u/No_Insect_4513

Hi everyone,

I am planning to take Edexcel International A Levels in Maths, Economics and either Business or Psychology (I will probably drop one later on).

I am 20 years old and decided to return to education to pursue higher studies. I am studying as a private candidate, mainly through online tutoring.

Lately I have been feeling quite lonely and demotivated. I think a big reason is that I am studying completely alone. I honestly miss the school environment where you can talk to other students, make friends and discuss subjects together. Studying independently all the time can feel pretty isolating.

Reddit has honestly been one of the only places where I can talk to people going through similar things, so I was wondering if there are any Discord servers or online communities for A Level students, private candidates or adult learners that I could join.

I am basically looking for a supportive study community where people motivate each other, chat occasionally and help each other stay consistent.

Thanks :)

Hi everyone,

I am planning to take Edexcel International A Levels in Maths, Economics and either Business or Psychology (I will probably drop one later on). Aiming for 2028.

I am 20 years old and decided to return to studing after a few years break. I am studying as a private candidate, mainly through online tutoring.

Lately I have been feeling quite lonely and demotivated. I think a big reason is that I am studying completely alone. I honestly miss the school environment where you can talk to other students, make friends and discuss subjects together. Studying independently all the time can feel pretty isolating.

Reddit has honestly been one of the only places where I can talk to people going through similar things, so I was wondering if there are any Discord servers or online communities for A Level students, private candidates or adult learners that I could join.

More than subject help, I am looking for people or a community. I am basically looking for a supportive study community where people motivate each other, chat occasionally and help each other stay consistent.

Thanks :)

I’m doing Edexcel International A-Level Maths. I am a private candidate so I mainly studying through tutoring (10 hours/week).

Normally, during the session, The tutor explains the topic, goes through examples and then I spend a large part of the session solving questions while they help if I get stuck.

The issue is that I spend almost half the lesson is solving the questions on my own. I am not amazing at maths but can usually solve most questions on my own but it takes time. The teaching is good, so this isn’t a complaint about quality but I’m wondering if this is efficient. I feel like I am wasting time and money.

I’m thinking it might be more efficient to:
\- learn concepts and examples in class
\- do a few questions in class to check understanding

**- instead of doing the practice questions during class hours, I can do them as homework on my own time.**

\-,then review the homework in the next session.

This way, I could bring stuck questions to discuss in class and focus tutoring time more on explanations and correcting misunderstandings. I feel it would also push me to fully attempt problems independently before asking for help.

My hesitation is that I’ve only been doing this for about a month and my tutor believes even 10 hours/week may not be enough to finish the syllabus in time, so I’m unsure about changing the structure. I feel like we can utilize the time spent on practice questions to finish the syllabus.

For people who’ve done A-Level Maths tutoring:
\- Is this normal?
\- Is doing lots of practice during paid sessions effective?
\- Or is tutoring usually better used mainly for explanations, mistakes, and difficult questions, with most practice done as homework?

\- how many hours a week of lesson and self studying did you do?

Would appreciate honest opinions from both students and tutors.

Edit: for more context. I’d say I am average- above average student at best. I started studying April 2026 and aim to finish all the exams by 2028 January.

I’m doing Edexcel International A-Level Maths. I am a private candidate so I mainly studying through tutoring (~10 hours/week).

Normally, during the session, The tutor explains the topic, goes through examples and then I spend a large part of the session solving questions while they help if I get stuck.

The issue is that I spend almost half the lesson is solving the questions on my own. I am not amazing at maths but can usually solve most questions on my own but it takes time. The teaching is good, so this isn’t a complaint about quality but I’m wondering if this is efficient. I feel like I am wasting time and money.

I’m thinking it might be more efficient to:
- learn concepts and examples in class
- do a few questions in class to check understanding

- instead of doing the practice questions during class hours, I can do them as homework on my own time.

- then review the homework in the next session.

This way, I could bring stuck questions to discuss in class and focus tutoring time more on explanations and correcting misunderstandings. I feel it would also push me to fully attempt problems independently before asking for help.

My hesitation is that I’ve only been doing this for about a month and my tutor believes even 10 hours/week may not be enough to finish the syllabus in time, so I’m unsure about changing the structure.

For people who’ve done A-Level Maths tutoring:
- Is this normal?
- Is doing lots of practice during paid sessions effective?
- Or is tutoring usually better used mainly for explanations, mistakes, and difficult questions, with most practice done as homework?

Would appreciate honest opinions from both students and tutors.