https://jkstutors.com Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:24:28 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.2 239790437 6 Habits Top Students Adopt to improve their grades https://jkstutors.com/blog/6-habits-top-students-adopt-that-improve-their-grades/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:49:08 +0000 https://jkstutors.com/?p=3389

Study Like the Best: 6 Habits Top Students Adopt to improve their grades

A balanced approach to Achieving outstanding grades

Tackle procrastination by Planning study hours in advance

Even the brightest students can feel overwhelmed. Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Tackle them one-by-one, and you will feel more motivated as you achieve each goal.

Prioritise Challenging Topics

Start with the toughest topics, ideally in the morning when your brain is more alert. Print out the syllabus and color-code: red for difficult topics, yellow for those you somewhat understand, and green for strengths.

Use active study & Revision Methods

Active study solidifies new material learned during school and tutoring sessions.
• Answering quiz questions and creating flashcards helps reinforce learning and identifies knowledge gaps.
• Explain concepts aloud and ask family members to test you.

Develop patience & Attention span

• Excessive screen time overstimulates the brain, reduces attention span and impairs memory formation. Take regular breaks from devices.
• Exercise improves attention span and critical thinking skills, particularly in maths and reading.

Read questions carefully!

Book a session to learn how to decode questions, minimise silly mistakes and what commonalities to look for.

sleep 8 hrs - especially the night before an exam

Good sleep hygiene and routine correlate with well-being and academic outcomes. Sleep is when the brain consolidates memory and repairs itself. Lack of sleep impairs decision-making, attention, and retention. Sleep-deprived individuals can experience up to a 40% reduction in their ability to form new memories.

Source

JKS tutors logo with blue text

Call or Message Julian

Youtube Linkedin

Online tutoring for international school families — EU, UK, Asia-Pacific & beyond. Juno Consultancy Limited trading as JKS Tutors · BR No.79750999 © All Rights Reserved.

]]> 3389 How online tutoring took a private-school student from a predicted 6 to a grade 9 in IGCSE Maths https://jkstutors.com/blog/gcse-maths-predicted-6-to-grade-9/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:14:51 +0000 https://jkstutors.com/?p=3228

How online tutoring took a private school student from A predicted 6 to a grade 9 in IGCSE Maths

Student at a top 10 UK independent school
Tutored Online, 1:1 via Zoom

Starting point: Daughter predicted grade 6 and had lost confidence in maths. Son disengaged from science. 
Result: Achieved grade 9 in Maths, 8 in Biology and 7 in Physics & Chemistry.
Outcome: Daughter’s maths improved and confidence grew, went on to book tutoring for her son.

Summary: A mother approached Julian. She was convinced her daughter, a pupil at a well regarded private school with a predicted grade 6, needed an in-person tutor to re-engage with maths. We agreed to trial online sessions. Within two lessons, it was clear the issue wasn’t ability but confidence, shaped by a difficult classroom. On results day, the student achieved a grade 9.

Student WhatsApp message to JKS Tutors celebrating GCSE results — grade 9 in Maths, 8 in Biology, 7 in Physics And Chemistry
"JULIAN I GOT A 9 IN MATHS 8 IN BIO AND 7 IN PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY" IGCSE student, Private School London
1

The challenge

A client had real reservations about online tutoring. Her daughter was at a well-regarded private school, had a predicted grade of 6, and seemed to have lost confidence in maths entirely.

She also had a son who needed a tutor to rediscover his enthusiasm for science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics), but had the impression that he would only be able to focus 1:1 in person.

2

What did the first few sessions reveal?

Within the first couple of lessons with her daughter, it became clear that her understanding and ability were significantly stronger than her predicted grade suggested. She wasn’t struggling with the material, she was navigating a difficult classroom dynamic, the teacher had a strained relationship with the group, and a large portion of the class was underperforming as a result.

3

What did she actually need?

She needed a tutor who could:

  • teach effectively
  • help strengthen her ability to tackle longer, harder questions
  • rebuild her confidence
  • maintain focus when reading questions carefully under pressure
  • set homework, focusing on specific past paper questions, lesson by lesson, until she got an excellent grasp of how to tackle each type of question

The method: targeted homework set lesson-by-lesson, focusing on specific past paper question types until she had a reliable approach to each one.

By focusing on the work rather than letting sessions become a space to dwell on negative classroom experiences, it helped her move on more quickly and use her time most effectively. 

Student response to Julian's sleep and exam performance advice, connecting sleep quality to their own mock results
4

During Exam Prep

Despite getting 9’s in practice past papers, with plenty of time left to check over answers, she still got a 7 in one of her mock papers. After speaking to her, I discovered:

  • She had insufficient sleep the night before the exam.
  • Nerves affected her performance.

I shared some Research from MIT on how the effects of bad sleep can be detrimental to students’ grades, in the hope that she takes sleep hygiene seriously so that she is better prepared for her real exams.

"Wow. I had no idea that even such a small difference in sleep time or pattern could have this much of an effect on cognitive performance and general ability as well I really must start to make more of an effort to sleep more and be more consistent with my schedule. Its also not surprising that there was such a difference in my math test scores because one of the nights I slept around 6 ish hours and the other I slept about 8 or 9... thanks for showing me this" IGCSE student, independent school London
Student WhatsApp message describing how Julian's exam technique helped them solve a counter question in GCSE Maths paper two
5

On Exam Day

My student messaged me after the exam. The method she’s describing is one we had worked on specifically for counter-questions:  finding what isn’t being asked in order to unlock what is.

"Hi Julian. Just did maths paper two. It actually seemed ok and there wasn't anything that I absolutely couldn't do, so l think that the only thing marking me down would be silly mistakes which I tried to avoid... there was one counter question where your method really helped me because instead of finding what they were asking for you had to first find what they weren't asking for so that you could actually gain some information. The only reason I could do that was because of your method so thanks!!!" GCSE student, independent school London
6

on results day

Her daughter texted to say she’d achieved a grade 9 in Maths, 8 in Biology and 7 in Physics and Chemistry.

Her son has achieved great results in his common entrance/13+ exam results and is continuing his tuition with me for his IGCSEs. 

Student WhatsApp message to JKS Tutors celebrating GCSE results — grade 9 in Maths, 8 in Biology, 7 in Physics And Chemistry
7

This case reflects a consistent pattern in my tutoring

Results come from effective teaching and rebuilding confidence. Parents may find that the question they started with “online or in person?” turns out not to be the one that matters.

Online tutoring, done well, can outperform in-person sessions because the deciding factor is the quality of instruction, not the delivery method.

Discuss Your Child's Maths With Me
Youtube Linkedin

Recommendations from people you can verify.
Not anonymous reviews.

Most families find their tutor through personal recommendations, not agencies or anonymous review sites.
Every recommendation on this page is from a real person, verified on LinkedIn, who chose to put their name behind it.

Nick Shepley
Nick Shepley Verified
Memoirist
June 2025

Julian has been a real support as a Maths and Physics and Chemistry GCSE tutor. His patience and calm, his reliability and unflappable nature have been increasingly valuable to my daughter as the exam period loomed and then appeared. She made it, and we are all incredibly grateful to Julian for all his support. I thoroughly recommend enlisting his support.

Dirk Markus
Dirk Markus Verified
Founding Partner of AURELIUS
June 2025

Over the course of six years, Julian has successfully worked with two of our children. He helped them prepare for GCSEs, A-level and IB. He was always reliable, patient and well prepared. We have recommended him to friends and got but positive feedback!

Natasha Delliston
Natasha Delliston Verified
Brand Consultant & Semiotician
June 2025

Julian has worked with both my son and daughter over several years, guiding them through GCSE and A-Level mathematics, physics, and chemistry with remarkable rigour and patience. On many occasions I've seen Julian carefully break down complex concepts into manageable steps. His calm and thorough approach definitely led to both my kids feeling comfortable enough to ask questions and make mistakes as part of their learning.

Ralph Welpe
Ralph Welpe Verified
Chairman & CEO, Mirai Capital Partners
April 2025

Julian is a dedicated and very experienced tutor who supported my daughter in both Math and Chemistry for admission exams and IB. His clear explanations and patient approach made a real difference in her understanding and confidence. I highly recommend him to any parent seeking academic support for their child.

JKS tutors logo with blue text

Call or Message Julian

Youtube Linkedin

Juno Consultancy Limited trading as JKS Tutors, BR No.79750999. 8/F, China Hong Kong Tower, 8 - 12 Hennessy Rd, Wan Chai, Hong Kong © All Rights Reserved.

]]> 3228 Online vs In-Person Tutoring: Which is most Effective? https://jkstutors.com/blog/online-vs-in-person-tutoring-which-is-most-effective/ Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:23:14 +0000 https://jkstutors.com/?p=3113

Online vs In-Person Tutoring for IB Maths: What Actually Makes the Difference

Research published 2025 and 2026 from Harvard, Stanford, and Brown University consistently finds that online one-to-one tutoring produces meaningful improvements in student performance, in some studies, comparable to in-person programmes. The difference comes down to the quality of the teaching, not whether the tutor is on a screen or in the room.

1

The problem is rarely what parents think it is. Quality is key.

A situation I’ve seen play out many times: a parent gets in touch because their child is underperforming in maths. The school has given a predicted grade that doesn’t reflect what the parent knows their child is capable of. The child seems frustrated, disengaged, sometimes anxious about the subject. The parent’s first instinct is that their child needs more support — and that support should be face-to-face, because clearly something about the current setup isn’t working.

But when I start working with the student, the picture that emerges is often quite different from what the parent expected.

In one case, a mother contacted me with real reservations about online tutoring. Her daughter was at a well-regarded private school, had a predicted grade of 6, and seemed to have lost confidence in maths entirely. The mother was convinced her daughter needed someone physically present to re-engage her.

We agreed to try a few sessions online and see how it went.

Within the first couple of lessons, it became clear that her daughter’s understanding was significantly stronger than her predicted grade suggested. She wasn’t struggling with the material — she was struggling with her classroom environment. The teacher had a difficult relationship with the class, several parents had raised concerns, and the whole group was underperforming. Her daughter had internalised that atmosphere and started to believe she simply wasn’t good at maths.

After the mother witnessed her daughter’s confidence significantly grow and enjoy maths, she asked me to tutor her younger son as well.

What her daughter actually needed wasn’t someone sitting next to her. She needed someone who could teach effectively, rebuild her confidence, and just as importantly, keep the focus on the work rather than letting sessions become a space to dwell on negative classroom experiences. Although her frustration was real and valid, it wasn’t going to help her pass her exam. We acknowledged it, and then we moved on.

On results day, her daughter texted me in delight, as she achieved a 9. Read the full case study → 

2

What effective online IB, iGCSE, A-level tutoring actually looks like

The concern about screen time is valid when we’re talking about passive consumption such as scrolling, watching, absorbing content without engaging. A well-run online tutoring session is the opposite of that.

In my sessions, students are actively working through problems, explaining their thinking, sketching graphs on a shared screen, and being questioned on their reasoning throughout. There’s no opportunity to zone out because it’s a genuine conversation, one-to-one, in real time, with immediate feedback.

The online format also has practical advantages that are easy to overlook. Students can work from a space where they feel comfortable. There’s no travel time, which means sessions can fit more easily around school commitments and extracurricular activities. For families who are rarely in one place for long, whether that’s between school terms, holidays, or simply a week away. Online sessions mean learning doesn’t have to stop because the location changed. Some of my students keep their regular weekly slot wherever they are, fitting in an hour of focused revision between landing and dinner. That consistency is key, and online makes it far easier to maintain.

3

Questions worth asking

If your child is underperforming and you’re weighing up whether online tutoring could help, the most useful question isn’t “should it be online or in person?” It’s “what’s actually going wrong?”

  • Is it the material itself?
  • Are there gaps in foundational understanding that are compounding as the syllabus progresses?
  • Is it how the subject is being taught at school?
  • Is it a confidence issue that’s built up over time?
  • Is it a teacher dynamic that’s also affecting the whole class?

 

It’s equally worth looking at what’s happening on your child’s side. IB students carry a heavy workload across six subjects, the Extended Essay, TOK, and CAS — and many of them haven’t yet developed the time management skills to handle it all.

  • Are they leaving maths revision until the last minute?
  • Are they practising passively, e.g re-reading notes rather than working through problems?
  • Are they avoiding the topics they find difficult instead of confronting them?

 

The biggest factor in tutoring effectiveness is dosage. How frequently and consistently a student engages. A brilliant tutor, online or in person, can only help a student who is showing up and doing the work between sessions.

Once you understand the real problem, whether it sits with the teaching, the student’s own habits, or both. The right solution tends to become much clearer. In the end, it may have very little to do with whether someone is in the room or on a screen.

Discuss Your Child's Maths With Me
Youtube Linkedin

Recommendations from people you can verify.
Not anonymous reviews.

Most families find their tutor through personal recommendations, not agencies or anonymous review sites.
Every recommendation on this page is from a real person, verified on LinkedIn, who chose to put their name behind it.

Nick Shepley
Nick Shepley Verified
Memoirist
June 2025

Julian has been a real support as a Maths and Physics and Chemistry GCSE tutor. His patience and calm, his reliability and unflappable nature have been increasingly valuable to my daughter as the exam period loomed and then appeared. She made it, and we are all incredibly grateful to Julian for all his support. I thoroughly recommend enlisting his support.

Dirk Markus
Dirk Markus Verified
Founding Partner of AURELIUS
June 2025

Over the course of six years, Julian has successfully worked with two of our children. He helped them prepare for GCSEs, A-level and IB. He was always reliable, patient and well prepared. We have recommended him to friends and got but positive feedback!

Natasha Delliston
Natasha Delliston Verified
Brand Consultant & Semiotician
June 2025

Julian has worked with both my son and daughter over several years, guiding them through GCSE and A-Level mathematics, physics, and chemistry with remarkable rigour and patience. On many occasions I've seen Julian carefully break down complex concepts into manageable steps. His calm and thorough approach definitely led to both my kids feeling comfortable enough to ask questions and make mistakes as part of their learning.

Ralph Welpe
Ralph Welpe Verified
Chairman & CEO, Mirai Capital Partners
April 2025

Julian is a dedicated and very experienced tutor who supported my daughter in both Math and Chemistry for admission exams and IB. His clear explanations and patient approach made a real difference in her understanding and confidence. I highly recommend him to any parent seeking academic support for their child.

]]> 3113