A-level Exam Preparation

A-level marks are rarely lost on what a student knows. They are lost in the answer booklet: the evaluation that stops after two lines, the 20-mark essay that answers the question next to the one on the paper, the calculation that drops a unit halfway down the page. Rowan & Reed Tuition runs one-to-one A-level exam preparation for that exact problem, online or at home, with DBS-checked qualified tutors who work to your child's specification and mark scheme.

What this programme covers

We prepare students for A-level exams in maths, English and the sciences, following whichever board the school uses: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC or Eduqas. Lessons are one-to-one throughout. That matters because a tutor can mark eight of your child's answers in a single session and show, line by line, where the level descriptor dropped. A revision guide cannot do that. Neither can a revision lecture for 200 pupils in a school hall.

A typical block of lessons mixes three things. First, content repair: the topics still shaky from Year 12 that the exam will assume. Second, question craft: command words, structure, timing, and how much to write for four marks against twenty. Third, timed practice under exam conditions, marked against the board's scheme rather than a tutor's instinct. We use examiner reports and past papers from recent series, because the wording of mark schemes shifts and older papers can mislead.

Most of our work is with Year 13, though Year 12 students often gain more from starting earlier. We teach pupils aged 7 to 18 across the business, and A-level sits at the oldest end of that range.

Who this suits, and who it does not

It tends to fit well when

• Your child understands the content in class but comes home with marks below what their knowledge suggests.
• Mock results sit one or two grades under the offer or the target, and the gap is in essay structure, evaluation or the long structured question.
• A subject has a practical or coursework element and the written papers are where the marks are leaking.
• Your child will accept a weekly routine of past-paper work between sessions. The lessons only pay off if the homework gets done.

It is probably not the right fit when

• Your child wants the whole two-year specification taught from scratch in the six weeks before the exams. That is not realistic, and we will say so on the phone rather than sell the block.
• The issue is attendance or engagement with school itself. That needs a different conversation first.
• You are looking for a predicted grade to be changed by someone outside the school. Only the school can do that.

How a block of lessons works

• The first conversation. You tell us the subject, the board, the target grade, the exam dates and what the school has already flagged. We ask to see a marked mock if one exists.
• The diagnostic. Before teaching begins, your child sits a short section of a past paper under timed conditions. The tutor marks it against the published scheme and writes up which assessment objectives are costing marks.
• The plan. You get a short written schedule: topics in order, the question types we will drill, and roughly how many sessions each part needs. This is a working document, not a contract.
• Weekly lessons. Each session opens with the homework paper, works through the errors, then teaches one new technique and applies it to a fresh question. Nothing is left as theory.
• Progress reports for parents. We send these at agreed points so you can see what has moved and what has not, in plain language rather than teacher code.
• The run-in. From the Easter holidays onward, sessions shift almost entirely to full timed papers and mark-scheme review. Easter is when Edinburgh pupils get their last clear run at this, and we plan the calendar around it.

What your child brings to lessons

Ask the school for three things before the first session: the exact specification code, any marked mock scripts, and a note of which topics the teacher thinks are weakest. Bring the class textbook and the board's formula sheet or data booklet, because exam questions are written around those documents and students often meet them cold.

For online lessons, a stable connection, headphones and a quiet room with a desk beat a laptop balanced on a duvet. For home lessons, a kitchen table with the papers laid out works fine. We bring past papers, a printed mark scheme and a whiteboard; the student brings the work they have already done, including the answers they got wrong.

What shapes the timetable and the fee

Fees depend on the subject, the number of sessions booked, whether lessons are at home or online, and travel for home visits. Essay-based subjects generally need more tutor marking time per session than numerical ones, and three sciences booked together will not cost the same as one. Timing matters too: booking in September leaves room to rebuild a weak topic, while booking in April limits us to exam technique and timing. The fee is quoted on request once we know the subject and the shape of the block, and it is confirmed before the first lesson so there are no surprises on an invoice. Call +44 131 4752394 or email [email protected]; our address is 176 High Street.

Questions parents ask

Can you work with whatever board the school uses?

Yes. Tell us the board and specification code at the first conversation, and the tutor will build the plan around that scheme. Where a school has switched boards recently, we check which past papers are still relevant.

Is one subject enough, or should we book several?

Start with the subject where the gap between knowledge and marks is widest. Three parallel blocks are a heavy weekly load on top of school, and a student who is already tired in February rarely benefits.

How many lessons will it take?

We will not put a number on that before the diagnostic, and even afterwards we would rather review at the halfway point than commit to a figure. What we can promise is a written plan you can read and question.

Can lessons be a mix of online and at home?

Yes. Many families use online sessions in term time and home visits during holidays or study leave. The two formats use the same tutor and the same plan.

Do you teach Year 12 as well as Year 13?

Both. Year 12 work usually concentrates on the jump from GCSE-style answers to A-level demands, which is where a lot of students quietly fall behind without noticing until mocks.