How do I know the tutoring is actually working?
I (George Chantry) voice dictated every one of these articles to give my honest, transparent view on economics A-Level tutoring to answer parent questions, having worked in the tutoring industry for nine years. Please WhatsApp me if you want to discuss anything in the articles further or have any further questions.
Many parents paying for A-Level economics tutoring ask this question. Here's my honest answer.
There are 4 signs to look for. I have tutored A-Level economics to 145 one-to-one students, with 82% of my Edexcel students achieving A/A* in the 2024–25 exams, and my students scored 18 A/A* grades in the official 2024/2025 A-Level Economics exams. I regularly see students improve by several grades. I have had students improve up to 4 grades in 6 months.
Sign 1: your child's confidence and enthusiasm for economics grows
Parents notice their child is more enthusiastic and motivated to study economics.
"Given a choice, my children would prefer to have full time George than any of their school teachers. He's brilliant."
Hannah, parent
"he always comes out of the lesson, looking enthusiastic and motivated"
Jin, parent
"Her confidence in both parts of Economics has rocketed."
Gemma, parent
"moving from the bottom of the class to the top of my class, consistently achieving top marks"
Ross, student
Sign 2: grades and test scores improve for your child
It is a particularly good sign if grades improve on SPECIFIC areas diagnosed by the tutor as needing fixing. I just had an economics student from Westminster go from 6/25 to 23/25 in their essay marks for A-Level economics. That was after specific feedback from me on how to make their answers more relevant to the exam question — to give the examiners what they are looking for.
Review from Emilie for Economics A-Level on results day:
"our son jumped from a Grade D to a Grade A and has got into his first choice of university. Many thanks to George for helping his achieve his potential."
Emilie, parent
Sign 3: the school notices your child improved
"After just a couple of sessions with George, her tutors noticed her progress."
Gemma, parent
When the classroom teacher comments independently, that's strong confirmation.
Sign 4: your child explains economics back to you
Parents of my students message me saying their son/daughter now talks to them about economics all the time; that is a great sign the tutoring is enthusing your child. My student improved by 4 grades following his mother's comment on her son's newfound enthusiasm for economics.
What you should expect from a professional tutor
- A clear diagnosis of your child's specific weaknesses in detail. Targeted lessons on these specific weaknesses in your child's zone of proximal development (graspable yet challenging) to help them improve, with active recall (the child remembers) and spaced repetition (the child remembers regularly).
- Regular progress updates to you (not just the student)
- A targeted bespoke plan
- Measurable improvement within 4-6 sessions
"As parents, we receive regular detailed updates on progress - something I personally find extremely useful given that feedback from teens is a rare event in our home."
Sheetal, parent
Have a question about your child’s A-Level Economics? Message me — I reply to every one personally.
WhatsApp George — free initial call