Too much tutoring?

I'd stick with it with those current grades. It is a lot but the tutor will basically be doing guided revision at this point and showing her how she can improve on her answers, clarifying things she may not understand etc. It's only a few months till it's all over.

The OP started this thread in January 2025. GCSEs will have been taken last year.

Is she happy to do it?

Tbh, presuming the sessions are an hour, it’s 2 hours x 4 nights a week, I don’t think that’s too much when exams start in a few weeks. If she is serious about doing A levels and is currently getting low grades, she probably needs to do at least this amount.

If she willing, it’s fine. She’ll have 3 months off soon!

Poor kids. Imagine having to study from 08.30 in the morning to 21.00 and actually retain information.

From the perspective of a teen with 5+ tutors a week currently doing mocks,
I am absolutely burnt out. I understand that it might be necessary- but her mental health is at risk. And for those saying that its no different to studying every day like most others are doing- its really not. Allow her the choice of studying rather than putting her through hours more of being taught during an already exhausting period. An alternative could be moving these tutors to the Saturday and arranging them to be back to back, this could allow her time to rest and relax after school- and treating Saturday like an extra school day; also she would probably have a clearer mind on the weekend after being given the opportunity to rest.

Yes, I would focus on fewer subjects. If she’s aiming for 4S and 5s though, then I would seriously have a think about whether A levels are the right path for her. Most schools won’t allow students to take literature, for example, without at least a 7 and it’s for good reason tbh

Are you being realistic? DD is very self motivated and had a blip in history. That was because she overlooked it in favour of maths and sciences (that she wanted to study at A level). She went from a 6 to a 9 in history but that was one subject that she took her eye off. If this is across the board, what do her teachers say she's capable of?
My two DSs went the vocational route and did apprenticeships. Both now have great careers with no student loans. They love their jobs and earn more than many of their peers who went on to higher education.
DD was told (albeit different subjects to yours) that for an A level subject she should be looking for at least a 7, preferably an 8.
She says they are so much harder than GCSEs.
Unless your DD's grades were completely unexpected, I'd be concerned that a raise of 4/5 grades in five months is even possible with a tutor.

I think if a student goes into an A level course with a 4 at GCSE then the outcome is very unlikely to be good.

@Spacemoonpf is there a reason for the low grades? Are they a surprise, with better expected? Or is this about where she is expected to be?

It’s great that others have done well at A level with lower GCSE grades but the stats show they are probably outliers.

If your DD can handle the tutoring then I would continue with it but only if it feels like she is also progressing.

I agree. DD's maths teacher in year 11 wasn't very good. As DD needed a little more time to "get" new concepts she went to a tutor and managed to jump two grades. It wasn't just to improve her grades though, but to improve her confidence. Doing practice papers helped massively because it improved her exam technique.

Practice papers in the sciences were also very helpful as some of the mark schemes are very specific, especially for biology.

If the knowledge and recall is there but this is down to exam technique that she could make considerable progress. How well did she do in her year 10 exams? Have these lower grades come as a surprise to both her and you? Did she revise for her November mocks?

A levels are usually a grade drop from GCSE if they are achieving at the average end for GCSE which is usually why they request a grade 6 for carrying on a subject like English. She could hit her stride at A level and do better than that or the lower grade could affect her self esteem and she may do worse.

What does the sixth form need her to get to continue with English at A level? Have you asked the sixth form if she comes in on a grade 4 or 5 for English what a child on that grade profile usually comes out with?

If your DD can handle the tutoring then I would continue with it but only if it feels like she is also progressing. My children had after school revision sessions of 1 hour up to 3 sessions a week for all children.

OP I get you. Sometimes kids don't engage at school or become distracted and need something more focused. This is a short term goal and is in lieu of revision homework that she would be doing in any event. Most kids do 3 hours' homework a night in the lead up to GCSE. A 1:1 tutor is far better, as instead of spending hours trying to understand something, the tutor can iron out a problem straightaway.
It's also a question of exam technique which the tutor will be able to address. Every little mark helps
And for those who are saying she might not be A level material...a lot of sixth form colleges accept 5s and 4s so it's not the end of the world at all.
You and she would always be thinking "what if?"
And of course there are kids who do lots of sport and extra curricular and still get 9x9s. That's great for them, aren't they the lucky ones, but you need to do whatever you feel will help for YOUR child.

Agree with everyone else - unless there was some reason why she was massively underperforming in the mocks, she's not heading for doing A-levels. Go and investigate what courses there are in local colleges which might suit, see what grades are needed for those. Keep the tuition in maths and English, because those will matter in the future - at least a 4, ideally 5. Otherwise, all that's important is the grades to get on her next course. So for example, our local college has a full-time level 3 course in business (level 3 is roughly equivalent to A-levels) for which they require four GCSEs at level 4+ including English and maths.

I agree. 6th forms usually want a minimum of a 6 at GCSE to continue study at A level.

What are the reasons for the current grades? Is she struggling academically? Is she bright but lazy? Does she have ADHD or other ND issue? Something else?

Not all children are the same. And for the majority having good exam grades and a university degree are the key to unlocking a successful future.

I am not against taking a different path, but it's unwise to suggest just letting what happens happen unless you have a child with the kind of personality and ability to do this.

This is even more the case if there is SEN in the mix. DD has to work ten times harder than I did yet is likely to get lower grades. One of my siblings got 11 A stars at 13 without seeming to open a book. What works for one, doesn't always work for another.

There is also Foundation level for Science - although not as clear cut as Maths in terms of being able to get the 4 or 5 there more easily.

If you switch to Foundation for Maths and Sciences, you could reduce the revision there and focus more on the English and Business Studies.

But definitely don't consider A level if she's on a 3 now.

Throwing time at a problem is not always the answer.
I am keen to know how many adults would put up with such a long working week.

FWIW, one of mine averaged 95% and won Dux medal (highest academic achiever in the graduating year) at basically the best state school in Scotland. Spent time riding a bike, climbing mountains, playing in a band and seeing friends. He had zero tutoring and was average at best until he hit exam courses. It was all about motivation and engagement, not time.

Went on to Uni and hated it.

And FWIW he is currently enjoying a few more years riding bikes and climbing mountains while working his way around the world, before the need for full adulthood and a 'career' comes to him.

Glad my kids are happy, healthy and lovely humans, they will make their way in the world regardless of exam grades or a 'better' uni of some kind.

Focus on English and maths.

Those are the ones she will need to resit next year if she does not pass.

Around me the sixth forms want 5 grade 5's plus grade 7's in the a level subjects you want to actually study at a level.

She's very unlikely to meet that kind of level of achievement from grade 2's and 3's.

Consider a plan B.

What are her actual PGs from school @Spacemoonpf ?

I agree that Btecs don’t close the door to higher education. Deffo she should be doing F paper in maths but tbh she presumably is.

I agree with others. Grades 2 and 3 in year 11 mocks do not bode well for A levels. A blip in a couple of subjects is understandable but 2/3 across the board is another matter.

You and she need a plan B asap @Spacemoonpf unless her teachers really think she can pull 222333 up to 555666 - and that’s a minimum as a rule for A levels.

Also A level is a lot of independent study - if she needs intensive tutoring to get a pass at GCSE, again it doesn’t bode well.

DW tho there are lots if alternatives, inc BTECs which may suit better. Does she panic in exams? Is there any SEN at play? I would look now at possible college courses. And yes, maybe focus on three key subjects. @TeenToTwenties is right, resits of maths and English are a pain.

How much are school providing in terms of extra revision sessions?

DD (Y11) has before school sessions every weekday and afterschool sessions 2 days a week, plus all day Saturday (Maths, English and Sciences) provided by school. Half terms and Easter also have intensive revision days in school.

We're tutoring in Maths for an hour a week 1:1 one evening a week and have seen a 2 grade increase on mock papers in a month.

But, DD has ADHD and severe dyslexia and an hour with a tutor is probably the equivalent of 10 hours attempting to revise by herself - revising with me is likely to end up with parent-child version of divorce!

Depending on Feb mocks, I may add some more tutoring in the mix. If DD's mocks had been in line with your DD's then I would be doing exactly what you are doing.

So, no I don't think you are doing too much - but I would want to see how effective it was and think about if it's targeted correctly. Getting English and Maths over the line is the priority - have you discussed dropping to Foundation level for the maths? It's one where it really is much easier to get the 4 or 5 compared with the higher paper.

I would also seriously consider BTEC L3 instead of A levels if you are having to tutor now in the subjects she wants to study. It's a different pathway and especially if SEN is involved, it can be a much better fit and doesn't mean university is off the table or anything like that.

Why do you assume that everybody has the same salary, and everybody pays some premium price for tutoring?

My son has the same amount( plus Wed) and is not even preparing for GCSE but is y7
I am not sure why do you believe that what they do during tutoring is not revising that's exactly the same material as for revision

If she's working at 2&3 level now in year 11 is planning for A levels realistic?
Maybe you should just focus on the maths and English and try and get passes in them.
If she's enjoying the business studies you could continue with that and maybe look at college options to do with business rather than A levels?
It is a lot of tutoring and at this stage trying to get all her subjects up to a 5/6 so that she can do A levels seems unrealistic tbh.

Year 11 isn't a small child. At that age I worked an hour before school every day, 4 hours after school 3 days a week and 8 hours on a weekend day. In addition to all my revision. I've resolved not to force my kids to work through their GCSEs but I would expect them to be studying the equivalent hours of a 9-5 job in year 11 🤷‍♀️

Poor child. Are you raising a human or a robot?