Most of what our Reading A-Level tutors do is move a predicted grade up a band, occasionally two. The work usually starts in Year 12, ahead of the summer mocks that fix the grade a sixth form sends to UCAS.
From £37/hr · rates agreed directly with your tutor
FROM E GRADES TO THREE Cs
The conversation we hear most from Reading A-Level parents runs the same way: the effort is there, the sixth form is good, but the Year 12 mock came back below what UCAS will need. What a Reading A-Level tutor usually finds isn't missing content. It's the evaluation the longer questions reward, the AO3 chains and multi-step problems a class moving at pace can't drill line by line.
"The A level tutoring made such a difference to my son, who had left studying until the final hour, managing to turn E and U grades into 3 C grades. Amazing."
Listen to our co-founder talk about A-Levels
VOTED TUTORING SPECIALISTS OF THE YEAR
MEET THE TUTORS
Most of our Reading A-Level tutors are recent Russell Group graduates who've just come through the same specs and the same UCAS round. Some now sit inside the Thames Valley tech and finance firms your child might be aiming at. Matched by specification, not just subject. Browse profiles, or let us match your child.
REAL RESULTS, REAL FAMILIES
A-Level Student
My tutor is a very intuitive and superb teacher. She listened to my specific concerns and bolstered my confidence in answering questions. She taught me how to think critically and helped me through this highly demanding course. I will happily recommend without a second thought.
Parent of A-Level Student
My son gained almost two grades higher than his year 13 mock paper. His tutor was excellent.
Parent of A-Level Student
The A level tutoring made such a difference to my son, who had left studying until the final hour, managing to turn E and U grades into 3 C grades. Amazing.
Parent
The Degree Gap helped my child go from Cs to As. They have a great selection of tutors who not only assist with the curriculum but also helped with university choices and applications.
Parent of A-Level Student
Our son has been receiving tuition for Psychology A Level. The tutor has provided a solid base of support outside of school lessons and helped him to improve his latest grades.
A-Level Student
My tutor was an excellent teacher that helped me gain real grip of the complicated areas in my subjects like economics. I'd highly recommend for anyone looking to consistently perform at their best.
Parent of A-Level Student
The Degree Gap has been very helpful in tutoring my son for his economics A Level. His tutor has lots of patience, keeps lessons interesting and is a good motivator. The subject matter expertise is excellent.
Parent of A-Level Student
My son has been receiving tutor lessons in A Level History and A Level Sociology since the beginning of this year. The tutor has been such a tremendous support, teaching him content as well as exam technique.
A-Level Student
Before joining The Degree Gap, I found it hard to follow the curriculum. The sessions helped everything click. Lessons were calm, focused, and easy to understand. Highly recommend.
A-Level Student
My sessions were super simple compared to what I'd experienced with other teachers. I really enjoyed my time and would highly recommend it to people.
A-Level Student
At first I was hesitant on getting a tutor, but this wasn't the case. My tutor helped me massively with my essays, topics I didn't understand, and overall confidence with the subject. I highly recommend.
A-Level Student
The Degree Gap really helped me get through my A-levels and made a massive difference when helping me get into my first choice of university.
University Student
My tutor transformed my performance in mathematical economics modules, taking me from a third class to a first. His patience and ability to adapt to my needs exceeded my expectations.
University Student
Cannot recommend The Degree Gap highly enough. Quick and helpful responses. I was immediately matched with a very competent tutor who was a massive help in helping me exceed my target grade and achieve a first class degree at university.
University Applicant
My tutor was amazing. He helped me shape my personal statement into something I was truly proud of, and thanks to his support, I got into my dream university. Highly recommend to anyone applying to uni.
Parent
The Degree Gap has exceeded all my expectations. They have gone above and beyond to pair both my sons with the appropriate tutors, all of whom have been exceptional. Both my sons exceeded their expected grades in their GCSEs and A Levels and got into their first choice universities. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
WHAT COULD BE NEXT
A good tutor keeps the destination in view from the first session, whether that's a Russell Group offer or a Thames Valley apprenticeship.
Not sure which route fits? A free call with a co-founder covers subject strategy and UCAS, not just tutoring.
Book a Free Consultation Call
Get in touch and we'll connect you with the right A-Level tutor for your child. We'll ask a few questions about their subjects, year group, and exam board — and introduce you to a tutor who fits.
Yes, and it's a growing part of our Reading work. Microsoft and Oracle at Thames Valley Park, PepsiCo at Green Park and PwC across the region all run competitive degree-apprenticeship routes, and each publishes its own predicted-grade and UCAS-points ask that shifts year to year. A tutor lifts the A-Level performance behind the predicted grade those schemes screen on, and can help with the aptitude tests and timed written stages some of them set. We'd point families at the current scheme pages rather than a number we half-remember.
The predicted grade comes from your child's teachers, built on mock and class performance, so the lever is the performance underneath it. A tutor reads the recent papers, works out whether the marks are leaking on content or on exam-day technique, then drills that until they land. Start in Year 12 if you can, because the summer mock is what hardens the prediction UCAS sees. Year 13 still moves things, the window is just tighter.
It's normal, and it's rarely about effort. A-Level asks for a different kind of thinking than GCSE rewarded: more independent study, and evaluation that argues a case rather than just describing one. A strong GCSE student can hit that wall in the first Year 12 term and read it as failure when it's really a method change nobody spelled out. A tutor names the specific shift in the subject and rebuilds the habits around it.
Yes. A-Level work is where online one-to-one is at its best. The tutor marks an essay or a problem set live on the shared whiteboard, and the session records so your child can rewatch the step that didn't land the first time. For a Reading student it also means the right specialist for OCR Chemistry or Edexcel Economics, not just whoever lives nearby. Most students settle into the format inside a session or two.
