22nd March 2019 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A really interesting phenomenon of private tuition is the subjects for which students or parents decide to get a tutor. We’re asked all the time about the ‘type’ of student who approaches us; are they struggling, are they doing really well or anything in between. The answer is always that there’s no trend. When a student is completely failing they usually seek a more drastic solution, like dropping that subject, but otherwise our students cover the range of grades achievable.
Why would someone get a tutor when they’re already excelling at a subject? Often because they want to consolidate that top grade, and maybe because they plan to study that subject at university, and want to understand it more deeply. Also, if someone has to take an extra exam, like the STEP exams, then a private tutor can push them to be better than required to simply get the top grade at A Level.
Most A Level students ask for a tutor for their weakest subject. Does this make sense? Imagine a student doing maths, economics and history at A Level who plans to study economics at a top university. If history is the student’s weakest subject, does it make sense to concentrate on history and ask for an A Level history tutor? The answer is probably yes, but for the wrong reasons. The student will probably have an offer like ABB, so even if they are guaranteed an A in both maths and economics, history is the barrier to meeting the university offer.
The truth is, university offers create focus for students, and many of us see school as a race to get into the best university and get the best job possible, but maybe our focus should be on producing the best members of society. Well rounded adults are obviously a good thing, and a problem with the UK exam system is that it allows students to specialise from the age of 16. However, when a student is truly interested in a particular subject then getting a tutor so that they can excel at university must be a good thing.