Exam preparation
Language exams are won on technique, not just fluency.
Preparation for school and university language exams, official language diplomas, English-language tests, and the language requirements attached to residency and professional registration — planned backwards from your exam date with a specialist matched from our network.
Find your exam
Four kinds of language exam. They are not prepared for in the same way.
These four groupings are a way of finding your route, not a rigid taxonomy. Several examinations serve more than one purpose — a DELE certificate can satisfy a university and a nationality requirement; IELTS is read by admissions offices and by the Home Office. If yours sits in two places, that is normal, and the discovery call is where we pin down the exact version you need.
School and academic exams
Pupils and parents — UK curricula and international schools.
Official language diplomas
Adults and students who need a recognised certificate of level.
English-language tests
Professionals, students and families arriving in or working with the UK.
Residency and professional registration
People whose application depends on a language result.
Our approach
Exam preparation is a different service from learning a language.
Fluent candidates lose marks every summer. The grade is decided by what the assessment criteria reward — structure, timing, register, and the specific shape a strong answer takes. That is what we teach, on top of the language itself.
The specification comes first
Before anything is taught we establish the board, the specification, the paper structure and the date. Everything after that is planned backwards from it.
A specialist matched to the examination
The match is made within our network, from tutors selected for their experience of that qualification — including examining experience where the paper genuinely calls for it.
Marks, not impressions
Work is assessed against the published assessment criteria and mark scheme, so progress is measured in the same currency the examination uses.
Technique under timed conditions
Essay frames, speaking-task strategy, translation, listening note-taking and timing are drilled deliberately, because that is where marks are most quietly lost.
Oversight to the exam date
Progress is reviewed at week six and again in the run-in, and the plan or the match is adjusted if the trajectory is not right.
01 — Find your route
School and academic exams
Pupils and parents — UK curricula and international schools.
The largest part of our exam work. Programmes are built around the specific board and specification the school follows, because the assessment objectives — not general fluency — decide the grade. Speaking cards, essay structure, translation, listening technique and timing are taught deliberately, against marked past papers.
- GCSE
- IGCSE
- AS and A-Level
- Common Entrance
- Scholarship exams
- IB Language B and ab initio
- Advanced Placement
02 — Find your route
Official language diplomas
Adults and students who need a recognised certificate of level.
State and institution-backed certificates that evidence a CEFR level to a university, an employer or an authority. Each has its own format and its own marking criteria, so preparation is a matter of learning the paper as much as the language.
Diploma programmes run where a specialist with that examination's experience is available in the network. Tell us the language and target level and we will confirm before you commit.
03 — Find your route
English-language tests
Professionals, students and families arriving in or working with the UK.
The tests used for university admission, professional registration and UK visa routes. They reward accuracy under timed conditions and a very particular answer shape, which is why confident speakers still lose marks. We prepare against the exact version and module you are sitting.
04 — Find your route
Residency and professional registration
People whose application depends on a language result.
Language tests sat as part of a residency, naturalisation or professional-registration application. The requirement is usually a precise level by a precise date, so the programme is built around that threshold rather than around general improvement.
Requirements differ by country, route and institution, and they change. We prepare you for the language examination itself and always ask you to confirm the accepted test and level with the authority or institution concerned — we are language specialists, not immigration advisers.
Go straight to your examination
French examinations have their own pages.
French carries four unrelated examination systems, so each has a page of its own. The other languages are covered in depth on their language hubs below, and gain their own exam pages as demand justifies writing them properly.
Choose your language
Choose the language you are examined in.
Each language has its own examination ecosystem — its own diplomas, its own tests and its own school specifications. These pages cover them properly.
We also prepare candidates in Japanese, Mandarin, Russian — including JLPT, HSK and TORFL preparation as well as school examinations — subject to specialist availability in the network. Ask at the discovery call and we will confirm honestly before you commit.
How it works
From diagnostic to exam day.
Six steps, whichever exam you are sitting. Nothing is automated, and the plan is dated to the paper rather than to a course book.
A conversation
Twenty minutes: the examination, the board, the date, the current grade and the target.
Diagnostic
A recent paper or a short assessment, marked properly, so the starting point is a fact rather than a feeling.
The match
A specialist matched from our network for that qualification, that language and that candidate — with a chemistry call before you commit.
The exam plan
A written programme back-dated from the exam: skills, papers, mock timetable and the order they are tackled in.
Marked practice
Weekly lessons with work marked against the assessment criteria, and monthly progress reports for parents.
The run-in
Timed mocks, full-paper practice and a final review of the components most likely to move the grade.
What exam preparation actually contains.
- Specification and assessment-objective coverage
- Marked past papers and full-paper practice
- Essay and long-answer structure
- Speaking-task and role-play preparation
- Translation both ways, where the paper requires it
- Listening under exam conditions
- Reading for the question actually asked
- Timing and paper management
- Mock work with written feedback
- Gap analysis after every mock
Specialists are selected into our network and matched to the candidate, the objective and the examination. Our selection and matching is reviewed by The Good Schools Guide, and Learn&Co is a member of The Tutors' Association.
Two ways to prepare
One candidate, one paper — or a small cohort sitting the same exam.
Built around one candidate.
A specialist matched from our network for that examination, a programme written against the actual gaps, and scheduling that bends to a school timetable or a deadline.
- Entirely individual programme, dated to your exam
- Matched specialist, with a chemistry call first
- Work marked against the assessment criteria
- Flexible scheduling, including intensive run-ins
- Suited to urgent or highly specific objectives
- Progress overseen to the exam date
From £89/hr
A cohort with one exam in common.
A fixed ten-week term with a maximum of six candidates at the same level and the same objective. The speaking practice a cohort generates is difficult to replicate one to one.
- Maximum six candidates
- One exam, one level, one objective
- Structured ten-week term with set dates
- Strong speaking and peer-practice dynamic
- More accessible per-person investment
- Scheduled only where a cohort genuinely fills
£950 for a ten-week term
Group exam terms run only where a cohort at the same level and objective fills. Where one is not open in your language, you can register interest and we will tell you when a term is scheduled.
The evidence
What exam candidates and their parents say.
Verified Google reviews from Learn&Co candidates and families preparing for school, university and diploma examinations.
“I engaged Learn&Co to help my daughter boost her grade in her French GCSE. She had previously been doing well in French at school but due to staff changes her marks started to fall. There was practically a year when the French tuition was…”
“I began being tutored by Maria in 2018 when I was getting ready to start French A level. I'd taken my French GCSE in year 9 so felt like I'd forgotten everything by that point 2 years later. Maria put me through my paces, coming up with…”
“When I was looking for help with my French DALF studies, Maria was the third personal tutor I tried and I was impressed by her enthusiasm and professionalism right from the start. After working with her for over a year and a half, I have…”
“Maria is such an inspiring and amazing tutor who helped me to achieve a high A in my French A-Level, something which I thought would never be possible. She always knew exactly which areas I needed to focus on in order to improve (something…”
“I was immediately drawn to Maria's professional website and once I spoke to her I knew that she would be a perfect tutor for my son who is preparing for Common Entrance having never studied French before! Her warm disposition meant that…”
“My son needed 3 As for his conditional offer for Oxford University and French was the weak link. We had had a tutor who just taught him general French. We chose Maria because she seemed to know more about what was needed for A-level. She…”
“Maria is a great tutor. She worked as my tutor for a few months, helping me prepare for my Spanish IB oral and final exams. Because I didn't do very well in IGCSE, I decided I needed extra help for this subject. In the relatively short…”
“Maria coached our son for his French iGCSE. She met him not long before the exam at a time when his school was predicting that he was unlikely to gain a good grade and he had convinced himself that he was simply no good at French. Within a…”
“I thoroughly recommend Learn and Co, I loved my sessions with my tutor. My tutor helped with my French GCSE, she made the lessons personalised and engaging, bringing in topics that I enjoy, as well as working on necessities such as grammar…”
“I strongly recommend Maria! Not only did I finish with an A* in Spanish A level but also a great friend. Maria is a passionate tutor who dedicates herself fully to improving her students linguistic ability. She is extremely capable of…”
“Couldn't recommend Maria more. We worked together for two years on my Spanish and French A Level, and she helped me get the grades I didn't think were possible! She knows how to adapt her lessons to suit each student and keep them engaged…”
“Maria has been helping me learn Spanish this year and has also taught me French for a few years now. I have consistently received top grades (at A-Level and in university) because of her help. She provides lots of support and makes…”
“Maria is a superb, dedicated and gifted tutor with a meticulous approach to exam preparation--I cannot praise her highly enough. She worked with my sons in the month’s coming up to their French A levels –and worked miracles. She has a…”
“My tutor at Learn&Co supported me throughout my Spanish iGCSE with encouraging words and personalised work to improve on specific areas. It has helped me develop confidence in speaking Spanish and grasp new grammar and rules quickly. As a…”
“My son has been working with Learn & Co for around a year, to supplement his French GCSE studies. The lessons are well organised and tailored appropriately and we have seen a marked difference in his grades over that period, which he…”
“Maria is an outstanding tutor - focused, professional, personable and thoughtful about the needs and learning styles of her students. We are very pleased with the tutoring our daughter has received as she moves towards sitting her French…”
“Maria helped me A level French and Spanish, and was especially helpful in improving my essays. I am now going to study French and Spanish at Cambridge next year after she helped me to get A*s in both subjects, I would definitely recommend…”
“My child jumped from a predicted grade 4 to achieve grade 8 in GCSE Spanish under the tutorship of Learn&Co. The tutor was a great match for my child and enthused and motivated them to achieve, employing equal measures of encouragement and…”
“Maria helped my son hugely with preparation for his French GCSE. He went from a predicted grade 4 to a 6 - thanks in large part to 1 hour of French each week with Maria. Maria is also a really lovely person and my son enjoyed the lessons.”
Posted on Google
“I had a great experience with this tutoring agency. My tutor was very good and helped me to get an A* in my French a level. They have very good resources and my tutor offered me great support. I highly recommend this agency.”
Posted on Google
“To all those searching for a French tutor, I cannot recommend Maria Toubbe highly enough. She turned my French A2 around and got me from a low B to an A* on results day. She is absolutely brilliant and works wonders”
Posted on Google
“My tutor helped me push my IB Grade from a 4 to a 6. I would most definitely recommend. They help you identity your weaknesses and provide you with the relevant exercises to improve your french.”
Posted on Google
“I cannot thank Maria enough for preparing me for my scholarship exams. Over the course of our lessons Maria mixed fun and work in the perfect balance. Again I say thank you.”
Posted on Google
“The lessons helped me so much in preparation for my French A-Level and I ended up receiving an A* in my French exam! I definitely recommend Maria for anyone studying French!”
Posted on Google
Who we prepare
Trusted by families, schools and organisations.
Two different kinds of exam candidate come to us. Pupils at these schools have sat language examinations with our preparation behind them; professionals at these organisations have sat English and diploma tests with us before a posting, a registration or an application.
Corporate clients
Professionals sitting language tests
Employees at these organisations have prepared with us for English-language tests, official diplomas and the language requirements attached to a move abroad.
Partner schools
Pupils preparing for school examinations
Pupils at these schools have prepared with us for GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level, IB and Advanced Placement language papers, against the board their school actually follows.
Investment
What exam preparation costs.
Private preparation is bought as hours, used at the pace the exam date demands. The more hours you commit to, the lower the effective hourly rate — and every plan carries the identical service. Each plan shows the precise total.
Hours of private exam preparation, delivered online and typically used at one hour a week. All prices include VAT. Face-to-face lessons in London, intensive revision courses and additional hours are quoted individually.
Flexi
4 hours
Month to month
£105/hr£420 in total
Discovery
12 hours
Up to 3 months
£100/hr£1,197 in total
Momentum
24 hours
Up to 6 months
£95/hr£2,268 in total
Mastery
48 hours
Up to 12 months
£89/hr£4,284 in total
Every private plan, whichever you choose, includes
Bespoke programmes — not lesson bundles.
- Exam and board diagnostic
- Specialist matched for that qualification
- Chemistry call before you commit
- Programme dated to the exam
- Marked past-paper practice
- Monthly progress reports
- Week-six review
- Timed mocks in the run-in
£950 for a ten-week term
Per learner, 10 × 90-minute sessions — 15 teaching hours. Including VAT. Maximum six candidates, one exam objective, one level.
Group exam terms run only where a cohort at the same level and objective fills. Where one is not open in your language, you can register interest and we will tell you when a term is scheduled.
Not sure how much time you need?
Tell us the board and the date. We will tell you what is realistic.
Before you book
Exam preparation — your questions, answered.
- When should we start?
- For GCSE and A-Level, a full academic year gives the most room, and the two terms before the exam are the point at which technique work makes the clearest difference. We take candidates later than that and often do — but we will tell you honestly at the discovery call what is realistic in the time left.
- Do you follow our school's exam board?
- Yes. We teach against the specific board and specification your school follows, because the assessment objectives and the paper format differ between them. Tell us the board at the discovery call and it is built into the programme from the first lesson.
- Can you guarantee a grade?
- No, and nobody honestly can. What we can do is tell you at the outset what the current work is worth against the assessment criteria, what the gap to the target looks like, and what it would take in hours and technique to close it.
- Are your tutors examiners?
- Some are current or former examiners, and where an examination genuinely calls for that experience we match accordingly. Every tutor preparing candidates has taught that qualification before — that is one of the grounds on which specialists are selected into our network.
- Which languages do you prepare candidates in?
- All nine languages we teach: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. School and academic exams are available in each; official diplomas run where a specialist with that examination's experience is available in the network.
- Do you teach face to face or online?
- Both. Online is the default and suits exam preparation well, because papers, marking and screen-shared past papers sit naturally in the format. Face-to-face lessons are available in London and are quoted individually.
- Is preparation private or in a group?
- Both exist. Private preparation is written around one candidate, one board and one date. Group exam terms run in small cohorts of up to six where enough candidates share the same exam and level — they are a fixed ten-week term at a fixed price, and they are not open in every language every term.
- What happens if the tutor is not the right fit?
- Tell us and we change it. There is a chemistry call before you commit, a review at week six, and the match can be reconsidered at any point — an exam date is not something to gamble on a working relationship that is not right.
Ready to work backwards from the exam date?
Schedule a chat with Maria.
Tell us which exam, which board and when it is sat. You will get an honest view of the gap, how much time it needs, and which specialist we would match you with.
Maria Toubbe
- 20 minutes
- A conversation, not a sales call.
- With Maria
- Our founder, every time — not a call centre.
- No obligation
- Advice you can use even if you never book.
20 min · video call · free
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