A-Level biology, in the examiner’s words

A-Level biology surprises students in two ways: the sheer volume of content, and how precisely it has to be written. A child can understand a topic well and still lose marks because the answer did not use the exact terms the mark scheme wants. Knowing the biology and scoring the biology turn out to be two different skills.

One-to-one help closes that gap quickly, because a tutor can mark your child’s answers the way an examiner would and show them how to phrase what they already know. Sessioned matches your child with a verified A-Level biology tutor for one-to-one online sessions, built around their exam board and the topics that are actually causing trouble.

What does A-Level biology cover?

Across the two years, the course works through:

• Biological molecules — carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, enzymes and nucleic acids
• Cells — structure, transport across membranes, the cell cycle and the immune system
• Exchange and transport — how organisms exchange substances with their environment, and mass transport in animals and plants
• Genetics, variation and evolution — inheritance, natural selection, populations and speciation
• Energy transfers — photosynthesis and respiration, and energy flow through ecosystems
• Response and homeostasis — nervous and hormonal coordination, and control of the internal environment
• Gene expression and genetic technologies — control of gene expression and modern biotechnology

A set of required practicals runs alongside, and questions on their methods and data appear throughout the written papers.

Which exam boards do you cover?

• AQA (7402) — the most widely sat A-Level biology specification
• Edexcel / Pearson — Biology A: Salters-Nuffield (9BN0) and Biology B (9BI0)
• OCR — Biology A (H420) and Biology B: Advancing Biology (H422)
• WJEC / Eduqas — for schools in Wales and some in England

The content is broadly shared, but the boards structure and word their papers differently. Tell us the board and we will match a tutor who teaches it every week. Many biology students also take A-Level chemistry — we cover that too.

What happens in a tutoring session?

Sessions run one-to-one over video — 30, 60 or 90 minutes, whichever suits — with a shared whiteboard for working through diagrams and answers together.

A typical session:

1. Review of the week’s work or past-paper answers, marked the way an examiner would
2. Focused teaching on one topic until it genuinely makes sense, not just sounds familiar
3. Exam-style questions on that topic, rewriting answers to hit the mark scheme
4. A short note on what was covered and what to practise before next time

Nobody is rushed. If gene expression needs three sessions, it gets three sessions.

Every tutor, properly vetted.

• Reviewed one by one — every application is read by a person, and we turn down more than one in four
• Qualifications set out in full — each tutor’s degrees, training and experience are shown on their profile, so you can judge them yourself
• DBS status on every profile — “DBS Verified” where we have checked the certificate ourselves, “DBS on file” where the details are provided but not yet checked, and not provided where a tutor holds none. You see which before you book, and we never claim it for all of them

Your child never works with a stranger we haven’t vetted. That is the baseline, not an upgrade.

Clear pricing, no surprises

Tutors set their own rates and keep every penny. You pay the tutor’s rate plus a transparent 20% platform fee, shown in full before you book. No subscriptions, no upfront packages.

Frequently asked questions

My child revises hard but keeps dropping marks — why? Often it is not knowledge, it is phrasing. A-Level biology rewards precise, specific wording, and a general answer that sounds right frequently scores nothing. A tutor teaches how to write to the mark scheme, using the exact terms the examiner is looking for.

There is so much content — how do we keep on top of it? Volume is the real challenge in biology. A tutor helps build a system: regular low-stakes recall, linking topics together rather than learning them in isolation, and focusing revision on the areas that carry the most marks.

Which part of the course do students find hardest? Many find the biochemistry — respiration and photosynthesis — and genetics and gene expression the toughest, because they are abstract and heavily interlinked. A tutor unpicks them step by step rather than all at once.

What if the first tutor is not the right fit? Tell us and we will rematch you, and refund the first session if it was not right. Chemistry matters in one-to-one work, and there is no charge for switching.

Get matched with an A-Level biology tutor

Tell us your child’s exam board and where biology is hurting. We will hand-match a tutor, and you can start with a single session — no ongoing commitment.

Get matched →