One-hour 1:1 GCSE and IGCSE Maths lessons with Archie Dyer, a second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL. Online on Google Meet for £40 an hour, or in person around Marylebone, London for £50. Lessons follow your child’s own exam board, tier and specification, and the first 30-minute trial is free.
By Archie Dyer, founder and tutor · Last updated 11 October 2026
GCSE and IGCSE MathsTaught to your child’s own board, tier and specification.
Taught by Archie Dyer10 A*s at IGCSE. Second-year Theoretical Physics at UCL.
£40 online, £50 in personOne hour, 1:1. A 5-pack saves £15.
A note after every lessonWhat was covered and what to practise next.
Enhanced DBS checkedArchie is the founder and the only tutor.
Free 30-minute online trialNo card needed.
How GCSE Maths is examined
The three GCSE Maths specifications below share one shape: three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes, each worth a third of the grade, one of them without a calculator.
GCSE Maths papers by exam board
Board and specification
Papers
Non-calculator paper
AQA (8300)
Three papers, 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each.
Paper 1. Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator.
Pearson Edexcel (1MA1)
Three papers, 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each.
Paper 1. Papers 2 and 3 allow a calculator.
OCR (J560)
Three papers, 1 hour 30 minutes and 100 marks each. Papers 1 to 3 are Foundation; Papers 4 to 6 are Higher.
Paper 2 at Foundation and Paper 5 at Higher. The other papers allow a calculator.
Foundation and Higher tiers
Foundation tier
Awards grades 1 to 5.
Higher tier
Awards grades 4 to 9. Ofqual’s rules allow a grade 3 for a Higher candidate who falls a small number of marks below the grade 4 boundary.
Formulae sheet
Ofqual requires exam boards to provide a formulae sheet with GCSE Maths papers, and has decided this continues for exams “from 2028 onwards for the lifetime of the current qualifications”.
Both IGCSE Maths qualifications below are sat as two papers rather than three.
IGCSE Maths papers by exam board
Qualification
Papers
Tiers and grades
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A (4MA1)
Two papers of 2 hours and 100 marks, each worth 50%. A calculator may be used in both, and a formulae sheet is included.
Graded 9 to 1. Foundation Tier (Papers 1F and 2F) awards grades 5 to 1. Higher Tier (Papers 1H and 2H) awards grades 9 to 4, with a grade 3 allowed.
Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580)
Core: Paper 1 (non-calculator) and Paper 3 (calculator), 1 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks each. Extended: Paper 2 (non-calculator) and Paper 4 (calculator), 2 hours and 100 marks each. Every paper is worth 50%.
Graded A* to G. Core candidates are eligible for grades C to G; Extended candidates for grades A* to E.
The Cambridge papers changed for exams from 2025. Cambridge says of the 2025–2027 syllabus: “One of the papers at each tier is now a dedicated non-calculator paper”. A list of formulas is printed in the papers, but the syllabus notes that “not all required formulas are given”. Cambridge also publishes a separately coded 9–1 version, Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Mathematics (0980).
GCSE Maths is regulated by Ofqual and sat as three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes, one without a calculator, graded 9 to 1. IGCSE Maths is an international qualification from Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge, sat as two papers. Pearson describes its International GCSE as “comparable to the UK reformed GCSEs in terms of the level of demand and assessment standards”.
GCSE Maths compared with Edexcel and Cambridge IGCSE Maths
GCSE (AQA, Edexcel, OCR)
Edexcel IGCSE (4MA1)
Cambridge IGCSE (0580)
Papers
Three, 1 hour 30 minutes each
Two, 2 hours each
Two: 1 hour 30 minutes each (Core) or 2 hours each (Extended)
Non-calculator
One paper of three
None
One paper of two
Tiers
Foundation, Higher
Foundation, Higher
Core, Extended
Grades
9 to 1
9 to 1
A* to G (0580)
Calculus
Gradients and rates of change from graphs; the Edexcel GCSE specification adds “this does not include calculus”
Differentiation, Higher Tier only
Differentiation, Extended only
The school chooses the qualification and enters the student. For tutoring, what matters is knowing which specification and tier your child is on.
These are observations about how the papers are built, not statistics about any group of students.
The non-calculator paper. It carries a third of a GCSE Maths grade and half of a Cambridge IGCSE one, so fractions, percentages, negative numbers and algebra have to be secure by hand.
Multi-step questions. Longer questions do not say which method to use. Knowing each technique is not the same as seeing how to start.
Using a formula, not just finding it. A formulae sheet does not choose the formula, substitute the numbers or rearrange the result. From 2028, Ofqual says boards must “not set questions that can be answered solely by transferring information from the formulae or equations sheets”.
Rearranging and algebra. Changing the subject of a formula and solving equations sit underneath many other topics, so a weakness there shows up across the paper.
The tier overlap. Grades 4 and 5 are available on both tiers, so they rest on the same middle band of content whichever tier the school chooses.
What parents get
A short note after each lesson, saying what was covered and what to practise next.
One tutor, every time. Archie is the only tutor, and he is Enhanced DBS checked.
Booking by a parent or by the student, one lesson at a time or as a 5-pack.
No promises about grades. No tutor can guarantee a result.
Who would be teaching
Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. He is based in Marylebone, London.
10 A*s at IGCSE.
43 out of 45 in the IB, with 7s in HL Maths, Physics and Economics.
Second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL, after a First in his first year.
Tutoring for over two years, in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics.
Enhanced DBS checked.
In his own words: “I was never top of my class in primary school, but before my IGCSEs I decided to really give it a go.” Lessons follow your child’s own board, tier and specification.
How he teaches. In Archie’s words: “I find where the understanding actually breaks down, which is usually two or three topics further back than where the marks were lost, and we rebuild from there. I keep lessons relaxed. I would far rather a student asked me something they think is obvious than sat quietly and nodded.” The free 30-minute trial is the way to judge that for yourself: bring a topic you find difficult. There is more on the About Archie page.
Prices and practical details
GCSE and IGCSE Maths lesson prices at Cognivia Tutoring
What
Online
In person
One 1-hour 1:1 lesson
£40
£50
5-pack — five 1-hour lessons, £15 off
£185
£235
30-minute trial lesson
Free
Online only
GCSE and IGCSE Maths are the same price. A 5-pack is held in a My lessons account and booked one lesson at a time.
1 hour, 1:1. Every lesson is with Archie. There are no group classes.
Online on Google Meet, or in person around Marylebone, London (+£10). The Meet link is in your confirmation email and times are shown in your own time zone. In-person meeting places are agreed by email after booking.
Free 30-minute online trial, no card needed.
24 hours’ notice to cancel, by email or phone. See the refund policy.
Payment by Stripe at booking. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
At Cognivia Tutoring, GCSE and IGCSE Maths lessons cost £40 an hour online, or £50 an hour in person around Marylebone, London. A 5-pack of five 1-hour lessons saves £15, at £185 online or £235 in person. The first 30-minute online trial is free and no card is needed.
Neither is officially the harder one. Pearson describes its International GCSE as “comparable to the UK reformed GCSEs in terms of the level of demand and assessment standards”. The papers differ: GCSE Maths is three papers of 1 hour 30 minutes, one without a calculator, while Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A is two 2-hour papers with a calculator allowed in both.
Foundation tier awards grades 1 to 5. Higher tier awards grades 4 to 9, and a Higher candidate who narrowly misses grade 4 may be awarded a grade 3. The school decides the tier of entry, so the person to ask is your child’s maths teacher. Lessons follow whichever tier the school has chosen.
For AQA and Edexcel GCSE it is Paper 1. For OCR it is Paper 2 at Foundation tier and Paper 5 at Higher tier. Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics (0580) has Paper 1 (Core) and Paper 2 (Extended). Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A has no non-calculator paper.
Yes. Ofqual requires exam boards to provide a formulae sheet with GCSE Maths papers, and has decided that this continues from 2028 for the remaining lifetime of the current specifications. Students still have to choose the right formula and use it correctly.
It depends on the child, on what needs work and on how far away the exams are. Lessons can be booked one at a time or as a 5-pack, and nothing ties you to a fixed schedule. The free 30-minute trial is the place to talk it through.
Either. Online lessons run on Google Meet, and students join from the UK and across Europe. In-person lessons take place around Marylebone, London, with the exact meeting place agreed by email after booking.
Book the free 30-minute online trial and bring a topic you find difficult. You will see how Archie explains it and whether his teaching suits you before paying anything, and no card is needed. After every paid lesson, parents receive a short note on what was covered and what to practise next, so progress stays visible.
Where to go next
The free 30-minute online trial is the simplest first step. Nothing is charged and no card is needed.
