Before you make the call.
Why we start with a diagnostic, what happens in it, and what you receive.
Parents should not have to guess.
A low mark can be the visible end of several different problems. More worksheets are not a diagnosis. We begin by watching the thinking that happens before the answer.
The question we want to answer is not “How much more content does this student need?” It is “What happens when the question stops looking familiar?”
Observe the first move
Where the student begins, pauses, changes method, or asks for a structure that is not there.
Describe the evidence
Any clear pattern and the limits of what was observed, in language a parent and student can use.
Choose the right next step
A programme recommendation only when the evidence says it is the right intervention.
How the diagnostic works at Oxbridge.
Your child spends 30 minutes in a live, observation-based session, followed by 15 minutes of independent work. We watch how they read, begin, choose a method, and respond when a question changes shape.
30 minutes of live observation plus 15 minutes of independent work.
A written report in plain language, with evidence before recommendation.
The launch price is fully credited if a programme starts within 7 days.
The 45-minute session, step by step.
Frame the session
We set the student up to think aloud without performing for approval.Observe the core
Questions increase in format variation, with undisturbed work time.Verify the pattern
One targeted conversation checks what happened at the point of difficulty.Independent work
The student works without prompts. A plain-language report follows within 24 hours.Six ways a student can get stuck.
“They do not understand maths” is rarely specific enough to build a useful plan. The diagnostic looks for the reasoning pattern beneath the mark.
The FIVEQ guide offers five questions for families choosing a maths tutor. The six patterns below describe difficulties we look for during the diagnostic; they are observations to investigate, not fixed labels for a student.
Starting a question
The student knows the material, but cannot see how to begin an unfamiliar question.
Choosing a method
The method is executed well, but the wrong mathematical tool is selected.
Interpretation
The calculation is complete; the conclusion does not yet say what the number means.
Checking conditions
A formula is applied without checking whether its conditions are true.
Applying ideas in a new context
A familiar question can be solved, but the same idea in a different context is difficult.
Working without prompts
A question with guided parts can be solved, but an unstructured problem is difficult to begin.
A plain-language report, within 24 hours.
Within 24 hours, you receive a written report describing the observations, any clear reasoning pattern and the limits of the evidence. It explains what a programme could address and what we are not proposing. The report belongs to your family whether or not you continue.
Answers to the practical questions.
Dubai · Sharjah · Abu Dhabi · Muscat · London · UAE · UK · Oman.
The session
What happens in the diagnostic?
Your child spends 30 minutes in a live, observation-based session, followed by 15 minutes of independent work. We watch how they read, begin, choose a method, and respond when a question changes shape.
Report and fee
What do we receive afterwards?
Within 24 hours, you receive a written report describing the observations, any clear reasoning pattern and the limits of the evidence. It explains what a programme could address and what we are not proposing.
How does the AED 150 launch price work?
The launch diagnostic is AED 150. If your family starts a programme within 7 days, the full AED 150 is credited towards it. The report is yours regardless of what you decide next.
Format and subjects
Do you tutor online or in person?
Both. We work with families in Dubai · Sharjah · Abu Dhabi · Muscat · London in the format that makes sense for the student, the school calendar, and the kind of work being observed.
What subjects do you currently focus on?
Our six specialist offers are AP Statistics · AP Calculus · IBDP Maths · IGCSE/A-Level Maths · Digital SAT Maths · BTEC Maths. Other curricula remain available for enquiries, but the diagnostic comes first so the next step is evidence-led.
Tell us what you are seeing.
The diagnostic is designed to make the next decision less uncertain, even if your family decides not to continue.
Arrange a diagnostic