University · Undergraduate
University Religious Studies tutors
Theology and religious studies degrees expect engagement with primary texts, often in translation, and with contemporary scholarly debate. The move from summarising positions to criticising them is the main adjustment.
- USD 34-40 per hour
- One-to-one, online
- Free 1-hour trial class
What University actually demands
First-year modules move at several times school pace and assume prerequisites that are often shakier than students realise. Support here is usually about closing a specific gap quickly rather than working through a syllabus.
Philosophy of religion, ethics and the study of religious traditions. Assessment rewards balanced argument with named scholars and accurate use of scripture: personal conviction, however sincere, earns nothing on its own.
Where University Religious Studies students lose marks
- Personal belief substituted for scholarly argument
- Ethical theories described accurately and then not applied to the scenario in the question
- Scripture quoted without context or interpretation
- Counter-arguments acknowledged in a sentence and never genuinely engaged with
Is this the right subject at this level?
Students heading for philosophy, theology, law or humanities degrees, and anyone who argues well in conversation but does not yet write in the structure the mark scheme rewards.
What it costs
USD 34-40 per 60-minute one-to-one lesson at University, 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 24-28 per student. Small group lessons (up to 6 students) are USD 17-20 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.
Religious Studies: questions parents ask
Does a student's own belief affect the mark?
Not at all, in either direction. The assessment is on balanced argument with named scholars and accurate use of sources. Sincere personal conviction stated as argument earns nothing, which surprises students who care deeply about the subject.
How much philosophy is in it?
At A Level, a great deal. Philosophy of religion and ethical theory make up much of the course, and they are argued rather than described: closer to philosophy than to religious education at earlier levels.
What separates the top band?
Named scholars, precise technical vocabulary, and genuinely engaging with counter-arguments rather than acknowledging them in a sentence before dismissing them.