Success with our tutoring

You're studying A-level chemistry. Maybe you want to get into medicine, dentistry or a highly competitive university like Oxford or Cambridge. And the only way you are going to succeed: getting an A*. Grades A and A* unlock the opportunity to choose where you study and what you study. They are the difference between getting into the university of your dreams and spending results day ploughing through the courses on clearing that the universities couldn't fill.

There are three key principles to succeeding in chemistry:

• The right direction

• The right study habits

• The right environment

Let's break each of these down.

The right direction

Students lose marks on chemistry they already know. Classroom teachers do an excellent job of delivering subject knowledge to students. Where students lose marks is in turning that knowledge into creditworthy answers on an exam paper. But mark schemes are written for examiners. They are there to tell you what the correct answer is. And if you got the incorrect answer, well they provide no help in telling you where you lost marks or what you need to fix for next time.

What students actually need is somebody who can guide them through answering exam questions. This is not a case of exam technique. We are not focusing on time management or which questions to answer first. Nor is it content-first teaching. It is taking topics, looking at which questions repeatedly come up, how to answer them effectively and addressing any misconceptions along the way.

Every topic has questions which come up time and again. Every year, students lose marks in the same places. And no matter how much they study, marking their own past papers from mark schemes never prepares them for the next question.

Take an example. Organic mechanisms are examined all the time and often poorly answered. This is because students don't know how to answer questions on organic mechanisms. This is partly because each one is taught as a stand-alone. Electrophilic addition is never related to nucleophilic substitution. So students end up learning up to a dozen separate mechanisms. Is it any surprise that they get them confused? Yet all mechanisms follow the same principles. By addressing these principles, students are far better placed to answer many exam questions. And it will stand them in good stead if they go on to study a chemistry-based subject at university.

The right study habits

A-level is unlike GCSE. At GCSE, exams can be passed by learning some information and repeating it in the exam. The pace is quite slow and most of the content is delivered in the classroom. A GCSE which is normally delivered over two years can be covered in one. This means students are under-prepared for the change in gear required to study A-level.

What does this mean for students? It means they need to work harder to keep up, let alone get ahead. And remember, getting ahead is what it takes to gain a place on those highly competitive courses at prestigious universities.

A good guide, and this is a starting point, is for every hour in the classroom, a student should spend around one hour self-studying. That equates to three to four hours of independent work per week. Many students spend that time reading notes. This comes down to the previous key principle. They lack direction. Is it any wonder that students who don't know how to study end up doing something which is ineffective?

An hour spent with a tutor gives direction and the guidance to make effective use of those additional hours of independent learning. It also gives accountability. Those who keep their goals private have only a 10% chance of success. Sharing your goals publicly, and this need only be with trusted friends or family, raises that probability to 65%. But having a specific accountability partner, such as a tutor or coach, raises the likelihood to 95%.

The right environment

Finally, we need to build the right environment. Somewhere which encourages students to drive for success. Somewhere that gives that final boost to make the student excel. This is where we provide that extra push. Our tutoring provision is tailored to ensure that every student strives to give everything they have to be the best that they can.

Nobody wants to be left behind. And nobody wants to be overtaken. Competition is healthy. Strong students want to be better than those around them. We tap into that. But also, strong students nurture and develop each other. The strongest students help others around them to be better and then force themselves to get better to stay ahead of the game. The result is a multiplication of the effort each student puts in.

This environment is what we build in our elite chemistry programme. A 12-week targeted sequence to ensure each student improves their grade.

If this programme sounds like something that would be of benefit to you or your child, get in touch to book a slot for an assessment call.