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

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
How long before my A-Level Chemistry exam should I start tutoring?
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.
What sort of grade improvements do you see across your A-Level Chemistry students?
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.
What popular degrees require a good A-Level Chemistry result?
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.
How regularly do I need private tutoring to get the best possible A-Level Chemistry results?
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
Andrew is a great tutor and has helped my daughter enormously with Chemistry A level.
Siena
A-Level Chemistry
I always look forward to his lessons and he comes with my highest recommendation.
Zak
A-Level Maths & Chemistry
Highly recommended for GCSE & A-Level
Michaela
GCSE & A-Level
Fully recommended
Ryan
A-Level Chemistry
Highly recommended.
Simon
A-level Chemistry
Andrew makes very difficult topics seem very simple.
Andrea
A-level Chemistry
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