Maths Tuition Curriculum
Which maths qualification is your child taking, and what does it require?
Families often arrive unsure which qualification their child is actually sitting. "A-Level Maths" might mean the linear UK A-Level or the modular International A-Level. "iGCSE" might mean Edexcel or Cambridge, and those now differ on whether there is a non-calculator paper. This page sets out what we teach and how the qualifications compare, so you can work out which page you actually need.
At a glance
Each qualification below is a separate heading with a short paragraph beneath it, so it pastes straight into Wix as text. Set the qualification names as H3 and the detail as body text. GCSE Maths — Edexcel, AQA, OCR Three papers of 90 minutes, all sat at the end of the course. Entered at Foundation tier for grades 1 to 5, or Higher tier for grades 4 to 9. One paper is non-calculator: Paper 1 for Edexcel and AQA, Paper 2 for OCR. Main sitting in May and June, with a resit opportunity in November. iGCSE Maths — Edexcel 4MA1 Two papers of two hours, sat at the end of the course. Foundation tier for grades 1 to 5, Higher tier for grades 4 to 9. Calculators are allowed in both papers, and a formula sheet is provided. There is no non-calculator paper, which is the main difference from UK GCSE. iGCSE Maths — Cambridge 0580 Two papers, sat at the end of the course, with Core and Extended routes. A non-calculator Paper 2 was introduced from June 2025, so this now differs from Edexcel 4MA1 on exactly that point. No formula sheet is provided. A-Level Maths — Edexcel, AQA, OCR Three papers of two hours, all sat together at the end of Year 13. Pure mathematics across the first two papers, with Statistics and Mechanics compulsory in the third. Linear, so no grades are banked along the way. Statistics questions draw on a prescribed large data set. International A-Level Maths — Edexcel Six units of 90 minutes each, worth one sixth of the grade apiece. Pure 1 to Pure 4 are compulsory, plus one applied pair from M1 and S1, M1 and D1, M1 and M2, S1 and D1, or S1 and S2. Units are sat in January, June and October, and any unit can be resat with the best result counting. Further Maths — UK and International A second qualification taken alongside A-Level Maths, not instead of it. Content includes complex numbers, matrices, hyperbolic functions and further calculus. The UK route (Edexcel 9FM0) is linear with compulsory Core Pure plus options. The International route is modular, built from FP1, FP2, FP3 and additional applied units. Note that Further Pure units are examined in January and June only, not October. IB Mathematics — Analysis and Approaches, Applications and Interpretation Two exam papers at Standard Level, three at Higher Level, plus a Mathematical Exploration worth 20% of the final grade in every route. On Analysis and Approaches, Paper 1 is non-calculator. On Applications and Interpretation, technology is permitted throughout. Higher Level adds a third paper of extended problem solving.
Two school calendars
UK schools run September to July, with exams in May and June and half terms in October, February and May. UAE schools typically run late August or early September to late June or early July, with a long winter break in December, a spring break around March or April, and Ramadan timings that shorten the school day. During Ramadan, UAE school hours are reduced and family routines change substantially. We adjust lesson times rather than expecting students to keep to a schedule built for a different month. The practical consequence is that a UAE student's revision run-in looks different from a UK student's, even when they are sitting the same paper in the same series.
Choosing between routes
GCSE or iGCSE is usually the school's decision, not the family's. The qualifications are treated as equivalent by sixth forms and universities. A-Level or International A-Level is likewise usually decided by the school. The modular iAL suits students who benefit from banking grades and repairing individual units; the linear A-Level suits students who prefer one focused run-in. A-Level or IB is a genuine choice where a school offers both. A-Level means depth in three or four subjects; IB means breadth across six plus the core. Neither is universally better. AA or AI within the IB matters more than most families realise, and is worth deciding on how a student thinks rather than on which sounds harder. Whether to add Further Maths depends on the intended degree. It is required or preferred for some competitive STEM courses and a substantial extra workload for everyone.
What we teach
Every qualification in the table above, at every tier and level: GCSE Maths — Edexcel, AQA and OCR, Foundation and Higher iGCSE Maths — Edexcel 4MA1 and Cambridge 0580 A-Level Maths — Edexcel, AQA and OCR International A-Level Maths — P1–P4, S1, S2, M1, M2 Further Maths — UK and International, including Further Pure units IB Mathematics — AA and AI at SL and HL
How we teach it
Small interactive online groups. Students work problems live on a shared whiteboard rather than watching a lesson. Group sizes stay small enough that every student contributes. Bespoke one-to-one where it fits better. Available at a bespoke price, and often the right choice for Exploration support, admissions test preparation or a tight resit timeline. Qualified teachers. All tutors hold QTS and/or a PGCE with over ten years' experience teaching in international and UK schools. Topic-level progress tracking. Every student's accuracy is recorded topic by topic, so weak areas surface before an exam rather than after it. A typical timeline. Most students see a grade or more of improvement within around 60 days of consistent weekly lessons.
Curriculum FAQs
How do I find out which specification my child is sitting? Their school's exams officer or maths teacher will confirm the specification code — for example 1MA1, 4MA1, 9MA0 or YMA01. It is worth knowing, because it determines what they should be revising. Do you follow the school's scheme of work? We work alongside it. Where a student is behind, we prioritise the gaps that are holding them back rather than staying in step with the class. Can you help with mocks as well as final exams? Yes. Mock results are also the best evidence available for tier and route decisions. What if my child changes qualification mid-course? It happens, particularly on a move between countries. We map what transfers and what needs covering from scratch.