What to Ask an ESS Tutor Before Your First Lesson

13 Jul What to Ask an ESS Tutor Before Your First Lesson

Choosing an ESS tutor starts with the student’s needs. Before booking, identify whether the difficulty involves understanding a concept, interpreting data, writing an exam answer or planning independent research. A useful first conversation connects that difficulty to a clear learning goal.

Check that the support fits the course

Tell the tutor your SL or HL level, assessment session and topics covered at school. Ask how the lesson materials will match those details. A resource from an older course may explain useful science while giving assessment information that no longer applies.

Bring an example of the difficulty

A recent answer or a specific question gives the tutor something concrete to discuss. You might say, “I describe the graph but cannot explain the pattern,” or “I know the content but do not know how to plan an evaluate response.”

Ask what you will practise and how you will review it. A lesson should have a purpose you can understand, rather than simply cover a large amount of material.

Ask about feedback and independent work

• Will I attempt questions myself during the lesson?
• How will we identify what is missing from an answer?
• What should I practise between lessons?
• For IA support, how will the tutor explain skills while keeping my submitted work my own?

Look for realistic explanations of the support offered. No tutor can guarantee an exam result. Experience is useful context, but ask how it connects to your particular task.

Discuss lesson options before paying

Students and parents can check the current lesson options and prices and clarify the lesson length, arrangements and next steps. Read how online ESS tutoring works for more detail.

Marija Maletz is an ESS teacher, examiner and tutor. Explore online IB ESS tutoring for SL and HL or request a free 20-minute trial lesson to discuss your needs before choosing paid lessons.