Most Tutors Don’t Mark — And If They’re Not Marking, They’re Guessing

Why most tutors avoid marking — and why that’s a problem

Let’s start with the obvious: marking takes time.
It’s fiddly. It’s rarely paid for directly. And many tutors would rather just ask the student what they’re struggling with and start from there.

But here’s the truth:

If your tutor isn’t marking your work, they’re guessing.
And in A-Level Physics, that’s a very slow and unreliable way to improve your grade.

Why marking matters more than you think

Improvement in A-Level Physics doesn’t happen because someone re-explains projectile motion particularly well, or finds a new metaphor for circuits.
It happens when a student does a real exam question, and then someone experienced looks at the answer and asks:

• What’s missing here?

• Is this a physics content issue — or an exam technique issue?

• Are they not explaining clearly, or not thinking in the right direction?

• What specific thing do they need to learn to score full marks next time?

That kind of feedback only comes from marking. It can’t be replaced by conversation. And it definitely can’t be replaced by asking the student what they think they don’t know — because:

Students often don’t know what they don’t know.

“But can’t students just mark their own work?”

Yes, to an extent.
Lots of students are perfectly capable of following a mark scheme — and many do.
But here’s what we see time and time again:

• They attempt a question

• They mark it themselves

• They lose marks

• And they assume the problem is that they didn’t understand the physics

So they go back, re-learn the topic… and it still doesn’t fix the problem.

Because the issue wasn’t the physics.

It was the exam technique — how to approach the question, how to structure the answer, how to include the essential information in the way the examiner expects.

For example:

• An “Explain” answer needs key facts and consequences — not just detail

• A 6-marker needs to be structured clearly, not dumped as a wall of text

• A “Describe the experiment” question isn’t just about naming the equipment — it's about showing you understand what the examiner is looking for

That’s not something the average student can diagnose by themselves. And it’s definitely not something most tutors will spot if they haven’t actually seen the written work.

What actually happens when tutors don’t mark?

Here’s the cycle we see over and over again:

1. The tutor asks, “What do you want help with?”

2. The student picks a topic they think they’re struggling with

3. The tutor re-teaches that topic

4. The student feels a bit better

5. On the next question… different wording, different style… same result: lost marks

Because in Physics, exam questions change every time.
They ask the same topics in slightly different ways — different diagrams, different command words, different contexts — and unless you’ve been shown how to handle that variety, you’re never quite prepared.

So what’s the better way? Our Learning Loop...

This is our simple 3 step process:

1. Do a past paper

   Get a student to attempt proper past paper questions

2. Find out what you don't know

   Mark the questions thoroughly — not just ticking answers. Determine for each question where marks are lost: was this a physics content gap, or an exam technique issue?

3. Fill in the holes in your knowledge

   Teach/learn the missing physics or exam technique. Lots of people miss out this step completely!!! Or re-learn physics they already know

   Repeat

That’s not guessing. That’s targeted skill-building.

Final thought

If no one is marking your child’s work — not the tutor, not the teacher — then no one really knows how they’re doing.

Everyone’s just guessing.

And guessing is not how you get from a C to an A in A-Level Physics.

📎 Related reading:

• You understand the physics — so why are you still getting C’s?