Weekly Masterclasses for AQA or OCR A
AQA YR12 - 5.15pm Tuesdays
AQA YR13 - 6.30pm Wednesdays
OCR A YR12 - 5.15pm Wednesdays
OCR A YR13 - 6.30pm Tuesdays
“The focus the sessions have on understanding biological concepts and how to correctly answer past paper questions has really helped me. Through actively attending the group tutoring sessions my Biology grades are quickly improving from Cs to As. ”
How it works
Join a group of students from your year group and your exam board for a different topic each week. We go through the theory and look at how to apply it to the exam questions for top marks.
You can stream lesson recordings for later revision and/or if you are unable to attend in person.
The class is interactive due to the use of simple online tools, which ensure active learning but avoid students having to talk in front of the group or otherwise be put on the spot. Students answer written exam questions in every lesson. You are welcome to ask questions!
There are typically 8-12 students in each class.
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We cover a different topic every week.
We go through the required concepts and look at the types of exam questions that might come up, and I give advice about how best to approach these to avoid dropping any marks.Having separate classes for different exam boards means we can do lots of exam practice using past paper questions from your board, with content, guidance and tips focused on the exact requirements and quirks of your specification.
Having separate classes for different year groups means the students are working at a similar level, and I can set the topics to align with the order you are likely to be studying these in your school or college.
I use a variety of simple interactive tools to create an active learning environment. These let me see your responses without you having to screenshare or talk on screen. My Masterclasses are not passive lectures - you will get a lot more out of the experience, with deeper and more effective learning.
Be prepared to actively engage with the topic, and to give your brain a good workout!
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Students are expected to attend regularly: habit and consistency are vital for learning.
It is helpful to book ahead to be sure of getting a space in every class. They can and do sell out!
Students who book ahead and later find they can’t attend on the day usually just watch the recording instead, but you can always cancel if this becomes necessary.
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The classes are focused very closely on the particular exam board and year group. Only exam questions from the chosen board are used, and tips and guidance are specific to that board and how they present and word their questions.
In addition, the level of work builds on prior learning, so that the year 13 group relies upon knowledge of topics covered in year 12. And year 12 classes do not confuse students by linking to topics and information that they will not yet have studied.
For this reason I generally do not accept students who do not match the class criteria.
However, some of my year 13 students do additionally attend year 12 classes for their board. This is fine, but they should understand the classes will not be linked to content they are studying in year 13. -
Upcoming OCR A YR12 topics, Wednesdays, 5.15pm:
15 Jan Meiosis
22 Jan Diversity of Cells
29 Jan Stem Cells
5 Feb Transport in Animals: Arteries, Veins Capillaries and Tissue Fluid formation
12 Feb Transport in Animals: Cardiac Cycle
5 March Transport in Animals : Electrical Activity of Heart and ECG
12 March Transport in Animals : Carriage of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
19 March Gas Exchange in Humans
26 Mar Gas Exchange in Plants, Insects and Fish and Spirometers
2 April Communicable Diseases (a-c): Types; Transmission; and Animal Defenses and White Blood Cells
23 April Communicable Diseases (f-j): Lymphocytes; Immune Responses; and Active/Passive Immunity
30. April Transport in Plants: Uptake through roots, Xylem and Transpiration
7 May Using Potometers, Phloem translocation, Xerophytes and Hydrophytes
14 May Classification and Taxonomy
21 May Evolution (d,-i): Evolution and the evidence for Evolution by Natural Selection, Variation; Adaptations; Mechanisms of Evolution; and implications for Human Populations
4 June Biodiversity (a,b): Levels and Sampling Biodiversity (c-e): Measuring Species Richness; Simpson’s Index of Diversity;
11 June Answering Practical Skills Questions
18 June 2025 Answering Maths Skills QuestionsUpcoming OCR A YR13 topics, Tuesday, 6.30pm:
7 Jan Nerves Part 2 and Synapses
14 Jan Animal responses
21 Jan Meiosis recap and Monohybrid inheritance
28 Jan Dihybrid Inheritance and Autosomal linkage
4 Feb Chi squared and t-test
11 Feb Succession and Distribution and Abundance
25 Feb Muscle Contraction
4 March Cellular Control - Gene mutations and Control of Gene Expression
11 March Manipulating Genomes (a,b) DNA and Gene sequencing
18 March Nitrogen Cycle
25 March Manipulating Genomes: DNA profiling, PCR and DNA Analysis
4 April Hardy Weinberg, Speciation
8 April Populations and Sustainability (a,b) Size, Interaction
15 April Classification and Evolution (a-d)
22 April Gene Therapy, Animal and Plant cloning
29 April Plant responses
6 May Conservation, Preservation and Management
13 May Biotechnology - Use of Microorganisms
20 May Plant transport Y12 recap
27 May Animal Transport: Cardiac Cycle recap
3 June Respiration recapFor the full year's topic lists, see below
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Upcoming AQA YR12 topics, Tuesdays 5.15pm:
14 Jan DNA replication
21 Jan All cells arise from other cells
28 Jan Cell recognition and the immune system
4 Feb HIV and Antibodies
11 Feb Surface area to volume ratio, Gas Exchange in Insects and Fish
25 Feb Gas exchange in Humans
4 March Digestion and absorption
11 March Mass transport in animals - Circulation and Tissue fluid formatio
18 March Heart and the Cardiac Cycle
25 Mar Haemoglobin and Bohr Shift
1 April Transport in Plants - Xylem and Potometers
22 April Phloem
29 April DNA, genes and chromosomes
6 May Genetic diversity can arise as a result of mutation or during meiosis
13 May Genetic diversity and adaptation
20 May Species and taxonomy
3 June Biodiversity within a communityUpcoming AQA YR13 topics, Wednesdays, 6.30pm:
15 Jan Skeletal muscles are stimulated to contract by nerves and act as effectors
22 Jan Control of blood glucose concentration and Diabetes
29 Jan Control of blood water potential 1
5 Feb Control of blood water potential 2
12 Feb Inheritance 1
26 Feb Inheritance 2
5 March Populations and Hardy Weinberg
12 March Evolution may lead to speciation
19 March Populations in ecosystems
26 Mar Alteration of the sequence of bases in DNA can alter the structure of proteins
2 April Most of a cell’s DNA is not translated - Stem Cells
9 April (Easter) Regulation of transcription and translation
16 April (Easter) Gene expression and cancer
23 April Using genome projects
30 April Recombinant DNA technology
7 May Probes and Fingerprinting
14 May Chi squared and T-test
21 May Essay practise
4 June Practical Skills -
I’m Tom.
I’ve specialised in teaching A level Biology for over 28 years (I teach nothing else), and started tutoring online in 2012. In teaching, experience matters. I have a deep understanding of how students learn, their potential mis-steps, and the quirks of different exam specifications.
I teach at a top sixth-form college. The Biology department is grade 1, as were my lessons in the most recent OFSTED. My classes have achieved within the top 1% of national A level Biology sixth-form college classes for value-added results. Many students have achieved full marks in exams and gained places to read Medicine.
Group class reviews
Hi Tom, I got A* and met my offer for Oxford, thank you so much for all of your help !! Isabelle - AQA 2024 - Group lessons
Sara got A* in biology and offered a place to do medicine. Once again thanks for all the help in biology ! Sara AQA 2024 - Group lessons
Cassy did very well. She had an A in biology, short of only 3 marks to get an A* Thank you so much for all the support. - OCR A 2024 - Group lessons
I would like to thank Tom for all the support he gave me during my A level Biology course. I achieved an A in my A level Biology exam. The A level Biology group lessons were very informative. Along with the information provided in the lesson, Tom used active recall to test us on our knowledge and engaged us in the lesson which deepened my understanding and retention of A level Biology concepts. Furthermore, when we answered long question types we would use an interactive whiteboard to answer the questions, and he would regularly check our work and provide areas of improvement for our answers. Thank you so much Tom for all your support during my A level Biology course and exam. Cassy - OCR A 2024 Group lessons
Thank you so much for your help Tom. With your help I was able to achieve a grade that i didn’t know would be achievable for me. Thank you:)) Highly recommend - Vongai OCR A 2024 Group lessons
The lessons were concise and efficient and really helped solidify key areas of OCR A-Level biology that were weak points in my knowledge. The tutoring sessions took me from a predicted D/E to a final B grade in my 2024 A - level results, helping me secure my firm place university choice - Jack OCR A 2024 Group lessons
Hi Tom, I get a B in my exam. Best I’ve ever gotten so very happy. Thank you for all you help :) - Elizabeth OCR A 2024 Group lessons
I achieved an A thanks to your help and am requesting a review of marking as I was only a few marks below the boundary for A* - Rasan AQA 2024 - Group lessons
I got a B! Got my place at Uni. Thankyou for all your help! Tilly AQA 2024 Group lesson
Hello Tom! Thank you very much for your message. I did amazing, I got a B!! I'm very, very happy about it, this is what I need for uni💪 Your lessons and videos helped me a lot, without you I would have done much, much worse. Your explanations were always very clear, so that even the most complex part of the syllabus seemed obvious to understand. You are a wonderful teacher, I'm very grateful for your help!! I'm going back to Poland soon, I'll try again to post a review for you on Google. Thank you very, very much!!
Kaja - Group lesson OCR A 2024
Thank you so much for the tutoring! I managed to get a B today in biology, and able to get into my firm choice university. - Jack OCR A Group lessons
“I personally struggle a lot with A level Biology, however the way that Tom describes and explains each topic has made it very easy for me to understand and I have been seeing improvements already in my results. Tom always makes sure that the following lesson is a topic that all students in the group are wanting to cover to make it relevant to us. He is always happy to help when needed and was able to provide me with a huge amount of practice questions prior to one of my exams. I am also very grateful that Tom goes over how to correctly answer exam questions in the tutor group and allows us to interact and write answers for him to check in the moment.”
“The classes last an hour, you may think not very long, but Tom packs a phenomenal amount of information into a comparatively short session. These are zoom classes, there isn’t any complicated tech involved and Tom is very approachable after class.”
“The focus the sessions have on understanding biological concepts and how to correctly answer past paper questions has really helped me. Through actively attending the group tutoring sessions my Biology grades are quickly improving from Cs to As. I would recommend the A level Biology group tutoring sessions to any student needing that extra push and guidance (like myself) to achieve the best grade possible in A level Biology.”
“Just wanted to say a huge thank you I was getting D in year 12 Bio but I got an A your lessons were fantastic and perfect detail 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻”
“I was sceptical about the online sessions but he’s got everything sorted to make it a smooth session. 10/10 would recommend. ”
“I’ve found Tom’s biology tutoring immensely helpful. His sessions are engaging and interactive, and he covers each topic in detail, followed by practice exam questions, to ensure understanding.”
“Hi :) I got an A in Biology and a place at my firm uni York!! Thank you so much for all your help I’m so greatful!!”
Topics for OCR A YR12
25 Sept 2024 Cell structure
2 Oct Water and Ions
9 Oct Use of Microscopes - Magnification and Resolution
16 Oct Carbohydrates
23 Oct Lipids and Phospholipids
6 Nov Protein Structure
14 Nov (Thursday) Food Tests, Colorimeters, Calibration Curves and Chromatography
20 Nov Enzymes
27 Nov Cell Membranes and transport across membranes
9th Dec (MONDAY !) Osmosis (and Enzyme Inhibitors and Cofactors)
11 Dec Nucleotides and Replication
18 Dec Protein Synthesis
8 Jan 2025 Cell Cycle and Mitosis
15 Jan Meiosis
22 Jan Diversity of Cells
29 Jan Stem Cells
5 Feb Transport in Animals: Arteries, Veins Capillaries and Tissue Fluid formation
12 Feb Transport in Animals: Cardiac Cycle
26 Feb Transport in Animals : Electrical Activity of Heart and ECG
5 March Transport in Animals : Carriage of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
12 March Gas Exchange in Humans
19 March Gas Exchange in Plants, Insects and Fish and Spirometers
26 Mar Communicable Diseases (a-c): Types; Transmission;Plant defences
2 April Communicable Diseases (d-e): Barriers to Infection, Inflammation and Phagocytes
23 April Communicable Diseases (f-i) Specific Immune Response and Antibodies
30 April Communicable Diseases (j-l) active and passive immunity, autoimmunity and vaccination programs
7 May Transport in Plants: Uptake through roots, Xylem and Transpiration
14 May Using Potometers, Phloem translocation, Xerophytes and Hydrophytes
21 May Biodiversity (a,b): Levels and Sampling
4 June Biodiversity (c-e): Measuring Species Richness; Simpson’s Index of Diversity, Measuring genetic diversity
11 June Biodiversity (f-h)
18 June Classification and Taxonomy (a-c)
25 June Evolution (d-f): Evolution and the evidence for Evolution by Natural Selection, Variation;
2 July Evolution (h-i) Adaptations; Mechanisms of Evolution; and implications
“I joined Tom’s lessons in Year 13, a few months before my Biology A-level exams. His sessions helped me understand the topics much better. He covered both the details and the most crucial information. I was impressed by the amount of knowledge he could squeeze into an hour-long session. Thanks to his lessons, I felt confident during my exams. Thank you very much, Tom!”
Topics for OCR A YR13
8 Oct Photosynthesis part 1
15 Oct Photosynthesis part 2
22 Oct Communication and Homeostasis
5 Nov Respiration part 1
12 Nov Respiration part 2
19 Nov Hormonal Communication
26 Nov Excretion and the liver (and Diabetes)
3 Dec Kidneys Part 1
10 Dec Kidneys Part 2 - Osmoregulation, Disease, Dialysis, Urine testing
17 Dec Nerves part 1
7 Jan Nerves Part 2 and Synapses
14 Jan Animal responses
21 Jan Meiosis recap and Monohybrid inheritance
28 Jan Dihybrid Inheritance and Autosomal linkage
4 Feb Chi squared and t-test
11 Feb Succession and Distribution and Abundance
18 Feb Muscle Contraction
25 Feb Cellular Control - Gene mutations and Control of Gene Expression
4 March Manipulating Genomes (a,b) DNA and Gene sequencing
11 March Manipulating Genomes: DNA profiling, PCR and DNA Analysis
18 March Factors that effect the evolution of species, Hardy Weinberg
25 March Speciation and Artificial Selection
4 April Gene Therapy, Animal and Plant cloning
7 April (Monday!) Genetic Engineering
15 April Plant responses
22 April Populations and Sustainability (a,b) Size, Interaction
29 April Conservation, Preservation and Management
6 May Nitrogen Cycle
13 May Biotechnology - Use of Microorganisms
20 May Plant transport Y12 recap
27 May Animal Transport: Cardiac Cycle recap
Topics for AQA YR13
9 Oct 2024 Photosynthesis part 1
16 Oct Photosynthesis part 2
23 Oct Survival and response
30 Oct Respiration Part 1
6 Nov Energy and Ecosystems
14 Nov (THURSDAY) Respiration Part 2
20 Nov Nutrient Cycles
27 Nov Receptors
4 Dec Control of heart rate
11 Dec Neurones, Resting Potentials, Action Potentials, Propagation and Saltatory conduction
18 Dec Synaptic transmission, Summation, Inhibitory Synapses and Drugs
8 Jan 2025 Principles of homeostasis and negative feedback
15 Jan Skeletal muscles are stimulated to contract by nerves and act as effectors
22 Jan Control of blood glucose concentration and Diabetes
29 Jan Control of blood water potential 1
5 Feb Control of blood water potential 2
12 Feb Inheritance 1
19 Feb Inheritance 2
26 Feb Populations and Hardy Weinberg
5 March Evolution may lead to speciation
12 March Populations in ecosystems (including succession)
19 March Alteration of the sequence of bases in DNA can alter the structure of proteins
26 Mar Most of a cell’s DNA is not translated - Stem Cells
2 April Regulation of transcription and translation
9 April (Easter) Gene expression and cancer, Using genome projects
16 April (Easter) Recombinant DNA technology
23 April Probes and Fingerprinting
30 April Stats tests and Standard deviations
7 May Plant transport Recap
14 May Practical Skills Questions
21 May Respiration and Photosynthesis recap
28 May Maths Questions and Magnification
Topics for AQA YR12
1 Oct Structure of eukaryotic cells
8 Oct Structure of prokaryotic cells and of viruses
15 Oct Methods of studying cells
22 Oct Water and Inorganic ions
5 Nov Monomers and Polymers, Carbohydrates
12 Nov Lipids and Phospholipids
19 Nov Food Tests, Calibration Curves and difficult biological Molecules questions
26 Nov Transport across cell membranes
3 Dec Osmosis
10 Dec General properties of proteins
17 Dec Many proteins are enzymes
7 Jan Structure of DNA and RNA, ATP
14 Jan DNA replication
21 Jan All cells arise from other cells
28 Jan Cell recognition and the immune system
4 Feb HIV and Antibodies
11 Feb Surface area to volume ratio, Gas Exchange in Insects and Fish
25 Feb Gas exchange in Humans
4 March Digestion and absorption
11 March Mass transport in animals - Circulation and Tissue fluid formation
18 March Heart and the Cardiac Cycle
25 Mar Haemoglobin and Bohr Shift
1 April Transport in Plants - Xylem and Potometers
22 April Transport in Plants -Phloem
29 April DNA, genes and chromosomes
6 May DNA and protein synthesis
13 May Genetic diversity can arise as a result of mutation or during meiosis
20 May Genetic diversity and adaptation
3 June Species and taxonomy
10 June Biodiversity within a community
17 June Investigating diversity
24 June TBA
1 July TBA