How much does GCSE Maths help cost?
If your child needs help with GCSE Maths, one of the first questions is what it will cost. The answer ranges from nothing at all to a serious monthly bill, and the most expensive option isn't always the right one.
Here's how I'd think about the four main kinds of help, from free upwards, and how to work out which one your child actually needs.
1. Free resources
There's more free GCSE Maths help online than most parents realise. A few that are worth knowing:
- Oak National Academy has free Maths lessons for Key Stage 4, and you can filter them by Foundation or Higher tier.
- BBC Bitesize has free revision guides and quizzes by topic.
- Corbettmaths and Maths Genie have free videos, worksheets and practice questions.
- The exam boards (Edexcel and AQA, for example) publish past papers and mark schemes on their websites.
I put a lot of my teaching on YouTube for free too. This is my full Higher course, every topic in one place:
The catch with free: none of it checks that your child is actually using it. Free resources work brilliantly for a student who's motivated and knows what to revise. For a student who's behind and overwhelmed, a library of videos can feel like one more thing they're not doing.
2. Support from school
Your child's school is the first place to ask, and it costs you nothing. Depending on the school, that might mean a revision club after school, small intervention groups, or extra sessions before the exams.
What's on offer varies a lot from school to school, so ask your child's Maths teacher directly: "Is there any extra support running this year, and would it help my child?" It's also the best way to find out which topics they're losing marks on, which makes any other help you pay for much more useful.
3. Online group classes
Group classes sit in the middle. A teacher works through topics and exam questions live with a group of students, usually online, on a regular timetable.
Because the teacher's time is shared across the group, it usually costs less than one-to-one tutoring for the same amount of teaching time. The trade-off is that the lesson isn't built around one child. It works best when the group is at the right level, so a student aiming for a 4 isn't sitting through grade 9 algebra.
Here's what one of my free live past paper lessons looks like, so you can see the format:
4. A one-to-one tutor
A private tutor is usually the most expensive option per hour, because your child gets the tutor's full attention. That can be worth it, especially if your child has big gaps from earlier years, needs things explained in a very particular way, or won't ask questions in front of others.
Prices vary a lot. Tutors set their own rates, and they usually rise with experience and qualifications. If you use a tutoring marketplace, check its own pricing page before you book. MyTutor, for example, publishes its price bands on its website, and they go up with the tutor's experience. With a private tutor, ask about the hourly rate, how often they'd suggest sessions, and whether there's a minimum commitment.
So which is right for your child?
Cost matters, but the better question is what your child needs to move up. I'd use something like this:
| If your child... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Is motivated and just needs good material | Free resources |
| Is a little behind and the school offers support | School support, plus free resources at home |
| Needs regular structure and someone to learn alongside | Group classes |
| Has large gaps or needs a lesson built entirely around them | A one-to-one tutor |
Lots of families mix these. A student might use free videos for homework, go to the school's revision club, and join a group class once or twice a week.
Questions to ask before you pay for anything
- How often will my child be taught, and for how long? Compare the total time, not just the price.
- Is it matched to their tier and target grade? A grade 4 student and a grade 8 student need different lessons.
- Can they rewatch it? Recorded lessons help a lot before the exam.
- Can we try it first? A free lesson or trial tells you more than any advert.
- Does it cover their exam board? Most content overlaps, but the papers look a little different.
Questions people also ask
Is a GCSE Maths tutor worth the money?
It depends on what your child needs. A motivated student may only need good free material, a student who is a little behind may do well with school support, and a student with large gaps may need a lesson built around them. Cost matters, but the better question is what your child needs to move up.
Are online GCSE Maths group classes cheaper than a private tutor?
Usually, yes, for the same amount of teaching time. The teacher's time is shared across the group, so it usually costs less than one-to-one tutoring. The trade-off is that the lesson isn't built around one child, so it works best when the group is at the right level.
Is there free GCSE Maths help?
Yes, and there's more than most parents realise. Oak National Academy has free Maths lessons for Key Stage 4, BBC Bitesize, Corbettmaths and Maths Genie have free revision material, and the exam boards publish past papers and mark schemes. The catch is that none of it checks your child is actually using it.