Guides · Choosing a tutor
Is online tutoring effective?
The short answer
Yes, when it is one-to-one, regular and linked to clear goals. The Education Endowment Foundation rates one-to-one tuition among the most effective ways to raise attainment, at about five months of extra progress on average. Online lessons keep those benefits and add wider tutor choice, no travel and flexible times across time zones.
Key points
- One-to-one tuition has strong evidence behind it: the EEF estimates about five months of additional progress on average.
- Impact is highest when sessions are regular, short-term and focused on specific gaps.
- Online lessons let you choose a specialist anywhere, not just whoever lives nearby.
- A quiet space, a reliable connection and a shared whiteboard make the biggest practical difference.
What the research says
The Education Endowment Foundation's Teaching and Learning Toolkit summarises studies of one-to-one tuition and estimates an average impact of about five months' additional progress over a year. It finds tuition works best when it is targeted at specific needs, delivered regularly over a set period and closely linked to what the student is learning in class.
The reason is simple: a tutor can diagnose exactly where understanding breaks down and adjust every explanation to the student in front of them, which is hard to do in a class of thirty.
Online versus in-person
The tutoring itself, a skilled tutor working one-to-one on clear goals, is the same online. What changes is access and convenience:
- Choice of tutor. You can work with a specialist in, say, IB Chemistry or the SQE wherever they live.
- No travel. Lessons fit around school, sport and work, including short sessions on weekday evenings.
- Time zones. International students can learn at a sensible local time with a UK-curriculum expert.
- Better records. Whiteboards, shared documents and notes can be saved and revisited.
Online lessons can be harder for very young children or students who find screens distracting. Shorter sessions, more interaction and a parent nearby for the first few lessons usually solve this.
How to get the most from online lessons
- Use a laptop or tablet rather than a phone, ideally with a stylus or graphics tablet for maths and science.
- Choose a quiet room and use headphones.
- Have past papers, class notes and the specification ready to share.
- Agree a goal for each lesson and a short task for afterwards.
- Review progress every few weeks against the original goal.
When tutoring is less effective
Tutoring adds less when it is irregular, unfocused or replaces the student's own practice. It also cannot substitute for sleep, attendance or revision time. The best results come when a tutor and student work together on specific gaps, with independent practice between lessons.
This guide gives general information and was correct when last reviewed. Exams, deadlines and rules change, so always check the official website of the exam board, school, university or regulator.