Exam preparation tutoring

Bring a recent piece of work and describe what happened when the learner attempted it. A mark tells you how that attempt went; the answer and the learner’s explanation help you decide what to work on next. These are useful starting points to discuss with a tutor, rather than labels to assign from a score alone.

Read subject qualifications and teaching qualifications separately, then ask about experience teaching the relevant material and preparing learners for the assessment. Request evidence of qualifications or training that matters to your decision, and references where useful. A profile is a starting point for that conversation.

Latimer offers a free introductory meeting to discuss goals, approach and arrangements. Use it to explore the questions below; it is not normally a full teaching lesson.

Use lessons to address a difficulty and prepare the learner to practise it independently. For school learners, the Education Endowment Foundation’s tutoring guidance emphasises identified gaps, connections with classroom teaching and ongoing monitoring.

For example, a learner may finish on time but leave explanations incomplete. A useful priority is constructing a complete response, followed by another question to check that skill; simply completing more papers would not show what changed.

Look for changes in the work: a clearer explanation, a correctly chosen method or an answer completed with fewer prompts. Confidence matters too, but it should sit alongside evidence of what the learner can do.

A practical cycle to discuss with a tutor is:

Latimer’s service is built around online one-to-one tuition. In-person lessons need an individual arrangement with the tutor. For online exam preparation, discuss how the learner will show written work and read the questions or feedback being shared.