Get your dream grades with expert A-Level Chemistry Tuition

Achieve 8/9s, or whatever would make you ecstatic on results day. Get into your 1st choice university. Expert online tutoring from Dr Andrew Lawson, a Cambridge graduate with over 12,000 hours of experience. Feel confident and supported, not lost or alone.

You’ll become a master of:

Titration calculations

Ligand substitution reactions

Aromatic chemistry

Period 3 oxide reactions

Practical methods

Proton NMRs

Over 12 years as a full-time tutor
Over 300 students helped
All major exam board covered
Focus on past papers

Common mistakes students make in A-Level Chemistry

A-Levels are a big step up from GCSEs, and there is a lot of knowledge that isn’t about a topic, but about physics, or A-Levels in general. I’ll show you enough to give you a big advantage, and make your life easier. Here’s some.

Reading handouts, textbooks, revision guides or notes too quickly

Trying to memorise sentences you haven’t understood or thought about is a bad idea. Slow down and think about each word you come across. If the sentence mentions halogens, exothermic or ionic bond and you can’t give an example or describe it in words, you should pause, read some stuff and have a bit of a think. Then go back to the original sentence. You need to know what these words mean in your exams. So don’t wait any longer.

Not trying to learn where the 20 most used elements are on the periodic table

It literally takes a few minutes the first time, and a few 5 minute tests. In total about half an hour. You will instantly know the position of 90%+ of all elements you will ever see in a question. Asked to compare Li and Na? You instantly know Na is below Li. Every student I’ve ever taught questions why I’m making them do it. And every single one thanks me a few days or weeks later. Trust me – it’s like trying to do maths without basic mental arithmetic skills, and instead using your calculator for every calculation. Like 3+5. Who would do 3+5 on a calculator?

Top questions from parents

Ideally September or October. At the start of the new school year.
This way, you can get as high a grade as you want. Only your effort will limit you. Not your current ability. You should have 1 lesson a week. Maybe 2 a week if you want to FULLY cover 2 or 3 subjects.

If you have left it later than this:

  • 3-4 months before an exam.
  • The holidays, summer, half terms.
    I can advise you on how many lessons a week and hours of homework you will need to reach your goals.
  • Finally, occasional lessons anytime during your course.
    For capable students before interviews, entrance exams, or competitions. Or when hitting a tricky topic.

The earlier you realise you need help the better.

Students usually see a good improvement, with most seeing a 1 to 3 grade increase. E.g. from a C to an A would be a 2-grade increase.

I have seen greater improvements than this several times. Most of my students end up getting 7-9s.

Really it’s the university, where you are doing the degree and not the subject itself that defines the offers you get from universities. However there are some degrees that are very competitive, regardless of which university you apply to.

Medicine is number one. The prospect of being able to save and improve lives, have as varied and interesting career as you are prepared to work for, and be paid extremely well is obviously going to be hotly contested. It is not only hard in terms of the A-Level results you will need, you need to be dedicated and study hard for *many* years to become a fully qualify doctor.

Dentistry is another tough and popular degree, as is Law.

On the STEM side, most degrees require decent results at all universities. Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Science and related subjects will all need you to put a good deal of effort into your A-Levels.

For A-level Chemistry in particular, degrees in Chemistry, Medicine, Chemical Engineering, and Biochemistry all require a good grade. For higher tier universities this will be an A*, maybe an A.

Doing A-level Chemistry will help your application be successful for degrees such as Biophysics, Biology, Psychology, Forensic Science, Pharmacology and Sports Science.

Weekly lessons throughout the last or both years of the A-Level are my usual advice. I don’t offer fortnightly lessons at a fixed day/time. But *you can book ad-hoc lessons any time* with my online booking system.

If you a lot of help with 1 subject, but only a bit for 1/2 others, 1 lesson a week is OK. To cover two or more subjects fully, 2 lessons a week are needed.

More than 1 lesson a week is advisable if you really need a decent boost, or if you start tuition later in the year, especially near exams.

Sometimes pupils are so busy during term time, they can only fit lessons in during holidays. Here we do a concentrated block of lessons, usually 2 or more a week. *This requires genuine work and dedication between lessons*.

We put the emphasis on understanding as well as memorisation. This ensures you have all the tools you need to tackle any exam question.​

How I approach tuition

I have a proven teaching structure to make sure you truly understand every topic, and get enough practice with exam technique from day one. We also periodically revisit material so you don’t forget old topics and previous lessons.

Fundamentals

Start with getting a solid grip on any missing fundamentals for every topic.

Problem-solving

Introduce problem-solving skills right from the start, so you're 100% ready come exam time.

One topic at a time

Work on one topic at a time until it is understood, not just memorised.

Past paper questions

End each lesson by doing past paper questions from your exam board.

Revisit Old Topics

Begin practicing questions at random from multiple topics once you have mastered them.

Get Exam Ready

Bring it all together using full mock exams and marking them during sessions.

I’ve helped over 300 students smash their A-Level Chemistry exams

Read​

Browse our revision resources on all of the important topics.

All major exam boards covered

Techniques for every question type, specific to your exam board from a university examiner.

Master exam technique to maximise your marks

I’ve exam techniques for every style of question. I will show you how the mark scheme works so you drop no marks on wordy questions. Ways to remember everything, how to answer practical questions, calculation tricks, I’ll explain units, and more.