History Tutors for GCSE, A-Level and IB

Parents searching for history tutors for GCSE, A-Level and IB usually want to know whether individual teaching can follow the board their child sits and the writing its exams reward. It can, because sessions work from the specification, whether that comes from AQA's history qualifications, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or Eduqas, and from the student's own essays and source answers. The aim is clear, argued writing on the periods the course sets.

Most families begin with three details: the year group, the exam board and the current grade, since boards differ in papers, topics and coursework. A tutor can read recent essays against the mark scheme, name where marks slip and plan practice around that finding. The sections below set out how each board is structured, which skills tend to need work and what to check before choosing support.

How AQA GCSE history is structured

AQA GCSE History, specification 8145, is linear, with both papers sat at the end of the course. The AQA GCSE History specification at a glance names Paper 1 as Understanding the modern world and Paper 2 as Shaping the nation.

Paper 1 Section A is a period study chosen from America, Germany or Russia, with a later America option. Section B is a wider world depth study on Conflict and tension, with options ranging from the First World War to the Gulf and Afghanistan. Paper 2 pairs a British thematic study, Health, Power, or Migration and empires, with a British depth study such as Norman England or Elizabethan England, which includes a historic environment.

How OCR, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE history differ

OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project), code J411, takes one component from each of three groups: British history, History around us and World history. British history combines a thematic study, health, crime and punishment, or migrants to Britain, with a British depth study such as the Norman Conquest or the Elizabethans, as OCR's specification at a glance sets out.

In History around us, each centre chooses a local site, which OCR must approve, and the site must not be directly linked to other topics studied. Eduqas offers its GCSE History qualification, spanning medieval, early modern and modern eras in depth and in breadth. Pearson provides Edexcel GCSE History, so confirming the board comes before any topic revision.

How AQA A-level history is structured

AQA A-level History, specification 7042, has three components: a breadth study, a depth study and a historical investigation outside the exam, all taken in the same exam series. Students must study the history of more than one country, taking a British option for one of Components 1 and 2 and an option outside Britain for the other, as the AQA A-level History specification at a glance explains.

Component 1 Section A is a compulsory question on historical interpretations, and Section B offers a choice of essays. Section A of Component 2 is a compulsory question on primary or contemporary sources, again followed by a choice of essays. The personal study in Component 3 is chosen by the student, marked by teachers and moderated by AQA, and it must not repeat content from the options in Components 1 and 2.

How Edexcel and OCR A-level history coursework compares with AQA

Pearson Edexcel offers an A level and AS in History, and its coursework is a historical enquiry in which students examine and judge the views of three historians and present their findings in writing, as the Edexcel assessment support page describes.

OCR A Level History A, H505, lets students choose from over 50 British and non-British topics and includes an essay on a topic of their own choosing, according to OCR's A Level History A page. AQA's version is an independently researched piece framed as a question, drawing on primary and secondary sources and differing interpretations, as its A-level scheme of assessment states. Weighing historians appears under every board, so a tutor can plan drafting around the version the student sits.

History tuition at GCSE, A-Level, IB and 13+

History is examined at several stages, and the right support depends on which one the student has reached. GCSE history tutors cover the exam board papers, source questions and extended writing, whilst sixth form students can look at A-Level history tutors for essays, source evaluation and independent coursework.

History is also set at entrance level, and 13+ Common Entrance tutoring includes the humanities papers some schools set. For the IB, the IB Diploma Programme guide explains how the subject is taught. The Department for Education's GCSE history subject content says specifications must include history from three eras, on three time scales and in three geographical contexts, which is why topics vary between boards.

Source and interpretation skills in history exams

AQA GCSE History assesses four objectives: knowledge, explaining events with second order concepts, evaluating contemporary sources and evaluating interpretations, as its scheme of assessment sets out. The concepts include cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, similarity and difference.

Source questions ask how useful a document is, so a tutor can take the student's own answer, mark it against the board's criteria and show where provenance, content or context is missing. Interpretation questions ask why accounts differ, and practice often involves comparing two historians and writing a short, supported judgement. At A level, Component 2 Section A asks for the value of primary sources to a historian, weighing provenance, style, emphasis and content in context.

Extended essays and judgement in history

AQA GCSE History includes narrative accounts and extended how far do you agree essays, which reward a clear line of argument sustained across several paragraphs. A tutor can read the student's essay plan before any writing begins, since weak argument usually shows at that stage.

At A level, AQA Component 1 essays cover a broad chronology and focus on causation, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance, so they reward range as well as depth. The AQA A-level assessment page adds that students are assessed on knowledge and communication, analysis of source material and evaluation of interpretations. Targeted practice on thesis statements, balanced evidence and conclusions that answer the question follows, with timed essays marked afterwards.

Sequencing history preparation and what to check with the board

Preparation for a history course usually begins with the specification, so the first task is to confirm the board, the option choices and, at A level, the coursework topic. Early sessions then build narrative knowledge of the chosen periods alongside short source and essay exercises, and families often begin at the start of Year 10 or Year 12, when the step up in essay demand becomes visible.

Timed practice takes over as exams approach, with essay plans written against the clock and marked work reviewed so the reasoning behind a grade is clear. Before starting, check with the school which board and options are taught, whether a History around us site or a personal study topic needs approval, and which papers fall at the end of the course.

Booking history tutors for GCSE, A-Level or IB

Fees begin at £50 for a 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with current fee arrangements listed online. Online lessons reach students in the UK and overseas, whilst face to face teaching takes place in central London, and every tutor working with children has an enhanced DBS check, with most enrolled in the DBS Update Service.

The first meeting between student and matched tutor is an introductory session, and a re-match follows free of charge if the pairing does not suit. Written progress reports follow lessons, and each family has a dedicated contact at Taylor Tuition. Booking starts with a request on the enquiry form, and the team answers with tutor recommendations.

Related guides

Related reading: how to get a grade 9 in GCSE History.

Applicants considering the subject at university can see applying for History at Oxford and applying for History at Cambridge.

To discuss a match, find a history tutor and include the student’s year group, exam board and current grade.