tutor2u

What tutor2u On Demand is

tutor2u On Demand is the online course platform of tutor2u, run by Tutor2u Limited. Its home page describes it simply as "self-paced online courses for students and teachers." The platform sits alongside the wider tutor2u site, whose menu also lists subject pages, a shop and a teaching jobs board, and it has two clear audiences: students revising and studying for their exams, and teachers looking for professional development they can do in their own time.

Everything on the platform is self-paced: a student or teacher enrolls, works through the steps of a course, and comes back when they choose. Signed-in users get a My Courses area and account settings, and the menu also carries a Redeem Code option.

Subjects

The subject menu centers on the social sciences and humanities taught at GCSE and A level. It lists Business, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Geography, Health & Social Care, History, Law, Criminology and Biology, plus two broader areas: Personal & Skills Development and Early Childhood Development.

Courses for students

For students, the home page says each course is "designed and delivered by the tutor2u subject experts" and provides "a complete, self-paced online study programme, packed with short topic videos, activities and downloads." The short-video format suits a student who wants to cover one topic at a time between lessons or in a revision session, rather than sit through a long lecture.

The Skills Booster series covers the study and transition skills that sit around the subjects themselves. Besides Effective Revision, the site lists Skills Boosters called Transition to GCSE, Transition to Sixth Form, Transition to University, Beyond Sixth Form and Employability Skills, so the series follows a student from the start of their GCSE years through to university or work.

The free Effective Revision course

The clearest way to see how a tutor2u course works is the free Effective Revision Skills Booster, open to "all students revising for assessments and exams." The course page describes it as "a highly practical, step-by-step guide to making revision for assessments and exams more effective." It takes 2-5 hours of learning time across 10 course steps:

• an effective revision environment
• the revision mindset
• revision myths
• how we learn
• planning your revision
• what good revision looks like
• using flashcards effectively
• effective mind mapping
• effective revision notes
• using questions and testing in your revision

The page says the course draws on the latest research on how students can organize themselves to make the most of revision time, from the features of an effective revision environment to the science of how we learn. It comes with course notes and interactive revision planners. The free enrollment gives "full and unlimited access to the course content and features", and the page lists progress tracking and a device-friendly learning platform among what is included. Students are even encouraged to share the link with their school or college friends.

Who teaches

The Effective Revision page names five hosts, which gives a sense of who stands behind tutor2u's courses. Ruth Tarrant has been Subject Lead in Economics at tutor2u for many years after teaching Economics, Business, Politics and Maths in a range of secondary schools; she is a highly experienced A level Economics examiner and teaches undergraduate Economics on a very part-time basis at the University of Oxford, with a stated aim of making economics fun, engaging and accessible for teachers and students. Jon Clark is an experienced Economics and Business teacher, author and presenter who leads tutor2u's work in online teaching and learning. Isobel Dawson is an Economics graduate who trained as a Mathematics teacher, became an Economics teacher and then led an Economics department, with an interest in all aspects of Economics pedagogy and in particular in approaches for students who find the subject harder. Cathy Williams is an experienced head of department and ex-Treasury economist, the author of many tutor2u resources and a regular contributor to Economics Today, who also produces careers and work-related resources. Duncan Hall is Subject Lead for Sociology, History and Politics at tutor2u and an experienced teacher, writer and senior examiner.

Examiners and subject leads writing the material is a real point in tutor2u's favor for exam-focused students and their teachers.

CPD courses for teachers

The second half of the platform is teacher professional development. The home page describes "self-paced, online CPD courses" that "provide high quality and cost-effective online support", each with resources, guidance and support "to help reduce workload and improve teaching effectiveness."

The courses featured on the home page are practical and tied to specific specifications:

• Teaching Market Failure, Teaching Business Growth, Teaching Business Objectives and Teaching Costs and Revenues, all in the Essential A-Level Economics series
• Preparing students for AQA Economics Paper 3, also in Essential A-Level Economics
• AQA A-Level Geography Exam Technique, in Essential AQA A-Level Geography
• Teaching Methods in Context, in Essential AQA A-Level Sociology
• Introduction to AQA A Level Psychology, a Getting Started course for the 2027 exams onwards
• Teaching Unit 4 Research & Reflective Practice, in Essential AAQ BTEC National Early Childhood Development

The mix tells you who the CPD is for: A level teachers of Economics, Geography, Sociology and Psychology, often teaching an AQA specification, and vocational teachers delivering the BTEC National in Early Childhood Development. A teacher new to a specification, or teaching a topic for the first time, can work through a course at their own pace.

Pricing and access

The free Effective Revision course needs only an enrollment. The home page lists no prices for the other courses. Its menu links to the tutor2u shop and offers a Redeem Code option. For help, the footer links to a contact page, terms and a privacy and cookies policy, and to tutor2u's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels. The company behind the platform is Tutor2u Limited, which gives its company and VAT registration numbers in the footer.

Who it suits

tutor2u On Demand suits secondary students taking the social science and humanities subjects it covers, especially at A level, who want short, expert-made videos and activities they can work through on their own schedule. The free Skills Booster courses are worth any student's time at the start of GCSEs, sixth form or university. For teachers of A level Economics, Geography, Sociology and Psychology, and for BTEC Early Childhood Development, the CPD courses offer specification-specific help that fits around a timetable. Learners who want a live tutor, or subjects outside the list above, will need another service alongside it.