FAQs

Revision Course FAQs

Every day our expert Course Advisors speak to parents and students, providing information and advice about our GCSE and A Level revision courses. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions.

Course Pricing and Logistics

  • How much do the courses cost? Our course costs reflect the high quality of their tuition. All of our fees can be found at Course Fees – Justin Craig
  • How long is each course? Our GCSE and IGCSE (Years 10 -11) and A Level Year 12 courses are 2 days. A Level Year 13 courses are 3 days. There may be some exceptions with course length at Easter and May Day Weekend.
  • What time do the Courses run? Both our Day Centres and Online Courses run from 9.30am to 4pm
  • What age/year groups do you cover? GCSE and IGCSE Years 10 and 11, A Level Years 12 and 13
  • Where are the courses held? Our Courses are held at our specialist Centres. We carefully select top-tier school venues that combine safety, modern facilities, and an excellent reputation. We foster a warm, inspiring atmosphere where students can focus on their work while easily relaxing and making new friends. All our revision centres are convenient and secure, with easy access by car or public transport and offer safe dismissal so that, at the end of the course, we ensure every student is safely on their way home. Do take a look at our Centres.

Course Content and What to Bring

  • What do your courses cover?

Day Courses: Our in-person courses that take place at our centres have a tailored content that covers the topics and skills that students have requested via the Student Portal.

Online Courses: Our online courses have a more prescribed content giving students more clarity about the topics or skills that are to be covered on the course. For most subjects the prescribed content will change over the course of the year, so students will not be revising the same topics by attending the same courses at different times of year.

  • What should my child bring to the course?

The Core Essentials

  • An A4 notebook or refill pad: A divided project book is perfect if students are studying multiple subjects, as it keeps their notes separate and organised
  • Your main pens & highlighters: Students should bring pens they find comfortable to write with for hours at a time. Highlighters are brilliant for color-coding key stats, quotes, or formulas
  • Subject-Specific tools: If you are doing Maths or Sciences, double-check that you have your scientific or graphical calculator (and make sure it has fresh batteries or is fully charged). Don’t forget your geometry set (protractor, compass, and ruler).
  • Personal Tech: If you bring tech like a laptop or tablet (personal choice if you prefer this over pen and paper), remember your charger!

Brain Fuel and Comfort

  • Refillable water bottle: Staying hydrated keeps students’ focus sharp across long study blocks
  • Layers (jumper or hoodie): Depending on the time of the year, classroom temperatures will vary, so layers are key
  • Medication: If you take regular medication throughout the day, please remember to bring it with you.
  • Snacks: Bring some high-energy snacks like nuts, fruit, or oat bars to push through mid-morning or mid-afternoon slumps. There is a small tuck shop on site for drinks and snacks.

Good Tip: Pack your bag the night before. Revision courses pack a lot of information into a short window, and arriving stressed because you were hunting for your calculator completely derails your morning focus.

  • Is lunch included? Lunch is not provided at our day centres, so students can bring a packed lunch or get something at lunchtime (there are nearby shops and cafes). However, lunch is included at our Easter Residential Centres and Summer School, for both non-residential and residential students.

Tuition and Formats

  • Do you offer in person 1-to-1 tuition? We offer 1-to-1 tuition online, but currently not in person. Further information on our Online 1-to-1 tuition can be found here.
  • Will my child get individual 1-to-1 time with the Tutor? Because our courses are taught in small groups, there will be some time for 1-to-1 support from the Tutor.
  • Can I resit my exams with Justin Craig Education? No, we provide revision courses rather than hosting official exams. You will need to arrange the exam itself separately.
  • How to book your exam: Either (a) Contact the school: The easiest route is usually asking the school or college where the exams were first taken or (b) Find an external centre: Visit the relevant exam board’s website and look for their “Private Candidates” page to find approved local test centres
  • Who are your Tutors? Are they qualified Teachers/Examiners? At Justin Craig Education, our Tutors aren’t just experts — 90% of our Tutors are qualified secondary school teachers, examiners, and Heads of Department currently working in the secondary school system and/or are retired and still love teaching. This means they bring up-to-the-minute curriculum knowledge and a lively, inclusive energy to every lesson. We strictly vet and continuously assess our educators because your child deserves the highest standards of safety and performance. We love seeing the difference it makes, and so do our families: over 90% of students report that our courses hit their exact learning goals.

Exam Preparation and Curriculum

  • Are your courses tailored to specific exam boards? The majority of our revision courses from Year 11 onwards are exam board specific.
  • How much exam preparation is included? We offer:

Past Paper Analysis: Students work quite thoroughly through official past papers and specific practice questions to demystify what the examiners are looking for
Decoding Questions: Tutors help students unpack “levelled questions,” source evaluations, and complex multi-part problems so they know exactly how to structure high-scoring answers.
Time Management: Courses include strategies on how to pace yourself during the actual test, preventing the common issue of running out of time on long-answer questions.

  • Do you cover exam techniques? Yes, including these areas:

1. Deconstructing the Mark Scheme

Thinking Like an Examiner: Some of our tutors are current or former examiners. They teach students how to spot “trigger words” (like explain, evaluate, compare, or analyse) so they write exactly what the examiner is looking for.
Where Marks are Lost: Tutors highlight common pitfalls, such as failing to show workings in Maths or writing a beautiful essay that doesn’t actually answer the specific question asked.

2. Time Management under Pressure

Pacing Strategies: Students learn how to allocate their time across different sections of a paper (e.g., how much time to spend on a 4-mark question versus a 20-mark essay)
Mock Conditions: Courses often include timed practice slots to help students get used to the physical and mental pace of the real exam.

3. Essay Structure and Argumentation

Planning Frameworks: For essay-based subjects (like English, History, or Psychology) tutors provide help with structures to assist students plan and write coherent, well-argued responses quickly
Integrating Evidence: Students practice smoothly weaving quotes, data, or historical evidence into their arguments to hit the top mark bands

4. Handling Unfamiliar or Complex Questions

Unlocking the Question: Tutors teach techniques for breaking down wordy or complex multi-part questions, especially in Maths and Sciences, so students don’t panic if a question looks different from what they practice.

For more information on Justin Craig group tutoring and revision, please speak to one of our expert Course Advisors by calling 01727 744340 or email us.