Online tutoring
Calculus tutors
Differentiation and integration, the machinery behind most of A Level, IB and first-year university mathematics. It is the single topic that most often separates students who are coping from students who are not.
- USD 28-40 per hour
- A Level
- IB
- University
Who takes Calculus, and who should
A Level, IB and undergraduate students who can follow calculus in a lesson but cannot start a question on their own, which is nearly always a sign that it was learned as a set of rules rather than as one idea.
Where students actually lose marks
These are the patterns we see repeatedly. None of them are about ability, and every one of them is trainable, which is why a diagnosis is worth more than a general offer of help.
- Chain, product and quotient rules applied mechanically and then combined wrongly in a single question
- Integration attempted by pattern-matching, with no strategy for choosing substitution over parts
- Not knowing what a derivative represents, so applied and modelling questions become guesswork
- Limits and continuity skipped at school and then assumed at university
Calculus at each level
Calculus at AS and A Level
Introduced in AS and extended substantially at A2, where implicit differentiation, parametric equations and differential equations arrive together. Most students who struggle at A2 have a gap from AS that was never closed.
Calculus at IB Diploma
Core in both Maths routes, but with markedly more depth in Analysis and Approaches HL, which adds proof and a heavier integration toolkit. Students who chose AA HL on the strength of IGCSE results sometimes find the algebraic demand higher than expected.
Calculus at University
First-year calculus moves at roughly four times school pace and assumes algebraic fluency that many students do not have. That gap, not the calculus itself, is what usually needs the work.
What Calculus tutoring costs
| Level | Typical years | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| AS and A Level | Years 12-13 | USD 28-34 |
| IB Diploma | Years 12-13 | USD 30-36 |
| University | Undergraduate | USD 34-40 |
One-to-one, per 60-minute lesson, billed monthly against lessons actually taught. The same rates apply in every city we teach in, and the subject does not change the price. Paired and small-group rates are on the pricing page.
How lessons run
One-to-one over video with a shared whiteboard, so tutor and student work on the same page at the same time. Sixty minutes weekly as standard, twice weekly in the eight weeks before a paper.
Every session starts with marked work from the previous week, moves to the day's topic with a worked example, and ends with the student attempting a real past paper question while the tutor watches how they approach it. After it you get a written note from the tutor saying what was covered and what needs to happen next. The full process is here.
Calculus: questions parents ask
My child can follow calculus but cannot start a question alone. Why?
Almost always because it was learned as a set of rules rather than one idea. A student who knows what a derivative represents can decide what to do with an unfamiliar question; a student who knows only the rules has to recognise the question type first, and unfamiliar ones stop them dead.
Which part causes the most trouble?
Integration, because differentiation has clear rules and integration requires choosing a strategy. Deciding between substitution and parts is a judgement built through varied practice, not something that can be memorised.
Is university calculus very different?
The concepts are similar; the pace is roughly four times faster and the algebraic fluency assumed is higher. Most students who struggle in first year have an algebra gap rather than a calculus one.