What is TUTOR?
TUTOR is an online maths tutoring platform consisting of hyper-targeted maths teaching, delivered by qualified teachers, and informed by decades of research into what helps pupils learn.
My child’s teacher set them a ‘Diagnostic Test. What is a ‘Diagnostic Test’, and how does it work?
The maths universe on TUTOR is divided into 1800 pieces of maths learning, beginning with counting and finishing with calculus. Each of these 1800 pieces has been put in order so that, when a child begins a new topic, they already have in place all the knowledge they will need to understand it. We call this our ‘Complete Maths Curriculum’.
The ‘Diagnostic Test’ is TUTOR’s way of finding the best starting point for your child in that curriculum. It can be accessed from your child's account dashboard.
The ‘Diagnostic Test’ will always start with questions from the very beginning of the curriculum. These questions will get more and more difficult as TUTOR tries to find the first point at which your child isn’t confident in the maths they are being tested on. Once this happens, the ‘Diagnostic Test’ will recommend a course for your child to begin studying.
How can I ensure the ‘Diagnostic Test’ results are accurate?
If your child is sitting a ‘Diagnostic Test’ at home, where possible make sure they have a quiet space to work with no distractions. They should use a pen and paper for their working out before they click an answer on screen — and they should double check answers before submitting them, as they won’t be able to go back and check or change these later.
What do the Stages mean?
Stages are not the same as academic years — rather, they represent the order in which our curriculum covers each mathematical idea. Each Stage is divided into six parts, and we recommend children study them in order so that they are always ready for the maths coming up next.
My child says the work is too easy — does this mean they are on the wrong course?
Not necessarily — the ‘Diagnostic Test’ will always recommend a course based on the point at which your child started giving wrong answers. The course they are recommended might start with maths they already feel confident in, but it is important they cover it so that by the time they reach the point at which they began making mistakes, they can be sure they have covered all the required knowledge.
If you think they have been assigned the wrong course because they accidentally clicked the wrong answer in their ‘Diagnostic Test’, have them redo the test. Make sure that when they do so, they take their time, read the question closely, and are careful to select the correct answer on screen.
How do I know which course my child is supposed to do?
If your child already has a TUTOR account through their school, then it is likely their teacher will have recommended them a course, or suggested that they complete the course suggested by the 'Diagnostic Test'. Courses recommended by your child’s teacher, or by the ‘Diagnostic Test’, will be highlighted.
If your child does not have a TUTOR account through their school, then we would strongly recommend beginning with the course recommended by the 'Diagnostic Test', and working through each Idea in order.
Your child also has the option to enrol on a range of our other courses, including 'Topic' and 'Target' courses. If your child does so, it is really important that they complete the Readiness step at the beginning of each Goal. This will check that they have all the required knowledge in place before beginning something new.