Written by Tom Furber, an online economics tutor. | Published 12th September 2026.
What happens before, during and after the online session?
Before the session:
- I review your schoolwork and/or homework.
- I prepare feedback on your schoolwork or tuition homework.
- The session is planned around the weaknesses identified.
During the online Zoom session:
- 10-15 minutes – review homework and schoolwork.
- 25-35 minutes – target course content or exam skills based on issues identified.
- 10-20 minutes – practice and further feedback to embed learning. This can involve essay plans or timed practice.
- Final minutes – set homework and if time, discuss takeaways from the session.
A shared document is used for notes, feedback and essay planning. The shared whiteboard is used for diagrams and drawn explanations. Here is what the document and whiteboard could look like:
Sample document and whiteboard pages
After the session:
- Students attempt the homework task.
- Work is marked before the next session and session preparation continues.
- Any questions can be answered over email, e.g. regarding essays, understanding the content or from parents.
- I store all documents and whiteboards in the student’s shared folder.
Every session is different. Closer to exams, there may be more essay planning. Another student may want to spend the hour revising a challenging topic before an upcoming school test. I may also prepare and mark practice tests for students ahead of major school tests and the exams.
How my economics tuition sessions can improve students’ grades →
What does online essay feedback look like?
Essay feedback comes in the form of typed comments on top of the piece of work. We then run through the key points in the session.
When I review a student’s work, I look at the areas most likely to be holding back their marks:
Knowledge · Application · Analysis (including diagrams) · Evaluation · Essay structure and organisation · Time management.
Here is an example of how I would assess and improve a student’s paragraphs:
Question: Evaluate the effects of a tax on high-sugar drinks (25 marks).
Example student answer
An indirect tax on sugary drinks increases the cost of producing sugary drinks. This reduces the supply of sugary drinks. This makes it harder to consume sugary drinks. So consumers don’t buy as many sugary drinks, so consumers are healthier.
However, this depends on the price elasticity of demand (PED). If the PED is inelastic, consumers’ health will not improve.
Quick tutor comments
- Application – add a real world example (SDIL).
- Analysis – refer to price rise and extend chain.
- Diagram – show the supply shift and the effect on the price and quantity.
- Evaluation – explain why the PED is inelastic and why it matters more specifically.
Overall – good core ideas but analysis ends early with gaps and evaluation needs explanation. Adding a diagram will make analysis easier.
Click for the A* version of these paragraphs.
An indirect tax on sugary drinks increases the cost of producing sugary drinks, as is the case with the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). This taxed a set of drinks with a sugar concentration of at least 5g per 100ml. This reduces the supply of sugary drinks, shifting it left from S to S+tax in the diagram below. This leads to a rise in the equilibrium price of sugary drinks from p1 to p2, which reduces the incentive to consume sugary drinks. Indeed the consumer surplus falls by area p2EFp1 because of the SDIL increasing the price of sugary drinks, while producer surplus falls by area p1FGp3, creating an incentive for firms to reduce sugar concentrations in drinks below 5g per 100ml to avoid paying the tax. The equilibrium quantity falls from q1 to q2, so the consumption of sugary drinks falls. This all means that consumers are less likely to suffer sugar-related health problems, reducing the pressure on the National Health Service and bringing the waitlist down from 7.27 million people (as of June 2026). So there are more beds available for others who need emergency care. Thus the tax helps resolve the market failure of a negative externality from consuming sugary drinks, taking into account the external harm caused by sugary drinks.
However, this depends on the price elasticity of demand (PED). The PED for sugary drinks may be inelastic, as it may be a habit for consumers and hard to give up, even if the price rises. 84% of the UK population consumers a sugary snack each day, suggesting some habit formation. If the PED is inelastic, following the sugary drinks tax, the equilibrium quantity may not fall as much. So consumers’ health may not improve as much. So the market failure from the negative externality may remain and NHS waiting lists may not improve.
The main improvements:
Longer chain of reasoning ✓ Integrated diagram ✓ Real examples ✓ Evaluation explains “why” and “so what” fully ✓.
For students aiming for an A*, consider how you might conclude using counter-evaluation of the elasticity point. For diagrams, you can consider the tax incidence for Edexcel and the externality plus tax diagram for AQA.
The same exam technique principles I tutor are reflected in the model answers and other resources I create for A-Level Economics students. Here are more examples:
Edexcel A 2024 Paper 1 model answers → | AQA sugar tax 25 marker explained →
What software is needed for the online session?
The software I use for the sessions includes:
- Zoom.
- A shared document for taking notes during the session.
- An online shared whiteboard for drawing diagrams. Students can access this for free on the computer or by downloading the iPad app.
Outside of sessions, I store content in a shared folder. This allows students to review the session notes and homework comments whenever they like. Parents can also access the folder to see what is being covered.
Generally, there should be no additional costs for students from these software. The exception is if students decide to purchase premium versions of Zoom or the whiteboard, though these are not needed for the sessions.
Read more about my economics tutoring
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