After a trial tutoring lesson, ask three sets of questions: what your child learned, how they felt, and what the tutor plans next. The answers tell you more about fit than any profile or review. This guide gives you the questions, what good answers sound like, and the red flags to watch for.

Written by Tutopiya, an online tutoring company. The checklist works for any trial lesson.

Key takeaways

• Ask your child about understanding and comfort, not just enjoyment.
• Ask the tutor about specific gaps, priorities and how progress will be measured.
• Vague answers from a tutor are a red flag.
• If unsure, try a second tutor on the same topic.

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Questions to ask your child

1. Does the topic make more sense now? Ask them to explain one thing they learned.
2. Could you do a question on it alone? If possible, try one together.
3. Did you feel comfortable asking questions?
4. What did the tutor do that helped?
5. Would you like another lesson with this tutor?

Questions to ask the tutor

1. What did you notice about my child’s strengths and gaps?
2. What would you focus on first, and why?
3. How many lessons do you expect it will take to see improvement?
4. How will you measure progress?
5. How will you keep me updated?
6. What should my child practise between lessons?

What good answers sound like

Question	Strong answer	Weak answer
Strengths and gaps	Names specific skills and topics	”They’re doing fine”
Focus first	A ranked priority with a reason	”We’ll go through the syllabus”
Time to improve	A range with conditions	A guarantee, or no idea
Measuring progress	Topic quizzes, past-paper sections	”You’ll see”
Updates	Regular, specific summaries	No plan

Red flags after a trial

• The tutor didn’t know the syllabus or exam format.
• The tutor talked most of the lesson; your child barely worked.
• No specific gaps were identified.
• Promises of guaranteed grades.
• Your child felt confused or uncomfortable.

How to decide

1. Compare your child’s answers with the tutor’s.
2. Check the plan is specific and realistic.
3. Consider fit: comfort and confidence matter.
4. If in doubt, try a second tutor on the same topic.
5. Start with a modest plan and review after a month.

Using the trial to set expectations

Agree on the first month’s focus and how you’ll review it. A clear starting plan, such as two priority topics and a quiz after four lessons, makes it easy to see whether tutoring is working.

A quick scoring sheet

Score each tutor from 1 to 5 on these five points right after the trial, while it’s fresh.

Criterion	Score (1–5)
Knew the syllabus and exam format
Explained clearly at the right level
Checked understanding with a question
Offered a specific plan
My child felt comfortable

A total of 20 or more usually indicates a strong fit. Below 15 suggests trying another tutor.

Talking to your child

Ask open questions and listen. “What did you learn?” and “What was the most useful thing the tutor did?” work better than “Did you like it?”. Children often notice things about a lesson that parents miss, such as whether the tutor rushed or waited for them to think.

If you’re still unsure

Book a second lesson with the same tutor before committing to a plan. One lesson is a small sample; two show whether the first was typical.

How Tutopiya trials work

Tutopiya offers one-to-one online tutoring across IGCSE, A Level, IB and other curricula.

• Free trial lesson, no card required.
• Tutors set their own rates, shown before booking.
• Plans from 4 hours a month per subject if you continue.
• AI lesson analysis after lessons, with notes and practice questions.

Browse tutors by curriculum, such as IGCSE tutors or IB Diploma tutors, or see our online tuition page.

Before the next lesson

Share the syllabus code and recent work with the tutor if you didn’t before the trial. Exam boards publish syllabuses online, for example on Cambridge’s IGCSE pages, so the tutor can plan against the exact course.

After you decide

Share your notes from the trial with the tutor you choose. Telling them what worked, and what your child found hard, helps the first regular lessons start in the right place. Clear handover notes save the first lesson.

Common mistakes

• Deciding on the spot → take a day to compare views.
• Ignoring your child’s opinion → it predicts engagement.
• Accepting vague plans → ask for specifics.
• Booking too many hours immediately → start modestly.
• Not trying another tutor when unsure → compare.

Talk to us

To understand what happens in the lesson itself, read what happens in a free trial tutoring lesson. For more on choosing, see how to choose the right online tutor for your child. Questions? Contact our team. Then review again after a month of lessons.

Summary: after a trial, ask your child about understanding and comfort, ask the tutor about gaps, priorities and progress checks, and choose the tutor whose answers are specific and whose lesson made a difference.

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask my child after a trial lesson? +

Ask whether the topic makes more sense now, whether they felt comfortable asking questions, what the tutor did that helped, and whether they'd like another lesson with this tutor.

What should I ask the tutor after a trial? +

Ask what they noticed about your child's strengths and gaps, what they'd focus on first, how many lessons they expect it to take, and how they'll measure and report progress.

What are red flags after a trial lesson? +

The tutor didn't know the syllabus, talked most of the lesson, couldn't name specific gaps, or offered vague plans. Your child felt confused or uncomfortable asking questions.

Should I try more than one tutor? +

If the first trial isn't clearly a good fit, yes. Comparing two tutors on the same topic makes the differences easy to see.

What happens after a Tutopiya trial? +

You decide whether to continue. If you do, plans start from 4 hours a month per subject, and every tutor's rate is shown before booking. The trial itself is free with no card required.

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