One Student. One Tailormade Learning Plan.
Every course combines personalised teaching, guided independent study and feedback, shaped around the student’s progress in English, Chinese, or both.
Course Details
-
You should be able to plan your budget and feel reassured that your child can ask for help when they need it.
With hourly billing, changing a lesson’s length or booking an extra session can mean having to discuss fees and lesson times all over again. Parents may worry about the final bill, while students who need a helping hand may hesitate to ask because they do not want to add to the expense.
Grades & Growth charges one fixed fee for each four-week Course Cycle to take the guesswork out of budgeting. You know the cost from the start. Additional lessons we agree to arrange are included in that fee.
Our recommended weekly maximums can be adjusted to suit your child’s learning needs, workload and energy. This gives us time to work through difficulties together, while leaving room for independent practice and rest. Decisions about teaching can focus on what your child needs, without a separate price attached to every extra hour.
-
With hourly billing, extra lessons can make the final cost harder to predict. Students may also think twice about asking for help because they worry about adding to their parents’ bill.
At Grades & Growth, you know the cost of the full four-week course from the start. Your child can ask for more guidance during a demanding week without that financial worry. Any additional live lessons we agree to arrange are included in the fee.
You are paying for a complete, personalised learning programme. Alongside live one-to-one teaching, the fee covers lesson preparation, video explanations, tailormade homework, marking and detailed feedback. Your child’s support continues between lessons, with their questions, difficulties and progress helping us decide what to prepare next.
We want you to feel reassured that your child can ask for help, whether they are struggling with an essay, preparing for an assessment or finding it difficult to get started.
The fee stays fixed, while support can be ramped up when needed.
English or Chinese Language
& Literature Course
Four-week tuition fee
Varies by year group
Recommended maximum guided learning hours:
4 hours each week
Personalised one-to-one teaching, guided video learning and tailormade independent practice
✓ One fixed two-hour weekly slots
✓ Personalised lesson preparation
✓ Tailormade homework
✓ Written feedback and progress review
✓ English or Chinese
Bilingual English and Chinese
& Literature Course
Four-week tuition fee
Varies by year group
Recommended maximum guided learning hours:
8 hours each week
A coordinated English and Chinese programme with four fixed live one-to-one hours plus guided learning.
✓ Two fixed two-hour weekly slots
✓ Up to 7 guided learning hours
✓ English and Chinese taught together
✓ Tailormade homework in both subjects
✓ Ongoing personalised feedback
Add-On Direct Guidance
Additional one-to-one support
Booked as needed
For students who need to ramp up their direct teaching hours around coursework, mocks, Individual Orals or public examinations.
✓ Available on Wednesdays or Thursdays
✓ Focused on the student’s immediate needs
✓ Exam and coursework support
✓ Timed practice and error correction
✓ Can be added to single-language or bilingual courses
What’s Included in a Grades & Growth Course?
Four Parts. One Personalised Course.
Live Teaching
One-to-one lessons based on the student’s level, schoolwork and academic goals.
Guided Learning
Video explanations and model answers help students review and practise between live lessons.
Tailormade Homework
Homework is designed around the mistakes, difficulties and gaps seen in lessons and previous work.
Feedback & Adaptation
Feedback shows what has improved and what still needs work. This helps decide what to teach and practise next.
One Student. One Tailormade Learning Cycle.
Balancing Support and Independence:
Questions Parents Often Ask
-
Live lessons give your child time to ask questions, discuss ideas and work through difficulties. They also need time to practise independently, keep up with schoolwork and rest. We aim to strike a balance that suits each student.
Based on fourteen years of tutoring and coaching, our recommended maximums are:
Single-language course (English or Chinese): up to 4 hours of live one-to-one guidance each week.
Bilingual course (English and Chinese): up to 8 hours of live one-to-one guidance each week.These are recommendations, rather than strict limits. Some students need fewer hours; others may benefit from more guidance at a particular stage. The recommended maximum can change with your child’s learning needs, workload and energy. There is no expectation to use every available hour.
Students still need opportunities to read independently, plan essays, write without help and practise oral responses. Completing some tasks under exam conditions also helps them see what they can manage on their own.
Our aim is to help students stand on their own two feet. We teach them how to decide what needs attention, use their time well and review their own work. They should leave lessons knowing what to do next and feeling more confident doing it independently.
-
How Scheduling Works
Monday or Tuesday: Fixed Live Lessons
Single-language students have one fixed two-hour live lesson slot each week, on Monday or Tuesday. Bilingual students have two fixed two-hour slots across English and Chinese. These regular times remain reserved unless we agree on a lasting change.Wednesday or Thursday: Additional Guidance
For 2026/27, Grades & Growth will enrol just 6–8 students to make additional lessons easier to book and give each student plenty of individual attention.When your child needs more help with an essay, exam practice, coursework or an Individual Oral, additional lessons can be arranged on Wednesdays or Thursdays. These are included in the tuition fee. Students are encouraged to request sessions themselves, and parents are kept informed.
Friday to Sunday: A Last Resort
We aim to strike a balance between providing the help students need and allowing students and tutors time to rest. Please use regular lessons or Wednesday–Thursday sessions first.Friday–Sunday lessons are reserved for urgent situations that cannot reasonably wait. They depend on availability and are included in the tuition fee when agreed. If a live lesson cannot be arranged, we can provide email or video feedback instead.
When Your Child Cannot Attend
Please email us as soon as you know about an absence. If your child misses a fixed Monday or Tuesday lesson, they will receive a personalised video lesson within 48 hours of its scheduled end. They can work through it in their own time and request additional live guidance where needed. Video make-up lessons cover missed regular lessons, not missed additional sessions.Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details of lesson arrangements, additional guidance and video make-up lessons.
-
Aren’t lesson notes, self-study materials and extra homework enough?
They all help. But a set of notes cannot spot when your child has misunderstood a question, chosen unsuitable evidence or lost confidence halfway through an essay. A tutor can notice the difficulty and help them get back on track.
Fourteen years of tutoring and coaching have shown us the value of discussing ideas and giving feedback as students work. GCSE and IB Language and Literature require independent judgement, clear expression and thoughtful analysis. These skills take more than memorising notes or following an essay formula. Students need time to explain their thinking, consider another interpretation and understand why one response works better than another.
Sometimes an hour of direct guidance can prevent a student from spending much longer struggling with the same problem alone. During a live lesson, we can help students get to grips with a difficult text, work through an essay or practise an oral response. Questions can be answered straight away, misunderstandings cleared up and difficult tasks broken into manageable steps.
Students can then approach independent work knowing what to do, what needs attention and how to improve it. This can mean less time spent feeling stuck, leaving more time for other subjects, activities, friends and rest.
Notes, videos and homework still play an important part. They help students revisit what they have learnt, put it into practice and become more confident working on their own.
-
Wouldn’t a One-Hour Lesson Be Less Stressful?
Sometimes it is. A shorter lesson may suit a student who is tired or has a lot on their plate. At other times, stopping after an hour can leave them stuck. More time together may help them get to grips with the work and avoid spending much longer struggling alone afterwards.
This is why Grades & Growth offers a fixed four-week learning programme, with support continuing beyond the regular lesson. Additional lessons we agree to arrange are included in the tuition fee, with no fixed weekly allowance for additional guidance.
We generally recommend up to four hours of live guidance each week for one language, or eight hours across English and Chinese, including regular lessons. These are recommended maximums, rather than strict limits or targets. Some students need fewer hours; others may benefit from more time when they are catching up or preparing for an approaching assessment.
Sometimes a student simply needs their tutor to be there while they complete a timed practice paper or write an essay. The student still does the thinking and writing. We can give them space to work without interruption, then discuss their answers and offer feedback afterwards.
At other times, we might watch a scene from a play or listen to a song together. We can talk about what surprised them, what they recognised from their own experience or why they disagree with a character’s decision. These conversations give students ideas they want to explore in writing.
Understanding, interest and personal connection need time to develop. If we squeeze everything into one hour, we risk cutting out the parts that make learning enjoyable and leaving only the most demanding analysis and writing. A student may then be expected to produce a thoughtful response before they have had enough time to understand the work or find something in it that matters to them.
We want students to work hard and enjoy what they are learning. That means making room for discussion, curiosity and practice, while helping them become more confident working independently. Longer lessons should serve those purposes, with time for rest and life beyond studying.
Please see our Terms & Conditions for full details of regular lessons, additional guidance and personal coaching.
-
They all have a place. Notes help students revisit what they have learnt, while homework gives them practice on their own. But when a student is stuck, another worksheet may not be the help they need.
A tutor can notice when a student has misunderstood a question, chosen evidence that does not support their argument or lost confidence halfway through an essay. By asking questions, listening to their thinking and discussing examples, we can help them get to grips with the difficulty.
At Grades & Growth, notes, videos and homework build on that discussion. Students have a chance to practise what they have understood, with feedback to help them get back on track when needed. Their work then helps us decide what to teach next.
-
More time with a tutor can mean less time spent struggling alone. A student may keep rereading a question or rewriting the same paragraph because they are unsure what is expected. Having someone to ask can stop them going round in circles.
During a live lesson, we can answer questions straight away, listen to the student’s thinking and spot misunderstandings before they become habits. Difficult tasks can be broken into smaller parts, with feedback as the student works.
Knowing how to approach the work can take a weight off their shoulders. Instead of worrying about whether they have understood the question, students can concentrate on developing their ideas. They leave the lesson with a clearer understanding of what to practise and how to improve.
Notes, videos and homework then help them put that understanding into practice on their own. The aim is to help students use their study time well, leaving more time and energy for other subjects, activities, friends and rest.
If a Student Cannot Attend One-to-one lessons
Advance notice is helpful, but fourteen years of tutoring and coaching have taught us that things come up. Sometimes, a student simply forgets to let us know they cannot attend.
If a student has not joined within the first 15 minutes of their fixed weekly lesson, we will begin recording a personalised video lesson for them. They can watch it and complete the guided assignments in their own time.
Please be reassured that the planned teaching still goes ahead. Your child can continue building the foundations they need, even when they cannot attend live.
The Hours May Vary. The Attention Does Not.
You trust us with your child’s education, and you deserve to know they are in good hands. Your fee covers the preparation and care between lessons as well as the live teaching.
Whether your child needs a shorter lesson or more direct guidance, we prepare work around their needs, provide video explanations and give detailed feedback. We keep an eye on their progress and plan what will help them next. A shorter live lesson does not mean less care, preparation or individual attention.