Tutoring for A'levels how many do it

[Dggrs45]

I was just wondering how often do people get tutors for A'levels. My kids are still a few years away but I do teach undergrads at a top London uni and was wondering how frequent that is.

Many students have A level tutors for many different reasons. I don't agree that it is means students over perform and therefore end up at universities where they can't cope or find it stressful. Education is not a level playing field, some schools have good teachers some not so good - and this varies from subject to subject. In addition some students attend private schools some don't. Private tuition may allow a student to access the degree they are aiming for.

It all depends upon the individual student and the current circumstances.

what I mean is that there's no reason a student should struggle in uni if they get a place because grades 'inflated' by tutoring.

Im afraid i do not agree.

There's quite a lot of evidence to the contrary.

"Students who get a head start or upper hand during the early stages of learning do not retain this advantage long-term. In some cases, they do even worse than their peers.

We don’t know exactly why this is, however one of the prevailing theories is that this ease of learning prevents the student from developing their ability to think through the material and cope with difficulty"

Unless of course these students continue to use a tutor throughout University...

I started with one for Eng Lit with my DS in the beginning of year 12 as the essays were completely different to GCSE (and also they missed they GCSEs). It was one hour a week online but the advise they gave was really sketchy and we realised he did better without the help so stopped after a couple of months. That was the only tutoring he had for any of his subjects.

Argh, apologies for the typos!!

what I mean is that there's no reason a student should struggle in uni if they get a place because grades 'inflated' by tutoring.

I'm not sure about that. I agree with Gummibär. Drop out rates from university have increased massively over the last few years and some institutions have said that they believe it is because the students just aren't academically suited to university. Plus there are all the mental health problems associated with students not coping with their courses. It seems to have worked fine for many of the children described on here but overall I'm not sure it does.

I agree, I'm shocked at the level of tutoring. Perhaps it should be declared on the UCAS form.

My sons just started his A levels and didn’t need any tutors but some of his friends did. Some did miss out though on some content with covid restrictions at the start of their A levels

Maybe I'm getting too cynical at my age now, but I am currently teaching A-level and I share the subject with a colleague 50/ 50, so he teaches 50% of the content and I the other 50%. He is new to teaching this stuff, I have a few years behind me now.

The kids constantly try to tell me they "dont get" Mr X's teaching. He's working hard, preparing well, does everything I do, though we have our own styles, of course.

The kids that have shit grades with him also have shit grades with me, the ones who get As consistently do so with him, too. Only one currently has a tutor, because they're disabled and often unable to attend lessons.

I have had two kids ask me how they could improve their grades. I have made a huge list of suggestions, from the amount of time they should spend studying outside of my lesson time (which they currently spend on social media - I have seen evidence), the type of revision they should do and the suggestion of study groups, including names of students who get it right at the moment.

The response I got was "I'll just get a tutor", as if that was the magic solution to all their troubles.

I honestly believe that the current crop of A-level students still expect the same spoonfeeding they got for their GCSEs, be it precise lists of what will come up in their exams, help with exams like being given formulae rather than learning them or just being given all of my time and effort (that they got at GCSEs because my pay at the time depended on it).

I also believe that because of the covid disruption (no exams, or heavily dumbed-down ones) students have, for the most part, not yet gained the study skills they need for A-levels, but even as an A-level form tutor I cannot give them all the time they need or physically force them to get off TikTok for 5min and use their phones to, you know, actually study.

We eventually got dd a biology tutor as she had months of online lessons due to covid which were not very satisfactory so she found it hard to keep up with biology . She got her grades for uni and was 1 mark off getting a first in her 1st year exams (obviously not biology !)
Tutoring is generally about filling in the gaps , building up confidence . it won't ever turn someone into a genius but it can help someone fulfill their potential.

@user68901 you summed it up brilliantly:

"Tutoring is generally about filling in the gaps , building up confidence . it won't ever turn someone into a genius but it can help someone fulfill their potential."

Couldn't agree more. Am a HOS and the default position amongst students and parents is to just get a tutor rather than actually follow our advice about a) the amount of independent study hours required b) the types of tasks they should be doing to both consolidate and extend their understanding.

It would be impossible to meaningfully track the progress of students with tutors and compare their outcomes to non tutored students, but anecdotally, the students who I know have tutors, especially in my own classes, never really seem to perform better than expected, especially in subjects like History or English Literature where so much is dependent on the syllabus requirements. Ultimately the students that do well are the ones with self-discipline, a good work ethic, and being receptive to advice of their subject teachers.

"Tutoring is generally about filling in the gaps , building up confidence .

A conscientious and resourceful A level student should, with suggestions from his/her teacher, should manage to fill those gaps themselves.

Who fills those gaps at University for them?!

We did for the second year of one subject that was being very erratically taught at 6th form college ( cover teachers, then a non specialist ) We weren’t the only parents who did this - so lucky have a very qualified neighbour available. Was not a subject she was going to take further or related to her intended degree subject. Rest of subjects fine and it helped to destress her hugely. It was the B requirement of an AAB offer and she got an A .

Other daughter had done GCSE French a year early ( school decision ) so A level French was a year early too. I can’t remember the rationale. It was a subsidiary subject and had no effect on her uni offer ( which required 3 subjects taken at same time) A French friend who tutored younger children gave her conversation practice, more to help with shyness than anything, and they discussed French papers and current affairs.

Ultimately the students that do well are the ones with self-discipline, a good work ethic, and being receptive to advice of their subject teachers.

I tend to agree.

My dd got seven 9s one 8 and one 7 in her teacher assessment GCSE and a D* in her BTEc and thought the world was her oyster that she was good at everything and could choose the A levels she wanted wrong by the end of the first term she was managing one doing badly in another and completely failing the third and it was too late to do anything about it so the following term we got her a tutor for the one she was failing

I tutor A level students. There is a variety of reasons. Sometimes the students has had disruption to their learning for various reasons, sometimes there has been staff absence etc. Some students don't seem to have had guidance on how to structure their answers. I avoid the last minute trying to boost grades ones - if they weren't willing to work for it initially, I am not interested. I have a waiting list. Ultimately, they have to be able to produce the work themselves in exam conditions.

ummm I just said she was 1 mark off a first in her 1st year exams.

But if the teaching is not there then however bright they are they’re not going to be able to learn it.

Lots of people commenting may be unaware of just how desperate staffing issues and how much teaching is being missed because of that.

Good luck with learning further maths that way….

So you are saying all the covid kids.....stuff them they should be able to work it all themselves. So why do kids bother to go to school for lessons when, hey, they can just look it up and teach themselves.

Also, there is a teacher shortage. If one student is being taught by a subject specialist and another not, there will be a difference. Yes students need to show initiative but it isn't a level playing field.

I think the assumption that if you have a tutor for a while means that you will struggle without one afterwards is bobbins. We've used tutors intermittently for our DC and they haven't suffered as a result.

Both had a tutor once a week in Y5 for the 11+. They were absolutely fine at Grammar School.

DS had a tutor for a few weeks prior to his Physics Admission Test for Oxford. He absolutely loved it and came away from each session absolutely buzzing. It filled in some gaps and taught him a different way of thinking.

And DD had a Maths tutor for GCSE because she had a student teacher in Y12 and panicked. Didn't stop her succeeding at A Level Maths and Further Maths.

You do what you can to support your DC if you have the means to do so, surely.

Well one of my Yr 13 twins has a maths tutor. Different teachers; time tabling issues and lack of teachers ; cover teacher for a lesson. And it is making a big difference to their understanding. Not a case of trying to boost up several grades but to make sure they get what they are able to. Not expecting to need the tutor all year but the single focus has made a significant difference. My twins are at a mid-level city comprehensive.

DS in yr 13 has a tutor for one of his A level subjects. His school teacher went on sick leave 8 months ago and has been substituted with supply teacher. Its not a level playing field so if I can give him extra help to fill in the gaps in his education I will.

I have a friend whose son is tutored for all his A'level subjects. He was tutored at GCSE too. Generally he does very well and is bright anyway but the extra tuition seems to give him confidence.

My dcs are still very young so not at that stage yet. My own experience though was that I grafted, spent hours revising and had no extra help. I did very well. I am not sure if I would have felt the same sense of achievement if I'd have been tutored.