Question 1

Do you teach students based in Hong Kong?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All lessons are online and I work on Hong Kong time.

Question 2

Which courses do you cover?

Accepted Answer

IB Diploma Mathematics only. Both Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation, at Higher and Standard Level.

Question 3

My child's school calls it IB Math. Is that what you teach?

Accepted Answer

Yes. IB Math and IB Maths are the same IB Diploma Mathematics courses, AA and AI at HL and SL. Students at American-curriculum and international schools in Hong Kong follow the same syllabus and sit the same papers, so the lessons are the same.

Question 4

How are lessons delivered?

Accepted Answer

Google Meet, with a shared whiteboard and screen sharing.

Question 5

Can you help with the Internal Assessment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I help with choosing a workable topic, structuring the exploration and refining drafts. I do not write any part of it.

Question 6

How much does IB Maths tutoring cost?

Accepted Answer

IB Maths HL (AA or AI) is £90 per hour, about HK$950. IB Maths SL (AA or AI) is £80 per hour, about HK$850. The first session is a free 30-minute trial with no commitment.

Question 7

How do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Invoices are issued in GBP via Wise and are payable in HKD at the day’s exchange rate. There are no platform fees or agency margins.

Question 8

What happens in the free trial?

Accepted Answer

A 30-minute session where I work through a problem with your child and identify where the marks are going. I also set them up on the study portal and show them how it works, so they can see their own progress from the first lesson. It is as much about getting to know your child as assessing them. You get my read on it afterwards, and there is no obligation to continue.

Question 9

What does the student learning platform track?

Accepted Answer

Students can see the topics and subtopics covered and their understanding marked green, amber or red. They can also review mistakes made during lessons, what went wrong, how to improve, recurring weaknesses and areas needing further revision. Parents receive monthly progress summaries informed by the same record.

Question 10

Are lessons recorded?

Accepted Answer

Lessons may be transcribed with written consent. Transcripts, whiteboard pages and the progress records derived from them are stored in private systems accessible only to Tomás, and are used solely to maintain the student's progress record, log mistakes, and prepare monthly reports. All transcripts and derived records are deleted at the end of the tutoring relationship.

Question 11

Do you use AI?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for one specific job. After each lesson, AI turns the transcript, plus snapshots of the lesson whiteboard when one is used, into structured topic tags and mistake summaries that feed the study portal and your monthly report. I read every report before it reaches you, and the teaching itself is entirely me. No part of your child’s work is written by AI.

Question 12

How is AA HL different from AA SL?

Accepted Answer

AA HL covers everything in Standard Level and adds the hardest IB Maths content: proof by induction and contradiction, deeper calculus such as integration by parts and differential equations, complex numbers, and vectors in three dimensions. It also adds Paper 3, a longer problem-solving paper SL students never sit.

Question 13

Do you prepare students for Paper 3?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Paper 3 rewards stamina and unfamiliar problem-solving rather than recall, so I coach it on its own terms using past Paper 3 questions. I sat all three AA HL papers myself.

Question 14

My child is finding AA HL overwhelming. Can tutoring help?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes. Most HL struggle traces back to one or two shaky foundations rather than the whole course. We find the gaps, rebuild them, and work at a pace that turns the panic into steady, visible progress.

Question 15

Is Maths AI easier than Maths AA?

Accepted Answer

It is different rather than easier. AA leans on algebra, proof and calculus by hand; AI leans on statistics, modelling and the graphic display calculator, and marks depend on interpreting what a result means in context. AI HL in particular is a demanding course with its own Paper 3.

Question 16

How is AI HL different from AI SL?

Accepted Answer

AI HL covers everything in Standard Level and adds matrices, complex numbers, graph theory, Poisson and Markov chain models, hypothesis testing in more depth, and differential equations solved numerically with Euler’s method. It also adds Paper 3, the extended problem-solving paper.

Question 17

Do you teach GDC technique?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AI questions assume fluent use of the graphic display calculator for regression, distributions, statistical tests and numerical solving, so I teach the calculator steps alongside the mathematics and check that your child can show the method the mark scheme expects.

Question 18

Will you write or edit my IA for me?

Accepted Answer

No. The exploration has to be your own work, so I coach and give feedback only. I will not write, edit, or fix it for you. That keeps you firmly on the right side of the IB academic integrity rules.

Question 19

How do you help me choose a topic?

Accepted Answer

We start from something you genuinely find interesting, then test whether it is actually explorable at your level: enough real mathematics, the right difficulty, and a clear question you can answer. A good topic makes every later step easier.

Question 20

Can you review my draft against the IB criteria?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I read your draft against the official assessment criteria, presentation, mathematical communication, personal engagement, reflection, and the mathematics itself, and show you exactly where to strengthen it before you submit.

IB Maths tutoring FAQs