Private GCSE English as a Second Language tutors

Yes. Private candidates enter through an exam centre that accepts them, such as a school or a British Council office, rather than directly with the exam board: you register with the centre, pay its fees and sit the exams there. The main thing to check is the speaking test, which has to be conducted by the centre, so make sure your centre can run it for the board and syllabus you choose. On Cambridge, the 0510 and 0993 syllabuses report speaking separately, while 0511 and 0991 count it towards the grade. See the private candidate guidance from Pearson, Cambridge and the British Council.

IGCSE English as a Second Language tutoring with an academic tutor costs from $50 USD (£38) per hour, and packages save 5–15%, which suits regular conversation and writing practice through the course, with extra sessions before the speaking test. Pay as you go is invoiced after each lesson, with no lock-in contracts. Professional tutors (qualified teachers and examiners) cost from $75 USD (£56) per hour. See pricing.

Late cancellations and no-shows are charged at half the lesson fee. That applies if you cancel less than one hour before the start time, or don't turn up. You can still change a session time whenever you need to, as long as you give your tutor notice.

Our academic tutors are high-achieving graduates and undergraduates who scored in the top band in English as a Second Language themselves, and our professional tutors are qualified teachers or examiners with 5+ years' experience. We accept only the top 5% of applicants. You are matched to a tutor who knows your board, so they can run mock speaking tests in your board's format and mark your writing against its assessment criteria. Read more about our GCSE tutors and how we select tutors.

Lessons are one-to-one and online, with a tutor matched to IGCSE English as a Second Language, your exam board and your target grade. Each session works on your weakest areas using past paper questions from your own board, whether that is Edexcel International GCSE 4XES2, Cambridge IGCSE or OxfordAQA. For English as a Second Language that usually means timed reading and listening practice with real past papers, writing tasks drafted and rewritten to raise accuracy and range, and full mock speaking tests in your board's format. See how it works or start with the student application.

It depends mostly on your starting level. Students who already use English every day at school usually find reading and listening manageable, but lose marks in writing through grammar slips and a narrow range of vocabulary. Listening at natural speed, writing to the word limit for each task type, and giving longer, spontaneous answers in the speaking test are the other common difficulties. Our online IGCSE tutoring focuses on exactly those areas.

In June 2026, 9.4% of Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language candidates worldwide achieved an A*, and 71.3% achieved a C or above (Cambridge). Pearson has said that from summer 2026, grade 9 on its 4XES2 Reading and Listening units maps to CEFR level C1 for the highest-achieving candidates (Pearson). A top grade needs accurate grammar and a wide vocabulary in writing, and confident, extended answers in the speaking test.

Grade boundaries are set after each exam series and change every year, so older figures are only a guide. In June 2026, Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language 0510 set its A* threshold at 141 to 143 out of 150 (94–95%), depending on the paper variant, with grade C at 111 to 119 (74–79%). Those thresholds are much higher than in most subjects, so accuracy on every question matters. Edexcel International 4XES2 is unitised, so its grade is built from the results of each unit. Source: Cambridge.

There is no coursework, but every board includes a speaking test. On Edexcel International GCSE it counts for 25%, conducted by the school and marked by Pearson, and on OxfordAQA it counts for 20%. On Cambridge IGCSE it depends on the syllabus your school enters: on 0511 and 0991 speaking counts for 25%, while on 0510 and 0993 it is reported separately as an endorsement and does not affect the main grade. See the Edexcel International specification.

There is no UK GCSE in English as a Second Language; it is offered only by the international boards. Edexcel International GCSE 4XES2 is unitised, with Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking units worth 25% each, which can be sat and resat in different series before the grade is awarded. Cambridge IGCSE sets a 2-hour Reading and Writing paper, a Listening paper and a Speaking test, and OxfordAQA sets writing, reading, listening and speaking papers in one series. See the Edexcel International specification.