Maths and Physics tutor. Imperial College London MSci student, offering GCSE and A-level lessons in London, online.

I start by finding out where the problem actually is. Most students who struggle with a topic are missing something one or two topics earlier, so the first lesson is a short diagnostic: I give you past-paper questions and watch how you work, not just whether the answer is right. Once I know where it breaks, we fix that before moving on. From there, each lesson follows the same shape. I explain the idea, work an example out loud so you see the reasoning rather than a finished solution, then hand over a question and let you attempt it while I stay quiet. If you get stuck I ask a question rather than take the pen. You should be doing most of the talking by the second half of the lesson. I set a short problem set between sessions and mark the working, not just the answer. Marks in Maths and Physics are lost in the method, so that's where I give feedback. Closer to exams we switch to timed past papers and mark schemes, so you learn what examiners actually award marks for and how to allocate time across a paper. You'll always know why we're doing what we're doing. If something isn't working, tell me and we'll change it.