How Much Does a GCSE Tutor Cost? (and How to Choose One)

The Short Answer

There is no official price list for private tutoring in the UK. Tutors set their own rates. As a rough guide, one-to-one GCSE tuition typically costs somewhere between £25 and £50 an hour. Online lessons tend to sit at the lower end. In-person lessons in London, and lessons with very experienced teachers or examiners, tend to sit at the top end or above it.

Treat those numbers as a starting point, not a rule. The right question is not "what is the going rate?" It is "what will this tutor do for my child in each hour, and how will we know it is working?"

What Drives the Price

Most of the difference between a £25 tutor and a £60 tutor comes down to a handful of things.

• Experience. A qualified teacher with years of GCSE teaching usually charges more than a university student. That does not always mean better lessons, but it often means faster diagnosis of what is going wrong.
• Exam knowledge. Tutors who know your child's exam board well, or who have marked exams, can charge a premium. Their value is in knowing exactly how marks are won and lost.
• Location. In-person tutoring costs more in London and other big cities. Travel time is part of the price.
• Format. Online lessons remove travel, so they are often cheaper. Small-group lessons cost less per child again, but with less individual attention.
• Subject and level. Higher tier maths and the sciences tend to be in demand. Tutors in those subjects can often charge more.
• Agency or direct. Agencies add their own margin. Some take a share of the fee; others charge the parent a booking fee on top.

How Much Will It Cost in Total?

The hourly rate matters less than the number of hours. Work it out before you start. One hour a week for a school term of around twelve weeks is twelve lessons. At £35 an hour, that is £420 for the term. Weekly lessons from the start of Year 11 to the exams in May and June run to around 30 lessons once holidays are taken out.

Not every child needs that. A child with two or three clear gaps may need six to ten focused lessons. A child who is a long way behind, or who needs steady structure all year, may need more. Ask the tutor to suggest a number after the first few lessons, with a reason.

How Common Is Tutoring?

You are not unusual if you are considering it. The Sutton Trust's 2026 report on private tutoring found that 29% of secondary school pupils in England and Wales had received private tutoring at some point. In London the figure was much higher, at 45%. The same research also shows a gap by family income, which is worth knowing: tutoring is a real cost, and it is not the only route to a good grade.

How to Choose a Tutor: Questions to Ask

A short phone or video call before booking tells you a lot. These questions work well:

• Which exam boards do you teach? Your child's school chooses the board (for example AQA, Edexcel, OCR or WJEC). A good tutor will ask you which one before you ask them.
• What would you do in the first lesson? You want to hear about finding gaps: a short diagnostic test, a look at recent school work or mock papers, and a plan.
• How will you tell me how it is going? A brief message after each lesson, or a check-in every few weeks, is reasonable.
• What do you expect my child to do between lessons? Progress comes from practice. A tutor who sets short, specific tasks is doing the job properly.
• Do you have an Enhanced DBS check, and will you show me the certificate? Private tutors are not legally required to have one, but many do. Since January 2026 self-employed tutors can apply for an Enhanced check themselves. Ask to see the original certificate.
• What is your cancellation policy? Know this before the first missed lesson, not after.

Book a Trial Lesson

Some tutors offer a first lesson at a reduced rate, or a short free introduction. Use it. After the trial, ask your child three things: Did you understand the explanations? Did you get to do questions yourself, or did the tutor do most of the talking? Would you be happy to go back?

Ask the tutor too. What did they notice? What is the first thing they would work on? A specific answer ("she loses marks on multi-step algebra questions because she skips steps") is a good sign. A vague one ("she just needs more confidence") is not enough on its own.

Red Flags

• Guaranteed grades. Nobody can promise a grade 7. A tutor who does is selling, not teaching.
• Large payments up front. Paying for a block of lessons is normal. Paying for a whole year before you have seen a lesson is a risk.
• No plan. If the tutor cannot say what they are working on and why, the lessons may drift into homework help.
• Wanting to contact your child directly. Arrangements should go through you. Lesson times, changes and feedback all come to the parent.
• Reluctance to show a DBS certificate or give references, when they have told you they have them.
• Not knowing the specification. If a tutor is unsure which topics are on your child's paper, they will waste lesson time.

Online or In Person?

Both work. The choice usually comes down to your child and your area.

Online gives you a much wider choice of tutors, because location stops mattering. It is often cheaper, there is no travel, and many tutors use a shared digital whiteboard so both can write on the same problem. It suits children who are comfortable on a screen and can focus at home. A laptop or tablet, a stable connection and a quiet room are the basics. A graphics tablet or a phone camera pointed at paper helps a lot for maths and science.

In person suits children who drift off on screens, younger-feeling Year 10s, and anyone who works better with someone beside them. It costs more and narrows your choice to tutors who can travel to you.

Whichever you choose, keep the same safety habits: lessons in a shared space at home, with an adult nearby, and all arrangements made through you.

The Bottom Line

Expect to pay somewhere around £25 to £50 an hour for one-to-one GCSE tuition, with London and highly experienced tutors costing more. Decide on a budget for a set number of lessons, not an open-ended commitment. Then choose on fit: exam board knowledge, a clear plan after the first lesson, and a tutor your child is happy to work with. If you are ready to look, you can browse GCSE tutors by subject and area.

Sources

• Sutton Trust: Private Tutoring 2026
• GOV.UK (DBS): A guide for parents and carers employing self-employed workers or personal employees
• GOV.UK (DfE): Using after-school clubs, tuition and community activities