Diagnostic first
Before any talk of timetables, 45 minutes with the student: what they know, what is missing, how they study. Free, no strings — and the plan arrives in writing the next day.
Coimbra · Rua da Sofia · since 2014
Good grades are not luck.
They are method.
Tutoring in Maths, Physics & Chemistry and Portuguese, from year 5 to year 12. Groups of 3 at most, a free diagnostic before any fee, and one report a month for parents.
"but does it actually work?" — every parent asks. The answer is in the numbers, further down ↓
- Since 2014
- 92% go up ≥2 points in term 1
- Groups of 3, at most
SHEET 01 · THE METHOD
Three rules, written in ink.
No tricks, no magic formulas — a routine that has worked for ten years.
Groups of 3, at most
Three students, same year, same subject. Enough for pace and questions — and far too few for anyone to hide.
One report a month
Parents never have to guess: grades, attendance and the tutor’s honest read, in a monthly email that takes three minutes.
SHEET 02 · BUILD A PLAN
A plan takes four choices.
Pick the year, the subjects, the goal and the format. The weekly timetable and the monthly fee appear right away — no waiting for a phone call.
Maria (year 9, Maths + PhysChem) was our guinea pig →
School year
Subjects
You can pick more than one.
Goal
Format
SHEET 03 · CLEAR PRICES
The price list is on the wall. And here.
Hourly price, per subject. The monthly fee is locked in the written plan — and does not change mid-term.
this is what parents ask on the phone →
Group of 3 · hour, per subject€8.00
One-to-one · hour€15.00
Mixed (alternates group and one-to-one) · hour, on average€11.50
Exam intensive · 10 sessions, Saturday mornings€120.00
Diagnostic session · 45 min€0.00
Monthly fee examples
1 subject · 2×/week · group of 3€64.00/mo
2 subjects · 2×/week · group of 3€128.00/mo
1 subject · 1×/week · one-to-one€60.00/mo
Enrolment fee: €0 in September, €25 the rest of the year. Sibling discount: −10% on each child’s monthly fee.
SHEET 04 · EXAMS 2027
The countdown has started.
Expected dates for the 2027 national finals and exams. Each intensive has 10 sessions, on Saturday mornings, starting 10 weeks before the paper.
year 9
Portuguese
294 days to go
intensive: 9 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
year 12
Portuguese
296 days to go
intensive: 5 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
year 9
Maths
297 days to go
intensive: 7 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
year 12
Maths A
300 days to go
intensive: 6 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
year 11
Physics & Chemistry A
303 days to go
intensive: 5 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
year 11
Biology & Geology
307 days to go
intensive: 3 places left
10 sessions · Sat 09:30 · €120
SHEET 05 · HOW PARENTS FOLLOW
The report parents receive.
No apps to download, no passwords to lose. One email a month, worth reading — this is June’s, exactly as sent.
Nota
Monthly report · June 2026
Maria · 9.º · Maths
Maths — test scores over time (0–20)
+4 since November
Attendance in June
7 attended · 1 made up · 0 missed
- present
- made up
- missed
July focus
Functions and graphs — half of year 10 rests on them. Two light sessions in July, without ruining the holidays.
Tutor’s note
«Maria stopped being afraid of equations — you can tell by how comfortably she goes to the board. That 16 on the last test was built, it did not fall from the sky.»
— Helena, Maths tutor
SHEET 06 · THE TUTORS
Who sits next to them.
Four permanent tutors — no rotating lists of students paid by the hour. Whoever starts the year with a student, finishes it.
Helena Sarmento
Maths
MSc in Mathematics · U. Coimbra · 11 years tutoring
Has marked national exams since 2019 — knows exactly where the points are lost.
Duarte Lôbo
Physics & Chemistry
BSc in Physics · U. Coimbra · 8 years tutoring
Explains circuits with marbles and rubber bands. Sounds odd. Works.
Rita Quinteiro
Portuguese
MA in Portuguese Studies · U. Coimbra · 9 years tutoring
Has made teenagers enjoy Camões. We have witnesses.
Miguel Antas
English · study skills
BA in Modern Languages · U. Coimbra · 6 years tutoring
First to arrive, last to leave. Students ask for his time slots.
The 2026 numbers, counted student by student.
+2.8 points of average improvement in term 1
94% pass rate in the 2026 exams
31 students got into the course they wanted
not marketing estimates — the June reports, added up
VOICES
Three lines we kept.
«In November her form teacher asked me what had changed. What changed was Wednesday at 5:30pm.»
«It’s not like school. There are three of us, nobody laughs at questions, and I ask until I get it.»
«Guilherme had been failing Maths since year 7. This year he passed with a 12 — and he was the one who asked to continue.»
SHEET 07 · QUESTIONS
What parents ask — and the honest answers.
Yes. With notice by 8pm the day before, the session is made up the same week, at no cost. Without notice, the session counts — groups are of 3, and the other two showed up.