A-level Biology

A-level Biology carries more content than any other science in the sixth form timetable. Vocabulary, required practicals and the mathematical skills that account for around a tenth of the marks all compete for the same revision hours. Our one-to-one A-level Biology tuition takes the subject in order: one topic at a time, then one paper at a time, until your child can read a question and know what the examiner wants back.

Lessons run online, usually in the evening after college, taught by a graduate biologist who knows the specification. Our head of sciences oversees the teaching. Written notes from every lesson are sent to you afterwards, and parents receive a detailed progress report. We teach pupils aged 7 to 18 across Sound Footing Tuition; this page covers the A-level end only.

What the tuition covers

We teach to your child's specification rather than a generic syllabus. Before the first lesson we ask which board they sit: AQA, OCR A, OCR B (Salters-Nuffield), Edexcel A (SNAB), Edexcel B or Eduqas. The differences matter. OCR's practical activity groups and AQA's required practicals are examined in different ways, and the 25-mark essay at the end of AQA Paper 3 has no equivalent elsewhere.

From there we work in the order the school teaches, or in the order that closes the biggest gaps first. The topics that come up most often include biological molecules and enzymes, cell structure and transport across membranes, DNA and protein synthesis, gene expression, exchange surfaces and mass transport, photosynthesis and respiration, energy transfers in ecosystems, homeostasis and the nervous system, genetics and populations, evolution, and gene technology.

Two threads run alongside the content. The first is maths: magnification calculations, chi-squared, the t-test, Spearman's rank and Hardy-Weinberg appear across most boards and are worth easy marks that many students leave behind. The second is written technique. Command words, the relationship between the number of marks and the number of points needed, and how to answer a "suggest" question without drifting off the specification. Biology rewards precision.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Most sixth formers we teach are in Year 12 or Year 13 and sit close to a grade boundary. They know plenty of biology. They lose marks on application, on data questions, or on the long written answers where a mark scheme expects a specific phrase.

• Students whose mock or end-of-topic scores are strong on recall and weaker on unfamiliar contexts.
• Year 12 pupils who found the jump from GCSE harder than expected and want the first year rebuilt before it compounds.
• Year 13 students preparing for papers in June who need timed practice and honest marking.
• Anyone whose school has lost a teacher mid-year, or who is studying Biology as a fourth subject with little classroom support.

It is not the right fit if you are looking for a group revision class, or if the lessons would replace the work your child does between sessions. Twenty minutes of past paper practice a week matters more than a second weekly lesson. We will say plainly whether we think we can help before you book anything.

If your child can recite the light-dependent reaction from memory yet still drops marks on a six-mark question about a plant under drought stress, the gap is usually written technique rather than recall, and that is a much quicker thing to fix than missing content.

How the course runs, step by step

Before the first lesson

We ask for the exam board, the specification code, the last school report and any marked mock scripts. A marked script tells us more than a grade does. It shows where the marks went, which questions were skipped and whether timing or knowledge cost more.

The first three or four sessions

These are diagnostic as well as taught. We work through a short topic audit against the specification, then start on the weakest area first. You get a written summary of what we found and a rough plan for the term, with the topics listed in the order we intend to cover them.

The middle of the year

Lessons settle into a rhythm: a topic taught properly, then exam questions on that topic in the same session, then the same topic revisited a few weeks later. Practical questions get their own attention, because the required practicals and PAGs are examined in paper questions that reward specifics about method and variables. After each lesson, notes go out by email. Those notes are included in the fee, and so is the parent progress report, which sets out what was covered, what the marked work showed and what to work on next.

From February onwards

Teaching shifts towards the papers. Full papers under timed conditions, marked against the published scheme, with the mark loss mapped question by question. For AQA candidates we plan and redraft the essay. If you want more paper practice than the weekly lesson allows, the A-level Past Paper Review sessions can be added, and many families pair Biology with Chemistry or Maths tuition to share the week.

What your child needs to bring

• The specification for their board, printed or open on screen.
• A calculator. Any scientific model will do, as long as it handles standard form.
• Recent marked work: mock papers, end-of-topic tests, school reports.
• Paper and pen for diagrams and annotated graphs, even in an online lesson.
• Their school timetable for the term, so we avoid clashing with practicals and mocks.

Parents help most by sending exam dates and mock weeks early. We plan around them, and a two-week pause before mocks is often more useful than squeezing a lesson in.

What affects the timing and the fee

Fees are quoted on request, because no two programmes are the same length. What moves the number:

• How much ground needs covering. A single weak module is a short block. A full Year 12 rebuild across two terms is not.
• How close the exams are. Starting in September gives room to teach properly. Starting in April means triage, and we will say so.
• Frequency. Weekly suits most families; twice weekly works better in the final months.
• Whether you add Past Paper Review sessions alongside the taught lessons.
• Online or at home. A-level lessons run online as standard, which keeps the diary flexible and means no travel time. If you would prefer home lessons, mention it when you enquire and we will tell you honestly whether we cover your area.

Every tutor is DBS-checked and qualified, and lesson notes, marking and parent progress reports carry no separate charge. Bundle two sciences or add paper review and we will price the combination as one arrangement rather than several. Ring +44 161 6306222 or email [email protected], and ask about current availability when you book. Sessions fill fastest in the weeks after the January mocks and around the May half-term.

Questions parents ask

Can you teach the board my child's school uses?

Yes. AQA, OCR A, OCR B, Edexcel A, Edexcel B and Eduqas are all taught regularly, and we ask for the specification code before the first lesson so the teaching matches the wording your child will see in the exam.

How much written work is marked?

Exam questions set in the lesson are marked against the published mark scheme, and written answers done between lessons are marked and returned with comments. This is part of the lesson time and the fee, not an add-on.

What happens if a lesson has to move?

Let us know as early as you can and we will rearrange it. Sixth form life brings trips, practicals and fixtures, and a moved lesson is far better than a skipped one.

Do you teach the practical skills, or only the theory?

Both. Your child still needs their school's laboratory work for the practical endorsement, but the written questions on methods, variables, uncertainties and apparatus are taught here, since that is where the marks are won and lost.

Can lessons continue into the summer after the A-level exams?

They can, though most families stop once the last paper is sat. Some use the gap to get ahead on a university reading list or to help a younger sibling at GCSE.