How online IGCSE and A Level tuition works from the UAE

Many families in the UAE look for a tutor for one subject, usually IGCSE or A Level Mathematics, a science or English, a term or two before exams. Online tuition from outside the country can work well, but it helps to know exactly how it works before booking. This guide explains how Marlbridge does it. The UAE page has the current fees and the full list of what is taught.

Who teaches, and from where

Every class is taught live online by a named subject teacher from our academy in Lahore, Pakistan. Marlbridge has no office, branch or teacher based in the UAE, and does not claim to. Each teacher has a profile on the tutoring page listing the subjects and boards they teach.

Which boards and qualifications

UAE schools that follow a British curriculum mostly use Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge, often both in the same school. Marlbridge teaches:

• Pearson Edexcel International GCSE and International A Level, for example Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics.
• Cambridge IGCSE and AS & A Level.
• OxfordAQA and AQA courses.
• IB Diploma and MYP, one-to-one only.

Each course page names the exact specification code it is taught against, so you can check it matches your child’s school. If you are not sure which board your child’s school uses, the school’s options booklet or the front page of a past paper will say.

Not taught: the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum, Indian CBSE or ICSE, the American curriculum or Advanced Placement (AP), and the French Baccalauréat.

Class times

The UAE is one hour behind Lahore all year, because neither country changes its clocks. A 5:00 pm class in Dubai is 6:00 pm in Lahore, so after-school times in the UAE fall in the early evening for the teacher. Group class times are agreed with the families in each group before the trial; one-to-one classes can be arranged at a time that suits you.

Group or one-to-one

• Group classes are small, with a published maximum group size, and are charged per subject per month. They run three times a week for each subject.
• One-to-one classes are charged per class, and you choose how many to take.
• IB is one-to-one only.

The UAE group fee is a set price in dirhams. One-to-one and IB figures in dirhams are indicative conversions of the Pakistan fee, and the exact fee is confirmed in writing before any payment. The pricing page and the UAE page show the current numbers and discounts. Our guide to group classes or one-to-one tuition explains which suits which student.

Booking the free trial

1. Fill in the short trial form with the subject, board if you know it, and your time zone. You can also message us on WhatsApp.
2. We reply, match a specialist teacher for that subject and level, and agree a time in UAE time.
3. Your child attends the first class free, in the format you are considering: a real group class, or an individual class.
4. You decide whether to continue. There is no registration fee, and fees are billed monthly only after the trial.

Before the first class

• Have the board, the syllabus code and the exam series ready (for example, Edexcel International GCSE Mathematics A, sitting in summer).
• Bring recent marked work or a mock paper: it shows the teacher where marks are being lost.
• Look at the course’s printable checklist together and tick what feels secure. The topics left unticked are where the first classes should go.

Families in Qatar and the wider Gulf can find their own fees and class times on their country pages.