Online tutoring
Computer Science tutors
The programming-and-theory route: how machines represent and move data, plus writing and tracing algorithms by hand and at a keyboard. The exam tests a narrower, more precise skill than the one most keen programmers have been practising.
- USD 20-40 per hour
- IGCSE
- A Level
- IB
- University
Who takes Computer Science, and who should
Students who want to build things and are comfortable with the logic and maths underneath. It is the stronger choice for engineering, computer science or any degree with a quantitative core.
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.
- Writing code that works but cannot be explained in the terms the mark scheme wants
- Tracing an algorithm on paper under time pressure without a computer to check it
- Losing marks on binary, hexadecimal and two's complement arithmetic that was never properly drilled
- Treating the theory paper as memorisation when it tests applied understanding
Computer Science at each level
Computer Science at IGCSE and GCSE
Two written papers of equal weight, one on computer systems, one on algorithms, programming, databases and logic. The second is where grades are decided, because it asks for pseudocode written by hand with no interpreter to catch mistakes.
Computer Science at AS and A Level
Adds a practical paper requiring complete program code and evidence of testing, alongside substantially deeper theory in architecture, data structures and programming paradigms. Students who can program often lose marks purely on the evidence requirements.
Computer Science at IB Diploma
Computer Science at SL or HL, with an Internal Assessment requiring a fully documented solution for a real client. HL adds abstract data structures and a case study released annually.
Computer Science at University
First-year computing modules assume fluency in at least one language and comfort with discrete mathematics, which is a bigger jump than school suggests. Students who arrived through project work rather than formal study often find the theoretical modules the harder half.
Syllabus detail
For the syllabuses where we have verified the specification against the awarding body's own published document, there is a full paper-by-paper breakdown:
What Computer Science tutoring costs
| Level | Typical years | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| IGCSE and GCSE | Years 10-11 | USD 20-28 |
| 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.
Computer Science: questions parents ask
My child is good at coding but their grade is poor. Why?
Because the exam does not test coding the way they practise it. It asks for algorithms written by hand in pseudocode, traced through a table, and explained in the vocabulary of the mark scheme. A student who builds things all weekend can still lose half the programming paper.
Computer Science or ICT, which should we choose?
Computer Science if the student is comfortable with abstraction and wants a technical degree route; ICT if they prefer applied, precision-driven work assessed largely at a computer. Neither is the easy option: they are difficult in different directions.
Which programming language will be taught?
Usually Python, because it is what most schools use and it maps cleanly onto exam pseudocode. For A Level practical papers we work in whichever language the student will actually sit the paper in.