Physics tuition · A-level → University · Milton Keynes & online
Most physics tutors re-teach the textbook. I find out why it didn't stick first.
I'm a physics education researcher with UK Qualified Teacher Status. Before your first lesson, your child sits a short research-validated diagnostic — the same instrument used across UK universities — so we teach the actual misconception, not the symptom.
A ball is thrown straight up. At the very top of its flight, the net force on the ball is…
The method
Diagnose. Teach. Measure.
Decades of physics education research show students don't fail because they missed a page of notes — they fail because of specific, predictable misconceptions. My doctoral research maps exactly these. Tuition works when it targets them directly.
Diagnose
A 30-minute validated diagnostic pinpoints which concepts are secure, shaky, or built on a misconception. You receive a plain-English report before we book a single lesson.
→Teach to the gap
Lessons target the diagnosed misconceptions using evidence-based techniques from the research literature — not a second pass through the same explanation that didn't work at school.
→Re-measure
The diagnostic is repeated. You see the shift, item by item — measured progress, not a tutor's reassurance.
About your tutor
Dr Ash Pathak
I spent my PhD at The Open University studying one question: why do capable students get Newtonian mechanics wrong, even after being taught it well? The diagnostic instrument I developed has now been taken by more than 3,000 students across UK universities.
Before research, I taught physics in the classroom — I hold UK Qualified Teacher Status and served as a Head of Department, so I know the difference between physics that's been presented and physics that's been understood.
I tutor A-level students, first-year undergraduates hitting the mechanics wall, and applicants preparing for the PAT, ESAT and MAT admissions tests.
Tuition & fees
Transparent pricing. No packages you don't need.
Every engagement starts with the diagnostic and a free consultation. Online via interactive whiteboard, or in person in Milton Keynes.
GCSE & A-level
Exam physics
£48 / hour
- Initial diagnostic + written report
- AQA, OCR, Edexcel specifications
- Weekly problem sets, marked
- Termly progress re-measurement
A-level → University
Transition mechanics
£65 / hour
- For first-year STEM undergraduates
- Built on my doctoral research
- Newtonian mechanics, maths methods
- The gap nobody else teaches
Admissions
PAT · ESAT · MAT
£75 / hour
- Oxford, Cambridge & Imperial prep
- Past-paper strategy & timing
- Mock interviews on request
- Seasonal — book by September
Results
What families say
"The diagnostic report alone was worth it — for the first time we could see exactly what our son didn't understand, instead of guessing."
— Parent of Year 13 student, Milton Keynes [placeholder]"I'd failed my first mechanics assignment at uni. Ash found the two ideas I'd been getting wrong since GCSE. Passed the resit with 74%."
— First-year engineering undergraduate [placeholder]Replace with real testimonials + measured before/after diagnostic scores as they accumulate. Ask every client at term end.
Free lessons
Watch before you book
Short lessons on the concepts students most often get wrong. If my explanations work for you on YouTube, they'll work in tuition.
FAQ
The practical details
Where do lessons happen?
What does the free consultation cover?
How does the diagnostic work?
Do you follow exam boards?
What about the bookshop?
Get in touch
Book a free consultation
Tell me a little about your situation and I'll reply within 24 hours. No obligation, no high-pressure sales — just an honest conversation about the best way forward.
- tel +44 (0) 1908 555 555
- email ash@principiatutoring.co.uk
- area Milton Keynes & online