IB Chemistry tutoring, SL and HL.

How the IB Chemistry course is organised

The current Diploma Programme chemistry course is labelled “First assessment 2025” by the IB. Everything sits under two headings, Structure and Reactivity, each split into three parts. The IB’s own summary of the subject is that chemistry “is primarily concerned with identifying patterns that help to explain matter at the microscopic level.”

SL and HL students cover the same six parts. The difference is depth: the IB recommends 110 hours of syllabus content at SL and 180 at HL.

On top of that sits an experimental programme of 40 hours at SL and 60 at HL: practical work, a collaborative sciences project and the scientific investigation.

Syllabus headings and recommended hours are taken from the IB’s Diploma Programme subject brief for Chemistry, first assessment 2025. Checked on 11 October 2026 against the most recent archived copy of the IB’s published brief; confirm the current version with your school.

The exam papers and the internal assessment

The weightings are the same at SL and HL; what changes is the length of the papers.

That makes 3 hours of exams at SL and 4.5 hours at HL, together worth 80% of the final grade.

Papers, durations and weightings are from the “Assessment at a glance” table in the same IB subject brief for Chemistry. Checked on 11 October 2026 against the most recent archived copy of the IB’s published brief; confirm the current version with your school. Cognivia Tutoring is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IB.

Where the course asks the most

What follows is read off the structure above. It describes the course’s demands; it is not a set of figures about students.

• Calculation runs through both halves. “Counting particles by mass: The mole” sits in Structure 1, and “How much? The amount of chemical change” in Reactivity 2.
• Experimental work is examined on paper. Paper 1B is described as “data-based questions and questions on experimental work”, so lab work is assessed in the exam hall as well as in the investigation.
• HL grows most in two places. Reactivity 3, on mechanisms, goes from 24 recommended hours to 45, and Structure 3, which includes functional groups and the classification of organic compounds, from 16 to 31.
• Some content is HL only. The IB marks “Entropy and spontaneity” in Reactivity 1 as additional higher level.
• Paper 2 carries the most weight, at 44%, and includes extended-response questions.

Lessons are 1:1, so the hour goes on whichever of these is the student’s problem.

Help with the scientific investigation (the IA)

In chemistry the internal assessment is the scientific investigation, worth 20% of the final grade. The IB calls it “an open-ended task in which the student gathers and analyses data in order to answer their own formulated research question”. Help is offered only through the coursework feedback service: written comments on the student’s own draft, within 5 days.

• Up to 750 words — £50, written comments only.
• Up to 1,500 words — £100, including a 30-minute call.
• Up to 3,000 words — £200, including a 30-minute call.

How to order is on the coursework feedback page.

Who you would be working with

Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. He tutors Chemistry at IGCSE, GCSE, A-Level, IB SL and IB HL.

• Second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL (University College London), after a First in his first year.
• 43 out of 45 in the IB.
• 10 A*s at IGCSE.
• Tutoring for over two years, in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics.
• Enhanced DBS checked. Based in Marylebone, London.

To be plain about it: Archie’s Higher Level 7s in the IB were in Maths, Physics and Economics, so they are not a Chemistry result and are not presented as one here. The course details on this page are taken from the IB’s published brief.

What he will not do is promise a grade. The IB is marked by the IB, and no tutor sits in that room.

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

SL and HL cost the same. A 5-pack is held in a My lessons account, so the five lessons can be booked one at a time.

• 1 hour, 1:1. Every lesson is with Archie, built around one student. There are no group classes.
• Online on Google Meet, or in person around Marylebone, London (+£10). The Meet link is in your confirmation email; times are shown in your own time zone.
• Free 30-minute online trial, no card needed. A relaxed session to meet and see if it clicks.
• 24 hours’ notice to cancel, by email or phone. See the refund policy.
• Payment by Stripe at booking. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Full prices for every subject and level are on the pricing section of the home page. Parents receive a short note after each lesson on what was covered and what to practise next.