Unsure about whether my son needs a new Biology tutor

[eliphant]

My neurodivergent son (diagnosed ADHD) got 9-8 in his combined science trilogy GCSEs (with Biology and Chemistry scoring best out of the 3) and 8 in Maths. He had never had any tutoring previously.

For the first time in my life, I got him tutors for Biology and Chemistry after he got D for Biology and Chemistry in his February 2025 year 12 mocks. He doesn't say good things about the Biology tutor (who is a current school Biology and Chemistry teacher with 15 yrs experience). He's saying he doesn't see what value she offers as in his words she "just says what the answers are on the markscheme" and he feels he could do that himself.

The Chemistry tutor however (also another school teacher with 15 yrs experience), he praised for being able to teach him something new every time. His recent Chemistry test grades have also bumped up from E to a very high C according to his teachers, who were very impressed. His Biology grades have remained the same.

I'm not sure if I just need to get a better Biology tutor or maybe that is the sort of subject not something that can be tutored, and is all down to a lot of self studying of markschemes? Is it his ADHD which means he can't be taught in the way she does it? Or does she just need to teach differently? When I told her he's unsure about keeping her, she asked me how she can change her methods. I asked my son and he said she needs to do what the Chemistry tutor does, which is keeping lessons interactive, like putting him on the spot, asking him questions that he has to think about and answer. I relayed that back to her and she said she'll do that. But he still thinks she isn't any good. He's at the point where he sees no point in a tutor for Biology.

What can you advise? If it's pointless getting a tutor in Biology, I might as well save my money! But if there is such a thing as a good Biology tutor that will suit him, then I'd be happy to get him another one.

How much experience of teaching A level Biology classes does this Biology tutor have? I've known people teach both Biology and Chemistry before, but only up to y9 although it can happen at GCSE level.

Perhaps she's not been teaching A level Biology for long, if at all, and doesn't know the course well enough yet. It can be harder to tutor than class teach, as a class teacher dictates what will be taught in each lesson (and can revise or learn it in advance) until the course is finished, whereas a tutor has to be prepared for anything on the specifications.

A good, experienced tutor will be able to change their approach depending on the student, just as a class teacher would. I'd suggest finding someone else: ask your son to give them a few weeks and see how it goes.

She said she was a GCSE Science exam marker for 10+ years and taught and tutored GCSEs and A Levels for many years. She also has more reviews than the Chemistry tutor but unlike the Chemistry tutor, she has 2 negative reviews, one saying she taught wrong things, but she does also have some positive reviews for A Level and IB chemistry... Sounded alright to me. Plus she always provided long detailed lesson reports after each lesson. The Chemistry teacher had no bad reviews, but doesn't provide any lesson reports. I thought well just let my son try and see but it's been 3 or 4 weeks and he's still saying he's not convinced she's of much value to him. The Chemistry one, he absolutely wants to keep.

The Biology tutor may have taught A levels for many years, but what matters is if she has taught Biology A level. You say she had positive reviews for A level and IB Chemistry but does she have any for A level Biology?

When you say she had a negative reviews for teaching the wrong things, do you mean she taught topics which weren’t on the syllabus or she taught things which were factually wrong?

Being a GCSE Science examiner would be a recommendation if she were tutoring your son for GCSE Science but there’s a big jump from GCSE Science to A level in a single science, especially if it’s not her main subject.

You say she provides detailed lesson reports - perhaps you could ask your son to talk you through these, asking if they are a good reflection of the lesson, does he understand what she told him and did that reflect what he wanted to know.

I don’t see any point in keeping her if your son doesn’t value her lessons and he could be getting better help from someone else.

I did go through her lesson reports with my son who said yes he doesn't disagree with them. But I just reread all her online reviews and yes didn't see one positive specifying A Level Biology. I'm glad I talked it through on here, helped organise my thought process, but I think now yes no point keeping her if he doesn't find it helpful. Thank you.

Hi, I am a qualified science teacher with a degree in chemistry. I offer 1-1 chemistry, biology and physics lessons. Feel free to reach out if you're interested :)