Featured image: the Top A Level Tutors homepage. Screenshot, November 2026.
If your child is going through their A Levels and you’ve looked into tutoring, you probably have a good idea of how expensive it can be, especially when you’re paying by the hour for months at a time. That’s why it’s important to know exactly what you’re paying for.
Top A Level Tutors is a brand-new online tutoring service that launched this year. It promises exam-board-matched tutors, published prices and no lock-in contracts. But does it live up to that? In this guide, we explore what the platform is, how it works and what features it has, so you can decide whether it’s worth the money.
What is Top A Level Tutors?
Top A Level Tutors is an online tutoring company that offers one-to-one lessons for A Level, AS Level, GCSE and IGCSE students. It covers around 30 A Level subjects, from Maths and the sciences to Economics, languages and Law.
It works with seven exam boards: AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel, Edexcel International, Cambridge International, Oxford AQA International and WJEC/Eduqas. As well as UK students, it serves families studying British qualifications abroad, with dedicated pages for places like Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The company was founded in 2026 by Max Milstein and is based in Melbourne, Australia. It’s part of a larger group that runs several tutoring brands, each focused on a different curriculum or region.
How does it work?
Unlike tutor marketplaces, you don’t scroll through hundreds of profiles. Instead, there’s a straightforward system that follows these steps:
- You fill in a short form with your subject, exam board, target grade and availability.
- A Learning Advisor reviews it the same day and matches you with a tutor based on those details.
- The tutor then contacts you to arrange the first lesson.
- Lessons run online, one-to-one, in the company’s own virtual classroom, at times that fit around school.
There’s also the option to browse tutor profiles on the site and request a specific tutor if you’d rather choose for yourself.
Key features
Let’s explore some of the key features of the platform.
1. Two tutor tiers
The biggest factor in the price is which type of tutor you choose:
- Academic tutors are recent graduates or undergraduates who got an A* or A in the subject they teach.
- Professional tutors are qualified teachers with at least five years’ experience and a current or recent classroom or examining role.
This gives you the option to tailor what you’re looking for to how much you’re willing to spend.
2. Matched by exam board
Every tutor is matched to your specific exam board, not just your subject. This is more important than it sounds, because papers in the same subject can be very different from one board to another.
3. Pay only after lessons
Pay-as-you-go lessons are invoiced after they’ve happened, so you never pay upfront for tutoring you haven’t had.
4. First-session guarantee
There’s no free trial. Instead, if you’re not happy after the first lesson, you get a full refund and a new tutor at no extra cost.
The first-session guarantee appears on every tutor profile. Screenshot: topaleveltutors.com, November 2026.
5. Parents can see everything
For under-18s, a parent or guardian is the one who holds the account. They can see bookings, lesson notes and messages, and can join any lesson without notice. After every session, the tutor logs what was covered and what comes next.
Top A Level Tutors pricing
Prices are published openly on the Top A Level Tutors pricing page, which isn’t always the case with tutoring services. Here’s what you’ll pay per hour:
| Level | Academic tutor | Professional tutor |
| GCSE and IGCSE | £38 | £56 |
| A Level and AS | £45 | £64 |
Academic tutor prices (left) and professional tutor prices (right). Screenshot: topaleveltutors.com pricing, November 2026.
If you buy lessons in a block upfront, the hourly rate drops:
| Package size | Discount |
| 10 to 20 hours | 5% |
| 21 to 30 hours | 10% |
| 31 to 50 hours | 12.5% |
| 51+ hours | 15% |
What does a year of A Level tutoring cost?
To put those numbers in context, we worked out the cost of one hour a week across a 30-week school year:
| Option | Pay as you go | 30-hour package (10% off) |
| Academic tutor | £1,350 | £1,215 |
| Professional tutor | £1,920 | £1,728 |
The package saves £135 a year with an academic tutor and £192 with a professional one. The trade-off is paying upfront, although unused hours stay valid if your plans change, and leftover balances can be credited at the end of the school year, subject to the package terms.
The small print
There are a few billing details worth knowing about before you sign up:
- Weekly invoicing. Every Monday, you’re invoiced for the previous week’s lessons. The invoice is due the following Monday.
- Direct debit is required. All customers have to set up a direct debit through Stripe for payment.
- Late cancellations cost half. If you cancel less than an hour before a lesson, or don’t turn up, you pay half the fee. You can reschedule as long as you give your tutor notice.
- No lock-in. You can pause over the holidays or stop altogether at any time.
Pros
- Transparent pricing. Rates are published, and there are no sign-up or registration fees.
- You only pay for lessons you’ve had. Pay-as-you-go lessons are invoiced afterwards.
- A cheaper tier is available. Academic tutors make one-to-one A Level tuition more affordable.
- Exam-board matching. Tutors are matched to your exact specification.
- Refund if the first lesson isn’t right. It takes some of the risk out of trying a new tutor.
Cons
- No free trial. You pay for the first lesson, even if it’s refundable.
- Online only. If your child works better face to face, this isn’t the service for you.
- Direct debit is compulsory. Some families would rather pay by card or bank transfer each time.
- A brand-new company. It launched in 2026, so it doesn’t yet have a long track record or independent reviews to look at.
Is Top A Level Tutors legit?
Tutor vetting
The company says it accepts only 5% of tutor applicants. Its selection process includes checking claimed grades against transcripts, an interview, a live teaching demo and a photo ID check. UK-based tutors need an Enhanced DBS check, tutors abroad need their country’s equivalent, and every tutor completes safeguarding training before their first lesson.
Safeguarding
All lessons and messages stay inside the company’s own virtual classroom. Tutors aren’t allowed to contact students elsewhere, connect on social media or arrange private lessons, and a designated safeguarding lead handles any concerns.
Reviews
Because the company is so new, we couldn’t find reviews on independent platforms such as Trustpilot yet. That’s not a red flag in itself, but it’s worth checking again as more families use the service.
Is Top A Level Tutors worth the money?
For families who want one-to-one A Level support without a long-term commitment, it’s good value for what you get. The prices are clear, there’s a cheaper tier for students who don’t need a qualified teacher, and you only pay after lessons happen.
It’s probably worth it if you:
- want a tutor matched to your exact exam board
- prefer to pay as you go rather than commit to a big block upfront
- are happy with online lessons
It’s less likely to suit you if you:
- want in-person tutoring
- want a free trial before paying anything
- would rather wait for a longer track record and independent reviews
If you’re on a tight budget, starting with an academic tutor and the first-session guarantee is a low-risk way to see whether it works for your child.
