, tier and set texts, taken from school documents rather than from memory. This takes five minutes and prevents the most expensive mistake in tutoring.
02
Diagnose against real papers
A section of a recent paper from the correct board, marked live in the free trial. The tutor explains each refused mark, which is usually the first time the student has heard it explained.
03
Plan around the tier decision
If a student is entered at Foundation but working above the grade 5 ceiling, that is a conversation to have with the school in October, not in April. The tutor will tell you what they see.
04
Weekly teaching and marked work
One topic taught, one timed section written and marked to the grid. Required practicals and set texts are woven in rather than saved for a revision block that never quite happens.
05
Spring run-in
From March the course becomes papers and examiner reports. New content stops. The final sessions cover question triage, timing and what to do when a question looks unfamiliar.
Check the tier before Christmas
Tier entry decisions are usually confirmed in the spring, but the evidence that should inform them exists by December. A tutor's written view is useful in that conversation with school.
Where marks are won and lost
Where the four boards diverge
The differences that actually change how a student should revise.
| Subject | What differs by board | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| English Literature | Set texts and the anthology of poetry | We teach only your board's texts, in the depth the paper requires, and we do not distribute generic essay plans. |
| Combined and separate sciences | Required practicals and the balance of maths content | Practicals are taught as examinable material with method, variables and analysis written out. |
| Mathematics | Question style and the weighting of problem solving | Drilling uses your board's papers, since the phrasing of multi-step problems differs noticeably. |
| History | Period and depth study options chosen by the school | The tutor teaches the options your school entered, confirmed from the school's own documents. |
| Computer science | Programming language and the form of the assessed programming | We teach in the language your school uses, most often Python, rather than in an abstract pseudocode. |
Scheduling and fees
Booking GCSE sessions
Most families take one weekly slot per subject, and most do not need more than two subjects at once.
Free trial
Thirty minutes with the tutor you would actually be assigned. They set a short diagnostic task, mark it live, and tell you where the gaps are. No card details.
Weekly slot
One fixed 55 minute session a week, billed monthly in advance. Your tutor and your time do not move unless you move them.
Exam sprint
A block of eight sessions in the six weeks before the series, built around past papers and examiner reports rather than new content.
November resit block
A focused block for English and mathematics resits, aimed squarely at the grade 4 threshold rather than at general improvement.
Rescheduling is free with 12 hours notice. Inside 12 hours the session counts as taught, which is the only way a tutor can hold a fixed slot for you and still plan a week around it.
Questions parents ask first
GCSE, answered plainly
I do not know which exam board my child is on. Can you find out?
Ask the subject teacher, or check the front of a past paper the school has issued. Failing that the school's course information page usually names it. We will not start planning until it is confirmed.
Should my child be entered for Foundation or Higher?
That is the school's decision, but it should be an informed one. Foundation caps the grade at 5 while making that 5 more achievable, and for some students that is clearly the right trade. The tutor will give you a written view based on marked work.
Can you help with coursework or non-examined assessment?
Within the rules, yes. We will discuss approach, comment on structure and give feedback on a draft. We will not write content, dictate answers or produce work that a student must complete independently, and no reputable tutor should.
How many subjects can we tutor at once?
Two is usually the sensible maximum alongside a full school timetable. Three is possible in the run-in to exams, but something in the student's week has to give and it is better to decide what rather than to find out.
Do you cover November resits?
Yes, for English and mathematics. Those blocks are narrow by design, aimed at the grade 4 boundary and the specific question types that carry it.
More answers sit on the full FAQ page.
GCSE admissions open
Book a GCSE trial with the right board
Tell us the subject, the board and the tier. The trial includes a marked section from a real past paper and a written view on what the target grade would take.
Contact us