IGCSE and GCSE · Years 10-11
IGCSE Mathematics tutors
The Extended tier is where most Gulf students sit, and the jump from Core is larger than schools tend to signal. Algebra, trigonometry and graph transformation carry the most marks and cause the most trouble. Students who can do the mechanics but cannot interpret a wordy multi-step question lose more marks than students who have genuinely not learned the content.
- USD 20-28 per hour
- One-to-one, online
- Free 1-hour trial class
What IGCSE and GCSE actually demands
The first qualifications that appear on a transcript, and the point at which most families first consider tutoring. Two years, usually eight to ten subjects, and a step up in independence that catches out students who coasted through Year 9.
The subject where gaps compound. Every topic rests on an earlier one, so a weakness in algebra from Year 9 quietly becomes a weakness in calculus in Year 12, and the student experiences it as "I am bad at maths" rather than "I missed one thing."
Where IGCSE Mathematics students lose marks
- Method marks lost because working is not written down: the answer is right and the marks are not there
- Algebraic fluency that was never automatic, so every question costs twice the time it should
- Reading a question, recognising the topic, but not knowing which of three methods the examiner wants
- Running out of time on the last two questions, which is usually a speed problem from earlier in the paper
Is this the right subject at this level?
Every student takes it, which is exactly why generic help does so little. What works is diagnosing the specific broken link in the chain rather than re-teaching the current topic more slowly.
What it costs
USD 20-28 per 60-minute one-to-one lesson at IGCSE and GCSE, the same rate in every city we teach in. Billed monthly against lessons actually taught, with no prepaid blocks and no minimum commitment.
Paired lessons (2 students) are USD 14-20 per student. Small group lessons (up to 6 students) are USD 10-14 per student. What each format is good for is here.
How we teach it
One-to-one, online, with a shared whiteboard. The first thing we establish is the exact syllabus the student is entered for: schools do not always publish the version they actually enter, and preparing for the wrong paper structure wastes a term.
After that the work is diagnostic: a past paper under timed conditions, marked together against the published scheme, to find out where the marks are genuinely going. That is almost always more useful than covering the syllabus again more slowly. The full process is here.
Mathematics: questions parents ask
My child understands maths in class but freezes in exams. Why?
Usually because understanding and fluency are different things. Following a worked example needs recognition; an exam needs recall and speed under pressure with no prompt. The fix is timed practice on mixed topics rather than more explanation: a student who can only start a question when told which topic it is has a retrieval problem, not a comprehension one.
How far back do gaps usually go?
Further than most people expect. A student struggling with A Level calculus very often has an algebra weakness from Year 9 that was never closed, and every topic since has been built on it. Diagnosing that honestly takes one session and saves a term of treating the wrong problem.
Is Additional Maths worth taking alongside IGCSE?
If your child is comfortably strong at IGCSE and heading for A Level Maths, physics or engineering, yes, it covers the first term of AS a year early. If IGCSE Maths is already a struggle, it will make things worse rather than better.