Why So Many Year 12 Students Struggle With A-Level Maths
A-Level Maths moves faster than most students expect. Unlike GCSE, where you can get by with surface-level understanding for a while, A-Level punishes gaps immediately. Every topic builds directly on the last.
By Christmas of Year 12, many students have already fallen behind — not because they lack ability, but because one or two key building blocks are shaky and everything that follows becomes harder than it needs to be.
The students who wait until Year 13 to get help face a much harder battle. By then, they are trying to learn new content while going back to fix foundations that should have been solid months ago. The pace increases, the gaps widen, and the pressure of final exams is already looming.
The single biggest factor in A-Level Maths success is not natural talent. It is getting the right support at the right time. And for Year 12 students, that time is now.
A Structured Group Programme Built for
Year 12
This is not drop-in homework help. It is a structured, curriculum-aligned programme designed to build your child's understanding from the ground up, following the Edexcel A-Level Maths specification.
What your child gets:
Two focused 50-minute live sessions every week — Monday and Thursday at 8pm
A small group of no more than 10 students, so everyone gets individual attention
A structured programme that follows the Edexcel syllabus, filling gaps and building ahead
Live, interactive teaching — not pre-recorded videos or worksheets
A tutor who is a former Head of Maths and current A-Level examiner, not a university student or unqualified tutor
The cost:
£110 per week for both sessions. No sign-up fees. No long-term contracts. Cancel at any time.
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Why Getting Help Now Makes All the Difference
Every year, I see the same pattern. Parents contact me in September of Year 13, worried about their child's predicted grades. We make progress, but we spend half our time going back over Year 12 content that was never properly understood.
The students who do best in their final exams are almost always the ones who got support during Year 12 — when there was time to build genuine understanding, not just cram for an exam.
Right now, your child still has over a year before their final exams. That is enough time to close gaps, build confidence, and go into Year 13 in a strong position. In six months, that window will be much smaller.
A Sklinitzis
“Lee is a great tutor. He demonstrates a passion for his subject and has an engaging teaching style. Through a combination of group teaching and one to one sessions Lee supported two of my sons to achieve very high grades at A Level. Both were predicted C grades to start with, and finished up significantly better. The sessions are organised and time is managed well to deliver results. Both sons have gone on to secure their first choice at University. The proof is in the results. Difficult maths is conveyed clearly and simply and the boys seemed to progress quickly. Lee is a master class in how to deliver online tuition.”
Lisa Diao
“Lee is a superb teacher! He prepares all his lessons ahead, had an abundant source of material and most I importantly cares about his students. My daughter received an A* for both maths and further maths.”
G Fernandes
“Mr Guffick was very supportive and developed my sons math skills in a way that will stand in good stead through university and later in life. My sons confidence in approaching and solving hard math problems improved significantly, resulting in an A* in math and an A is further math, which is an excellent result.
We are grateful to Mr Guffick for his guidance and mentoring throughout my sons 6th form.”
Meet Your Tutor – Experience You Can Trust
I'm Lee Guffick. I'm a former Head of Maths with over a decade of experience teaching at some of the UK's most competitive schools, including Eton College, Westminster School, Brighton College, and City of London School.
I hold an MSc in Mathematics from the University of Warwick and I am a current A-Level Maths examiner — which means I don't just teach the content, I know exactly how it's marked and where students lose marks unnecessarily.
I've helped hundreds of students achieve results they didn't think were possible. But more importantly, I've helped students who had given up on maths rediscover that they can do it — they just needed the right support.
I am an active teacher at a leading independent school in the West Midlands and I’m also fully DBS-checked and dedicate myself to each student’s success. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a young person who once said
“I’m just not good at maths”
go on to ace their A-level exams.
Amanda
“Guffick Maths has been brilliant for our son's A-level maths. He joined the Year 13 group lessons and also has 1:1 sessions to catch up on the specific gaps in his knowledge. In only 3 months, Lee has boosted his confidence hugely and therefore his predicted grade has gone from a D to a B, with getting an A in the summer exams, a real prospect if this trajectory continues. Thank you, Lee. You are a star!”
How to Get Started
Step 1: Send me a message on WhatsApp or book a free 10-minute call. Tell me a bit about your child and where they're finding things difficult.
Step 2: Your child joins the next Monday session. There's no assessment, no application process, and no pressure. They simply turn up and start learning.
Step 3: Within a few weeks, you'll see the difference — in their understanding, their confidence, and their results.
Common Questions
What if my child is very behind — will they cope in a group? Yes. The group is structured to build understanding from the foundations up. Students at different levels benefit because the teaching is thorough, not rushed. I also monitor everyone's progress individually and will let you know if I think your child would benefit from additional 1:1 support.
What technology do they need? A laptop or tablet with a webcam and microphone, and a reliable internet connection. All sessions are live on Zoom. I also recommend a graphics tablet for writing out working, but it's not essential to start.
What if they miss a session? It happens. Sessions are not recorded, but I can provide notes on what was covered and your child can catch up in the next session. If they're going to miss several weeks, let me know and we can discuss options.
Is there a minimum commitment? No. There are no contracts and no sign-up fees. You pay weekly and can stop at any time. Most students stay because they want to, not because they're locked in.
Can my child also have 1:1 sessions? Yes. I offer 1:1 tutoring at £120 per hour for students who want additional support beyond the group sessions. Many students in the group add occasional 1:1 sessions before exams or when they need focused help on a specific topic.
My child does AQA/OCR, not Edexcel — does that matter? The core A-Level Maths content is very similar across all exam boards. The group follows the Edexcel structure, but students on other boards will cover the same topics. I'm happy to discuss any board-specific differences with you.
Ethan
“I had Lee for 3 years through Year 11 to Year 13 and he has been a major help from improving my Maths ability. He helped build my confidence in a relaxed and collaborative environment with the sessions being led mostly by what I wanted to cover. I felt I could ask any questions no matter how trivial or silly they initially seemed and I was always met with an insightful and tailored response to my exact issue. Lee is punctual and very reliable with no last minute cancellations. He gives suggested work to complete between sessions aimed at your weaker areas so be prepared to put the work in to make the most of this incredible tutor. He helped me get an A* in Maths and aided me in getting into my chosen university.”
Your Child Still Has Time. But That Window Is Closing.
Every week that passes in Year 12 is content that gets harder to go back and fix later. If something feels off with your child's maths right now, trust that instinct.
A 10-minute conversation costs nothing and could change the trajectory of their A-Level.
Book a Free 10-Minute CallNo obligation. No hard sell. Just an honest conversation about whether this is right for your child.
Sue
"My son had Lee as a Maths tutor for part of Year 13, these are his words:
"Lee is an amazing tutor, as someone who had missed a large amount of time in school, I had lost confidence in my Maths but every time I had a session with Lee, either in a group or a one-to-one call, I always left the session feeling more confident. My grades improved dramatically whilst I was with Lee; his teaching style was always helpful and tested my understanding of topics across the Maths syllabus, but I never felt under unfair pressure if asked a question. Lee always checked if everyone was OK with the questions we did and if someone had made a mistake, he would talk with them directly to make sure they fully understood the correct method to use"
As his Mum I would add that I wish I'd got Lee onboard sooner. My son often said that Lee explained things in a way that other teachers hadn't and there were very many lightbulb moments. My son has gone from struggling with A Level Maths to loving it."
