Online tutoring
ICT tutors
The applied route: spreadsheets, databases, document production and web authoring to a professional standard, plus understanding how technology is used in organisations. Most of the grade is earned at a computer.
- USD 20-40 per hour
- IGCSE
- A Level
- University
Who takes ICT, and who should
Students who want a technology qualification that rewards precision and process rather than programming, and who will be assessed largely on practical work produced under time pressure.
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.
- Practical tasks that are technically correct but lose marks on formatting and evidence requirements
- Spreadsheet functions learned by rote rather than as tools for a stated problem
- Running out of time in the practical papers because tasks are done in an inefficient order
- Underestimating the theory paper because the practical work feels like the real subject
ICT at each level
ICT at IGCSE and GCSE
One theory paper and two practical tests, with the practicals together worth more than the theory. Marks are awarded on evidence, not intention: correct work saved wrongly or not screenshotted scores nothing.
ICT at AS and A Level
Alternating theory and practical papers, with the practicals carrying more marks. Adds data analysis and visualisation, project management, animation and programming for the web, and the theory papers ask for reasoned judgement rather than description.
ICT at University
Information systems and business technology degrees move into systems analysis, databases and project management, usually assessed through coursework as much as exams. The practical fluency built at school transfers well; the analytical framing is new.
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 ICT 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 |
| 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.
ICT: questions parents ask
Is ICT easier than Computer Science?
No, it is a different kind of difficult. Most of the IGCSE is assessed at a computer under strict time pressure, and the practical papers are marked on evidence rather than intention: correct work saved or named wrongly scores nothing.
How is practical work taught online?
The student works on their own machine while sharing their screen, which is closer to exam conditions than watching a demonstration. Timed past papers marked together against the published scheme is what changes results here.
Does it matter that our computer is a Mac and school uses Windows?
It can, particularly for spreadsheet function differences and file format requirements. Preparation should be done in the environment the student will actually sit the exam in, with the differences flagged explicitly rather than discovered on the day.