jelena.mk/tutoring

0478 · 9618 · IB DP CS · Lisbon & online

Knowing it isn't the same as getting the mark.

Computer Science tutoring for Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge AS & A Level and the IB Diploma — with a Head of Computer Science who writes the schemes of work, reads the mark schemes, and still ships production code every week.

Book a free 20-minute call See syllabus coverage
Years 10–13 English Python · Java · VB Online worldwide
Paper 2 · Q3(b) [ 6 ]

Describe how a linear search and a binary search differ, and state one condition required for a binary search to work.

A linear search checks each item in turn from the start until it finds the thing. A binary search is much faster because it cuts the list in half each time. The list has to be sorted.
  • ✓Sequential access from the first element — that's a mark.
  • ✓Ordered data is the required condition — that's a mark.
  • ✗"Much faster" is a verdict, not a mechanism. No mark for outcomes.
  • ✗"Cuts in half" never says compare with the middle item, discard the half that cannot contain the target.
  • ✗Nothing about what happens when the item isn't found — two marks sitting untouched.

Same knowledge as the A* script. Four marks left on the table — every one of them recoverable in a single session.

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At a glance

Computer Science tutoring for IGCSE, A Level and IB

Jelena Gjorgjev is a Computer Science tutor based in Lisbon, Portugal, teaching Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science (0478), Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science (9618) and IB Diploma Computer Science (SL and HL) to students in Years 10–13. Personalised tuition on other computing topics is available on request. She is the serving Head of Computer Science at PaRK International School in Lisbon. Sessions are one-to-one, in English, online worldwide or in person in Lisbon, and start with a free 20-minute call.

Subjects
Computer Science and programming — plus other computing topics by request
Exam boards
Cambridge International (IGCSE 0478, AS & A Level 9618) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Levels
IGCSE, AS, A Level, IB SL and HL — Years 10–13, ages 14–18. Undergraduate and adult learners by request
Programming languages
Python, Java, Visual Basic — plus pseudocode for Cambridge written papers
Format
One-to-one or small group · 60 or 90 minutes · shared screen and code editor
Location
Online worldwide, all time zones · in person in Lisbon, Portugal
Language of instruction
English
Rates from
€55 per 60-minute session, invoiced monthly. No prepaid packages
First step
A free 20-minute call — no charge, no obligation

Paper structures on this page follow the current published specifications: Cambridge IGCSE 0478 for exams to 2028, Cambridge 9618 for 2027–2029, and the IB Diploma Computer Science guide first assessed in May 2027. Last reviewed .

Coverage

Three syllabuses. Taught from the specification, not from a textbook.

Three courses are covered: Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0478, Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science 9618, and IB Diploma Computer Science at SL and HL. Each is one I currently teach or have taught through to examination, and the paper structures below follow the live specifications — 0478 for exams to 2028, 9618 for 2027–2029, and the IB guide first assessed in May 2027.

Cambridge IGCSE · 0478

Computer Science

Years 10–11. The foundation year, where pseudocode habits are either built properly or spend the next four years costing marks.

  • Paper 1Computer Systems1h45 · 75 marks · 50% · Topics 1–6
  • Paper 2Algorithms, Programming and Logic1h45 · 75 marks · 50% · Topics 7–10

Where we spend the time: writing answers in pseudocode (code gets no marks outside the 15-mark scenario question), trace tables, logic circuits, binary and hex arithmetic without a calculator, and the AO3 evaluation questions most students hand in half-answered.

Cambridge AS & A Level · 9618

Computer Science

Years 12–13. Four papers, three entry routes, and a step up in abstraction that catches out strong IGCSE students.

  • Paper 1Theory FundamentalsAS · sections 1–8
  • Paper 2Fundamental Problem-solving & ProgrammingAS · answers in pseudocode
  • Paper 3Advanced TheoryA2 · sections 13–20
  • Paper 4PracticalA2 · at the machine

Where we spend the time: ADTs and pointer-based structures, recursion, normalisation and SQL, assembly language and addressing modes, Big-O reasoning, and Paper 4 practical technique under a clock.

IB Diploma · SL & HL

Computer Science

The new guide: no options, the case study now sits in Paper 1 for SL and HL alike, and machine learning joins the core.

  • Theme AConcepts in Computer ScienceFundamentals · Networks · Databases · Machine learning
  • Theme BComputational Thinking & Problem-solvingAlgorithms · Programming · OOP
  • Papers 1–2External assessmentCase study examined in Paper 1
  • IAInternal assessmentFive criteria · 5-minute video

Where we spend the time: Java or Python (your school's choice), the annual case study read properly rather than skimmed, and the IA — scoped, built, documented and evidenced against the criteria, not the vibes.

Something else? Ask.

Not every student who needs help is sitting one of the three courses above. Personalised tuition is available on request for other computing topics, at the same rates, with scope agreed on the free call. If it's outside what I teach well, I'll tell you rather than take the booking.

  • University-level CS
  • Web development
  • Python from scratch
  • Databases & SQL
  • Networks
  • Operating systems & Linux
  • Blockchain & Web3
  • DevOps
  • Extended Essay in CS
  • Application portfolios
  • Adult learners
  • Career changers

Who you'd actually be working with

A department head who never stopped being an engineer.

I'm Jelena Gjorgjev, Head of the Computer Science Department at PaRK International School in Lisbon, a professor at Brainster Next College, and a PhD candidate at FEEIT, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University. I have taught Computer Science since 2009, to Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Level and IB Diploma. Most CS tutors are one thing or the other — a teacher who last wrote code at university, or a developer who has never seen a mark scheme. The useful part sits in the overlap.

2009First classroom. Still in one.
IGCSE → PhDLevels taught, Year 10 to postgraduate
3Boards taught to examination: Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Level, IB DP
17Peer-reviewed research papers · IEEE member
  • PaRK International School, Lisbon

    Head of Computer Science Department — IGCSE and IB Diploma Computer Science.

  • NATO — DEEP

    AI curriculum development expert on the management team for an 18-month reference curriculum.

  • Brainster Next College, Skopje

    Professor — Operating Systems & DevOps, Distributed Systems & Blockchain, Web 3.0.

  • IPS Macedonia

    IB / DP Computer Science teacher.

  • American University of Europe – FON

    University assistant professor — data mining, computer graphics, networking, OOP.

  • SUGS "Rade Jovchevski – Korchagin"

    Teacher of informatics and information technologies.

Full teaching record on jelena.mk →

Qualified to teach it, not just to do it

IB DP Computer Science workshop (InThinking / IB), IB DP Category 3 in Extended Essay in Focus and Concepts and Inquiry, and a formal pedagogy and psychology qualification for educators from UKIM, Skopje.

All certificates & credentials →

Qualified to do it, not just to teach it

PhD candidate at FEEIT, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, researching decentralised carbon-reward mechanisms. MSc Blockchain Technologies (Universitat de Barcelona), MSc and BSc Informatics. Seventeen years of shipped software — enterprise .NET systems for a national bank and municipalities, live broadcast platforms, smart contracts, and 148 websites.

  • Python
  • Java
  • C# / .NET
  • SQL
  • JavaScript
  • Solidity
  • Linux

The professional record →  ·  Research & papers →

Why this matters in a tutorial

When a student asks "but why would anyone actually do it that way?", the answer is a system I've built, not a paragraph from the textbook. That's usually the moment the topic stops being revision and starts being interesting.

How a session runs

Diagnose, teach, then prove it against a mark scheme.

Sessions run 60 or 90 minutes, online over a shared screen and code editor, or in person in Lisbon. Every session ends with something written down.

Before we start

A free 20-minute call

You tell me the board, the year group, the last set of grades and what's actually going wrong. I tell you honestly whether tutoring is the right fix — sometimes it isn't.

Session 1

Diagnostic on real papers

We work through past-paper questions across the specification to find where the marks are being lost. Topic gaps and exam-technique gaps get treated differently, because they are different problems.

Sessions 2+

Teach, then attempt, then mark

Concept taught with a worked example, student attempts a question cold, we mark it together against the published scheme. Marking your own work in front of the mark scheme is the single fastest thing a student can learn.

Between sessions

A short written follow-up

What we covered, what to practise, and the specific questions to attempt — sent to the student and, for under-18s, to a parent. No surprises at report time.

The parts schools run out of time for

Coursework and practicals, supervised properly.

Support here means teaching the skill and reviewing the student's own work against the criteria. I don't write it, and I'll say so to your school if they ask — academic integrity is not a grey area.

IB Internal Assessment

The single biggest source of dropped IB points, and the one most students start too late.

  • Scoping a problem that can actually earn across all five criteria
  • Success criteria that are testable, not aspirational
  • Design documentation that evidences decisions
  • A testing strategy that shows in the 5-minute video
  • Appendices and source code packaged as the guide requires

9618 Paper 4 practical

A theory-strong student can still lose a grade here purely on speed and habit.

  • Reading the scenario and stubbing the structure first
  • File handling, records and ADTs under time pressure
  • Defensive input validation that the scheme rewards
  • Test data chosen to expose your own bugs
  • Timed run-throughs on real past papers

0478 scenario question

The 15-mark question at the end of Paper 2, where programming code is finally allowed.

  • Decomposing the scenario before writing anything
  • Choosing between pseudocode and code deliberately
  • Arrays, subroutines and validation done cleanly
  • Leaving enough clock for it in the first place

Formats & rates

Priced per session. No packages you have to buy up front.

Rates are per session in euros, invoiced monthly. Sibling and small-group rates on request. First call is free and carries no obligation.

IGCSE · 0478

€55 / 60 min

  • Online or in person in Lisbon
  • Written follow-up after every session
  • Past-paper pack and mark schemes included

AS & A Level · 9618

€65 / 60 min

  • 90-minute sessions recommended for Paper 4
  • Shared code editor, your language
  • Timed practical run-throughs before mocks

IB Diploma · SL & HL

€70 / 60 min

  • Papers 1 and 2 plus the case study
  • IA supervision across the full build
  • Extended Essay guidance where relevant

Cancellations more than 24 hours ahead are free and rescheduled at no cost. Intensive blocks before mocks and final exams are available — book those early, they fill first.

For parents

The boring, essential things.

I work in an international school and hold current safeguarding training for that setting. Sessions with under-18s are recorded or held with a parent able to drop in at any point, and you get the written follow-up too.

Based in Lisbon, teaching students across time zones. Sessions in English.

Questions

Asked often enough to answer here.

How much does IGCSE, A Level or IB Computer Science tutoring cost?

Rates start at €55 per 60-minute session for Cambridge IGCSE 0478, €65 for Cambridge AS & A Level 9618, and €70 for IB Diploma Computer Science. Sessions are invoiced monthly and there are no prepaid packages. Small-group and sibling rates are lower and available on request, and the first 20-minute call is free.

Do you tutor online, or only in Lisbon?

Both. Most students are taught online over a shared screen and code editor, which works in any time zone, and in-person sessions are available in Lisbon, Portugal. Online and in person are the same price.

Do you teach Java or Python? My child's school uses Java.

Both, plus Visual Basic. The IB Diploma guide supports Java and Python, and Cambridge allows Python, Java or Visual Basic — so I teach in whichever language your school uses. Matching the school matters, because a student shouldn't be holding two dialects in their head during an exam. Cambridge written papers still require answers in pseudocode, which we practise separately.

How many tutoring sessions does it take to improve a grade?

Exam-technique gaps often move a grade within three or four sessions, because the knowledge is already there and only the wording is losing marks. Genuine content gaps take longer. After the first diagnostic session I'll give you a realistic estimate rather than guessing on the first call.

Can you help with the IB Computer Science IA close to the deadline?

Sometimes, but less than you'd hope. The IA rewards evidence collected during the build, and evidence can't be created retrospectively. Six weeks out, real points are still recoverable; one week out, expect damage limitation — and I'll say so plainly rather than take the booking.

Do you offer group or sibling sessions?

Yes. Pairs and small groups of three or four work well for theory papers and cost less per student. Practical programming and IA supervision stay one-to-one, because the pace is set by one person's code.

Do you tutor anything other than IGCSE, A Level and IB Computer Science?

Yes — personalised tuition is available on request. That includes university-level computer science, web development, Python from scratch, databases and SQL, networks, operating systems and Linux, blockchain and Web3, DevOps, and the IB Extended Essay in Computer Science, as well as adult learners and career changers. Rates match the levels above and the scope is agreed on the free 20-minute call.

Do you work with schools as well as families?

Yes — curriculum design, scheme-of-work builds, department mentoring and teacher training. That side of the work is described on jelena.mk/education-mentorship-tutoring.

What happens in the free 20-minute call?

Twenty minutes, no charge and no pitch. Bring the last report or a marked past paper if you have one. You'll leave with at least one specific thing to work on, whether or not you book anything afterwards.

Start here

Send the last marked paper. I'll tell you where the marks went.

Tell me the board, the year group and the exam session you're aiming at. If I'm not the right fit — wrong board, wrong time zone, wrong subject — I'll say so and point you somewhere better.

Email an enquiry Call +351 965 238 672