About this guide
Created by MyPocketSkill to help young tutors plan effective sessions, engage students and build their tutoring skills.
Written by: Lucy Cooper - MyPocketSkill Community Team
Reviewed by: MyPocketSkill Community Team
Last updated: September 2026
Whether you're tutoring for the first time or looking to improve your sessions, good preparation can make a huge difference.
A successful tutoring session isn't just about knowing your subject. Great tutors understand their student's needs, plan lessons around clear goals, explain ideas in different ways, and create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and making mistakes.
This guide explains how to tutor effectively, from preparing for your first session to giving feedback afterwards. It also includes a simple tutoring session structure and practical tips and resources you can use when tutoring at MyPocketSkill.
Being a good tutor involves more than being good at a particular subject. Students learn best when their tutor is patient, encouraging and able to adapt their approach.
Here are some of the qualities that make a great tutor:
Know what you want to cover before the session starts. Having a basic lesson plan gives you direction while still allowing you to adapt to your student's needs.
Students don't all learn at the same pace. If something isn't understood the first time, try explaining it in a different way rather than simply repeating the same explanation.
Don't just talk at your student. Ask questions throughout the session to find out what they already know and where they need more help.
Tutoring isn't only about improving grades. Helping a student become more confident can have a lasting impact on how they approach learning.
Some students learn best through conversation, while others benefit from diagrams, examples, practice questions, games or demonstrations. Pay attention to what works for your student and adapt accordingly.
Good tutoring starts before you meet your student.
Before the session, establish:
Working with their parent/ carer, ask them whether there are any particular areas they would like you to focus on.
Understanding the student's starting point helps you avoid spending the entire session covering material they already understand.
Try to give every session a simple objective.
For example:
"By the end of this session, you'll be able to factorise a quadratic equation."
A clear goal makes it easier to plan the session and gives both you and your student something to work towards.
Depending on the subject, you might need:-
You don't need to create everything yourself. There are many free educational resources that can help you prepare engaging sessions.
You should also make sure that you are familiar with Pocket Meet Me - our in-built video conferencing tool for easier online sessions.
If you've tutored the student before, spend a few minutes reviewing what you covered previously.
Ask questions such as:
This helps reinforce learning and tells you where you should focus next.
A simple structure can help you make the most of your time.
At MyPocketSkill our standard tutoring sessions are a 45-minute tutoring session, so you could try the following:
Start by reviewing previous learning.
Ask a few quick questions or give your student a short activity to see what they remember.
Explain the new concept clearly.
Use examples and avoid introducing too much information at once. Check that your student is following before moving on.
Work through some examples together.
Let your student attempt questions while you provide support where needed. This is a good opportunity to identify misunderstandings.
Give your student a few questions or an activity to complete independently.
Try not to step in immediately when they make a mistake. Give them time to think and work through the problem.
Finish by reviewing what you've covered.
Ask your student:
You can then agree on homework or preparation for the next session.
Remember: this is a framework rather than a strict timetable. A younger student might need more variety and shorter activities, while an exam-focused session might require more time for practice questions.
Even the best lesson plan won't work if your student loses interest.
Avoid talking continuously for long periods. Give your student opportunities to answer questions, solve problems, explain concepts and demonstrate what they've learned. If your student is old enough, use the online meeting tools to work on topics together.
Connecting a topic to something your student already understands can make difficult concepts easier to grasp.
For example, maths can be connected to money, sport, shopping or everyday problem-solving.
Quizzes, challenges, flashcards and friendly competitions can make revision feel less repetitive.
Tools such as Kahoot and Quizlet can be useful for creating interactive activities.
One of the best ways to check understanding is to ask your student to explain a concept back to you.
If they can explain it clearly in their own words, that's a strong indication that they've understood it.
Recognise improvement, even when it seems small.
Instead of focusing only on mistakes, point out what your student has done well and explain how they can improve further.
Confidence can be an important part of successful learning.
Every tutor will encounter moments when a student simply doesn't understand something.
The solution isn't always to explain it again in the same way.
Try changing your approach.
Use a different example
If an abstract example isn't working, try something more familiar.
Draw it
Diagrams, timelines, mind maps and visual explanations can make complicated ideas easier to understand.
Break it into smaller steps
A difficult problem can become much more manageable when it's divided into smaller parts.
Ask questions
Instead of immediately giving the answer, ask questions that help your student work towards it.
For example:
"What do you know already?"
"What do you think we should do first?"
"Can you spot anything that looks familiar?"
This encourages students to develop problem-solving skills rather than relying on you for every answer.
Feedback should be clear, constructive and encouraging.
A useful structure is:
What went well → What needs improvement → What to do next
For example:
"You were much more confident with fractions today. You still need a little more practice with converting mixed numbers, so I'd recommend doing a few questions before our next session."
This tells the student what they've achieved while giving them a clear next step.
If you're tutoring a younger student, parents may also appreciate a short update after the session which you can provide via the chat function.
Keep it concise and focus on:
Ensure your client has made a booking for your next session and provide any virtual meeting links ahead of time.
Before finishing, make a note of what your student needs to work on next.
You might identify:
Keeping brief notes after each session makes future lesson planning much easier.
Over time, you'll also build a better understanding of how your student learns.
You don't need expensive teaching materials to run an effective tutoring session.
Here are some useful resources to explore:
Our very own AI-assistant to help you plan your sessions. Can be found using the green star in your chat facility.
Our very own in-built video conferencing tool to help you easily and safely set up online tutoring sessions with families.
Useful explanations, activities and revision resources across a wide range of school subjects.
Useful for creating flashcards and helping students practise key facts and terminology.
Useful for creating interactive quizzes and making revision more engaging.
Useful for collaborative worksheets, written exercises and shared lesson notes.
Useful for creating simple presentations and visual explanations.
If you're tutoring GCSE or A-Level students, check the relevant exam board's website for specifications and past-paper resources.
Always check that resources are appropriate for your student's age, qualification and current syllabus.
Start by finding out what your student needs help with, their current level and what they want to achieve. You can discuss this with the parents/ carers and the child. Prepare a simple lesson plan, but be ready to adapt it once you understand the student's strengths and weaknesses.
At MyPocketSkill, we offer 45 min tutoring sessions which we feel provide enough time to teach, practise and review without making the session unnecessarily long. Younger students may benefit from shorter sessions or more frequent breaks. Older students may benefit from longer sessions so a double session can be booked.
A good session normally includes a mixture of explanation, questions, guided practice and independent work. Try to make the student an active participant rather than simply listening to you.
Use a mixture of activities and adapt them to the student's interests and learning style. Questions, quizzes, games, real-world examples and practical activities can all help make learning more interactive.
At a minimum, include the topic, learning objective, resources, activities and practice questions. It's also useful to include a short recap at the beginning and a review at the end.
Keep feedback clear and constructive. Explain what the student worked on, what they did well, what needs more practice and what you'll focus on next. YOu can use the chat function to provide this feedback
You don’t need any specific qualifications to be a tutor at MyPocketSkill - many of the families are looking for good knowledge of the subject, an ability to communicate effectively with the child and an understanding of your responsibilities as a tutor. You can tell any potential clients about the grades you have or hope to achieve and what skills you can bring to the session.
If you're tutoring through a platform such as MyPocketSkill, make sure you understand its Community Guidelines and how MyPocketSkill works before working with students.
You should use our in-built video conferencing tool - Meet Me - where tutors and families will see a video icon in their chat screen where you can start or schedule a meeting using MyPocketSkill's own video meeting service.
A full list of Frequently Asked Questions is available here.
Tutoring is a great opportunity to develop communication, leadership and teaching skills while helping another student learn AND you can start earning along the way.
If you're ready to start tutoring , explore opportunities with MyPocketSkill and put these techniques into practice.
If you're a parent looking for tutoring support for your child, MyPocketSkill connects families with tutors who can provide relatable, one-to-one support.
Explore MyPocketSkill tutoring and find the right support for your child.
Use this quick checklist before, during and after each session.
Pocket AI - Our very own AI-assistant to help you plan your sessions. Can be found using the green star in your chat facility.
Pocket Meet Me - Our very own in-built video conferencing tool to help you easily set up online tutoring sessions with families.
BBC Bitesize - Full of free videos, step-by-step guides, activities and quizzes by level and subject from KS1 to GCSE
Kahoot - Create fun games with questions from topics to test understanding
Save My Exams - Revision guides, topic notes, past paper questions for GCSE and A Level organised by exam board and subject
Quizlet - Interactive flashcard style resources to quiz students and check knowledge
Google Slides and Google Docs - Free powerpoint and document tools to create worksheets and presentations