How-to guides

The first thing to do after signing in. Your branding here flows through to every email your students, tutors and clients receive.

1. Sign in at your company's X-Area address with the details you were sent.
2. Open Settings from the bottom of the left sidebar.
3. Under General, confirm your organisation name and contact email.
4. Under Branding, upload your logo and set your primary and accent colours. These appear on emails, the client portal and the student portal.
5. Check Billing & Plan to see which features your plan includes.

Subjects tie everything together — sessions, enrolments, assessments and grades all hang off them. Do these before adding students.

1. Click Subjects in the left sidebar.
2. Click Add Subject in the top right.
3. Enter a name and a short code — for example Mathematics Grade 12 and MATH12. The code is what shows on badges throughout the app.
4. Save, and repeat for every subject you teach.

Two ways to do this: add them yourself, or send a link and let them sign themselves up.

1. Click Tutors in the left sidebar.
2. Click Add Tutor and fill in their name, email and phone number.
3. Click Create Tutor. They're emailed an invitation with a temporary password.
4. Or, to let them sign themselves up: click Generate Link, then Copy Link, and send that link to your tutors.

The form students fill in when they register with your link. Make it ask for what your paper or Google Form asks for today, so nothing gets left behind.

1. Open Settings and click Student Registration.
2. Name, email, password, phone, address, education level and grade are always asked. Phone and address are optional for the student.
3. Under The onboarding link asks for, choose whether to also ask for a Sponsor / funder, the Subjects they want (they're enrolled with a tutor straight away), and a Report card — Don't ask, optional or required.
4. Click Save Registration Settings.
5. Under Add a question, add anything else you need. Start from a common one — date of birth, school, a parent's phone number — or write your own.
6. Pick the answer type: short or long text, number, date, dropdown, checkboxes, yes/no, phone number or email address. Tick Required if students must answer, Staff only if only your team fills it in, and Tutors can see the answer if tutors should see it. Click Add Question.
7. Use the arrows to reorder your questions. Archive one you no longer need — answers students already gave stay on their records.

One at a time, a whole spreadsheet at once, or a link students use to register themselves.

1. Click Students in the left sidebar.
2. One student: click Add Student and fill in their name, email and details. Choose the education level, then the grade — Grade 8 to 12, or year of study at university.
3. A whole list: click Import CSV and upload your spreadsheet. First name, last name and email are required. You can also include education_level (High School or University) and grade (for example Grade 11 or 2nd year). Download the template on that page to start from.
4. Let them sign up: on the Student Onboarding Link card, click Generate Link, then Copy Link, and share it. It asks for what you set up in your registration form.

Enrolment is what connects a student to a subject. Without it they won't appear on registers, won't receive session invitations, and won't see assessments.

1. Click Students, then Edit next to the student.
2. Under Enrolments, choose the subject and, if you like, the tutor — the list only shows tutors assigned to that subject.
3. Click Add Enrolment. Repeat for each subject they take.
4. To move a student to another subject or group, click Remove next to the old one and add the new one.
5. Students who register with your link and tick their subjects are enrolled for you, each with the tutor who has the fewest students in that subject.
6. Students can also ask for a new subject from their portal. A banner on Students tells you — click Review to approve or decline.

Tutors only ever see the students they teach. Name, student number and email are always shown — everything else is up to you.

1. Open Settings and click Student Registration.
2. Under What tutors can see, tick each detail tutors should get: phone, address, education level, grade & university, sponsor and report card.
3. Tick Everything the student is enrolled in, including other tutors' groups if tutors should see a student's whole timetable, not only the groups they teach themselves.
4. Click Save Registration Settings.
5. Your own questions each have their own Tutors can see the answer box — edit the question to change it.

Scheduling a session emails everyone enrolled in that subject, with a calendar invite attached.

1. Click Sessions in the left sidebar, then Schedule Session.
2. Choose the subject and the tutor taking it.
3. Set the title, start and end time, and a location or online meeting link.
4. Save. Enrolled students are emailed an invitation with a calendar file.
5. Open the session and click Copy under Student Check-in Link to share the check-in page.

Students check themselves in — you only step in for exceptions.

1. Students open the check-in link, enter their email, and confirm. Check-in opens 15 minutes before the start time.
2. Anyone checking in more than 10 minutes after the start is recorded as Late rather than Present.
3. When the session ends, everyone enrolled who never checked in is marked Absent automatically.
4. To let tutors take the register themselves — for students without a phone, or who forgot — go to Settings → Attendance, switch on Let tutors take the register, and click Save Attendance Settings. The tutor then ticks students on the session's attendance page and clicks Check In.
5. Click Attendance in the sidebar to see every session's register, with how many were present, late and absent. Each student's attendance rate is on Students. Export CSV downloads every session with its counts.
6. To correct someone's attendance, open the session's register and choose Present, Late, Absent or Excused from Change… next to their name. Admins can always do this. Tutors can on their own sessions when Let tutors take the register is on.
7. To let tutors download their own monthly register as a PDF or spreadsheet, switch on Let tutors download their register on the same card.

One assessment can mix question types — multiple choice that marks itself, written answers, and photographed working. Nothing reaches students until you publish it.

1. Click Assessments in the left sidebar, then New Assessment.
2. Give it a title, choose the subject and, if you like, the tutor it belongs to. Add instructions for students.
3. Optionally upload a question paper — a PDF or a photo. Students see it on the page, not as a download.
4. Under Questions, add each question with + Multiple choice, + Written or + File upload, and give it its marks. For multiple choice, mark the correct option. The total adds itself up.
5. Set a deadline if there is one, and click Create Assessment.
6. Click Publish on the assessment page. Only now are students notified.

Write a test once and use it every year. The library keeps assessments that aren't set for any group, and anyone on your team copies one into their subject when they need it.

1. Switch the library on: Settings → Assessments → Assessment library → Save Assessment Settings.
2. Add a test: Assessments → Library tab → + Add to library. Choose the grade and subject area — for example Grade 8, Mathematics — add the questions as usual, and click Save to Library.
3. Already made one for a group? Open it and click Save to library. A copy goes in, without any student work.
4. To find it later, the library is shelved by subject area. Filter by Grade or Subject, or search by title.
5. To use it, open the test and, under Use this assessment, choose the subject or group, the tutor and a deadline. Click Create copy.
6. The copy lands in that group as a draft. Check it, then click Publish.

Students record the marks they get at their own school or university and upload proof. You check the proof matches before the mark counts anywhere.

1. Click School Marks in the left sidebar. Pending shows everything waiting on you.
2. Use the Student dropdown to narrow to one student, or the search box to filter the visible rows.
3. Click the evidence thumbnail to open the photo or file, and compare it with the claimed score.
4. If it matches, click Verify and confirm.
5. If it doesn't, click Reject and write the reason — the student is sent that reason so they can fix it.
6. With a student selected, their graph shows how their marks trend by subject over time.

About 15 minutes after a session ends, every student who checked in is asked to rate it out of five. Nothing to set up — it runs on its own.

1. Click Session Feedback in the left sidebar.
2. The tiles at the top show your average rating, how many ratings came back, and your response rate.
3. Rating spread shows how many gave 5 stars, 4 stars and so on — useful for spotting a few unhappy students hidden behind a decent average.
4. The By tutor table gives each tutor's average. Click View to see only their sessions.
5. The table at the bottom lists every rating with the student's name and comment.

Tutors invoice you each month from inside X-Area, priced by your own pay formula. You set the rates once — each invoice fills itself in from the tutor's completed sessions.

1. Open Settings → Tutor Invoicing. Switch invoicing on and fill in the company details your tutors bill.
2. Under Tutor Pay Rates, step 1 Your rates: give each amount a name — for example individual = 185 and group = 165.
3. Step 2 Formula: write what one subject pays for the month, using your rate names and the numbers X-Area fills in from the register — sessions (completed sessions that month), students (the different students on that subject's register), and attended, absent and excused (register entries across those sessions; late counts as attended). To pay per learner per class, absences included but excused not: (attended + absent) * (individual if students == 1 else group). The Example pay card works out the amount as you type.
4. Click Save Invoice Settings.
5. For a tutor paid differently: Tutor Invoices → Pay rates → Customise next to their name. Change their rates or formula and click Save as their own rate. Their expected hours per subject can be set on the same page.
6. For a tutor on a salary, choose Fixed monthly fee on that page instead, enter the amount and save. They're paid that amount every month, whatever they teach; their subjects still show on their invoice for the record.
7. Submitted invoices appear under Tutor Invoices. Any whose claim is higher than the session records is flagged. Set each one to In Review or Paid and click Save status.

One report with every tutor's month: who they taught, how often, what each learner earned them, and the register behind it.

1. Click Tutor Invoices in the left sidebar, then Monthly report.
2. Pick the Month at the top. Only sessions marked completed in that month count.
3. The Tutors table compares everyone: how they're paid, sessions, hours, learners, attendance, the fee X-Area works out, and what they invoiced. Click a name to jump to that tutor.
4. Each tutor's section lists their learners with each one's grade, group, sessions, attended, absent and excused, and fee — for example Sam · 3 sessions · R495. Open Register underneath to see every entry, session by session.
5. Click Download PDF for a printable copy with each tutor on their own page, or Download CSV for a spreadsheet.

Schools, companies or parents sponsoring students get a read-only view of attendance and results — no login to manage.

1. Click Clients in the left sidebar, then Add Client.
2. Enter the client's name and contact details, and click Create Client. Their portal link is made for you.
3. Under Add Students, click Assign next to each student they sponsor.
4. Under Portal Link, click Copy and send the link to them.
5. They open the link to see attendance trends, session history and verified results — no password needed.

You'll have an invitation email with a temporary password.

1. Open the invitation email and click through to the sign-in page.
2. Sign in with your email and the temporary password.
3. You're asked to set your own password straight away — you can't go further until you do.
4. You land on your Dashboard, showing your upcoming sessions and anything needing attention.

Share the check-in link at the start, and the register fills itself in.

1. Click My Sessions in the left sidebar to see what's coming up.
2. Open the session and use Copy Link to get its check-in link.
3. Share it with your students — on the board, in your group chat, however you like.
4. Watch the register fill in on the session's Attendance page as they check themselves in.
5. If your organisation allows it, you can check students in yourself: on the same page, tick them under Check In Students and click Check In. Handy for anyone without a phone.
6. Anyone enrolled who never checks in is marked absent automatically when the session ends. Click Mark Excused next to anyone with a good reason.
7. Got someone wrong? If your organisation lets you take the register, choose Present, Late, Absent or Excused from Change… next to their name — even after the session.

Everything about a student on one page — their details, every group they're in, and their attendance.

1. Click My Students in the left sidebar. The Groups column shows each student's groups at a glance.
2. Click a student's name to open their profile.
3. Student Details shows what your organisation shares with tutors — for example their grade, phone number or report card.
4. Enrolments lists each group: the subject, the tutor, whether it's a group or individual lesson, and the next session's name, date and time — or the last one, if nothing is scheduled.
5. Their attendance history is underneath.

Create the assessment, publish it, then grade what comes back.

1. Click Assessments, then New Assessment.
2. Choose your subject and give it a title. Add questions with + Multiple choice, + Written or + File upload, each with its marks, and set a deadline.
3. Click Create Assessment, then Publish — students are only notified at this point.
4. As submissions arrive, open the assessment and click Grade next to a student.
5. Multiple-choice marks are already filled in. Give marks and a note for each written or uploaded answer, then click Save Grade. The student sees their mark straight away.
6. For a student who handed nothing in, click Record Mark to record a zero.

Copy a test you've set before, or one from your organisation's library, into a group — questions, answers and papers included.

1. One of yours: open it under Assessments and click Copy. Choose the group, deadline and title, and click Create copy.
2. From the library: click Assessments, then the Library tab. Filter by grade or subject, or search.
3. Open a test to see all its questions and answers. Under Use this assessment, choose your group and deadline, and click Copy into my subject.
4. The copy is a draft in your group. Change anything you like, then click Publish.
5. To share one of your own tests with the team, open it and click Save to library.

Same review queue as an admin, filtered to the students enrolled with you.

1. Click School Marks in the left sidebar.
2. You'll only see students enrolled with you.
3. Pick a student from the dropdown to review them one at a time.
4. Open the evidence, check it against the score, then Verify or Reject with a reason.
5. With a student selected, their graph shows whether they're improving.

Students rate your sessions out of five afterwards. You see the ratings, never who left them.

1. Click My Feedback in the left sidebar.
2. Your average rating and how many students replied are at the top.
3. Rating spread breaks it down by star, so a couple of low scores don't disappear behind a good average.
4. Comments are listed underneath, with names removed.

If your organisation pays you through X-Area, your invoice is filled in for you from the sessions you completed that month.

1. Click My Invoices in the left sidebar.
2. First time? Click Add them now to save your banking details, then Save Details. They're filled in on every invoice after that.
3. Click Submit Invoice and choose the month.
4. Under Services, check the sessions and students for each subject. Change a number if it's wrong — your admin sees any change you make. If you're paid by attendance, the Register column shows each subject's attended · absent · excused, read from your session registers; to change one, correct the register.
5. Click Preview Invoice, check the PDF, then click Submit Invoice.
6. Follow it on My Invoices as it moves from Unread to In Review to Paid.

A month's register in one file: your learners, how many sessions each had, and every entry.

1. Click My Attendance in the left sidebar.
2. Under Download your register, choose the month.
3. Click Download PDF to print or send it, or Download CSV to open it in a spreadsheet.
4. It lists each learner with their sessions, attended, absent and excused and their attendance rate, then every register entry, session by session.

Your tutoring company sends you a registration link. That link is what creates your login — being on their student list on its own doesn't give you one.

1. Open the registration link you were sent.
2. Fill in your first name, last name and email address. Phone number is optional.
3. Choose your education level — High School or University — then your grade. University students choose their year of study and pick their institution from the list.
4. If a company, school or bursary pays your fees, choose them under Sponsor / Funder. Leave it as No sponsor if you pay yourself.
5. Tick the subjects you're being tutored in and answer any other questions your tutoring company asks — your school or a parent's phone number, for example. Some may ask for your latest report card.
6. Choose a password of at least 8 characters, confirm it, and submit.
7. Sign in with that email and password. You land on your Dashboard.

The first page after signing in, and the one worth learning. It's built to answer one question: is anything slipping?

1. The three tiles at the top are your attendance for all time, your average grade, and your attendance over the last 30 days. The 30-day tile is there so a long clean record can't hide a bad recent run.
2. Those tiles turn amber below 70% and red below 50%, so you can see a problem without reading a number.
3. Needs your attention lists anything overdue, with Start it or Open draft next to it, plus a warning if your attendance is dropping or you've missed three sessions in a row.
4. This week shows your sessions from now to Sunday, grouped by day. Click one to open it.
5. Below that: your last five sessions, your grades with a trend line against the class average, and any sessions still waiting for a star rating.
6. The bell in the top right carries a red dot when something new has arrived.

One card per subject you're enrolled in, and a page behind each with everything for that subject in one place.

1. Click My Subjects in the left sidebar.
2. Each card shows your tutor, your attendance and average mark in that subject, and how many assessments are still outstanding.
3. Click a card to open the subject. You get the same three tiles as your dashboard, but for that subject alone.
4. Underneath: every session with whether you attended, the assessments still to do, and your marks with the class comparison.
5. Pending assessments show Draft saved or Not started, and turn red once they're overdue.

You mark yourself present — nobody calls a register. Miss it and you're recorded absent even if you were in the room.

1. Click My Sessions and find the session under Upcoming, or use the check-in link your tutor shares.
2. Click Check In. The button switches on shortly before the start; the check-in page itself accepts you from 15 minutes before.
3. Enter the email address your tutoring company has for you and continue.
4. Check the name shown is yours, then confirm.
5. For an online session, use Join Meeting on the session page to open the meeting link.
6. If your tutor asks you to check out at the end, open the same link again and click Check Out.

Once a session is over, anything your tutor uploaded appears on its page, and you're asked what you thought of it.

1. Open the session from My Sessions under Past Sessions, or from your calendar.
2. Session Materials holds the notes or slides your tutor shared. They appear only once the session is marked Completed. Read them in the page, or use Open or Download.
3. My Attendance shows whether you were recorded present, late, absent or excused, and the time you checked in.
4. About 15 minutes after the session ends you're emailed and notified asking for a rating — but only if you actually checked in.
5. Tap a star, from the email, your dashboard or the session page. That records the rating on its own; adding a comment is optional.
6. Changed your mind? Open the session and click Change my rating.

Homework, a test or an assignment. Type your answer, upload photos of your working, or both — whichever your tutor asked for.

1. Open it from My Subjects: the subject's page lists it under Pending Assessments. The notification you were sent links straight to it too.
2. Read the Instructions and the question paper — it's shown in the page, not hidden behind a download. The panel on the right has the marks available and the deadline.
3. Type into Your Answer, and drag files onto the upload box or click to browse. PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC and DOCX are accepted, up to 20MB each — a clear photo of your working is fine.
4. On a paper with several questions, answer each one in its own block, in whatever form that question asks for.
5. Click Save Draft to come back later. Your text and files are kept.
6. When you're done, click Submit Assessment. On a paper with several questions you'll be asked to confirm.

Multiple choice, marked the moment you submit — though you don't see the score straight away.

1. Open the quiz the same way as any other assessment.
2. Pick one option per question. Your choice is highlighted so you can see what you've answered.
3. Click Submit Quiz and confirm. There's no draft — a quiz goes in as one attempt.
4. You're taken back to your Dashboard. Open the quiz again and it shows Results Pending: your answers are safely recorded.
5. Once the deadline passes, results are released automatically: you're emailed your score, and the quiz page shows every question with your answer against the correct one.

Every mark you've been given, what your tutor wrote, and whether tutoring is actually moving your school results.

1. Click My Grades in the left sidebar. Your overall average is at the top.
2. The vs School table compares your average with your tutoring company against your school average, subject by subject, with the gap in points.
3. Graded lists each assessment with your score, the percentage and your tutor's comment. Awaiting Grading is everything still with them.
4. Click any assessment to open it. Where your tutor marked question by question, you get a mark breakdown showing where each mark went and what they said about it.
5. The chart on your dashboard and subject pages plots your results over time against the class average.

Marks you get at your own school or university, added by you with a photo as proof. This is what makes the tutoring-versus-school comparison possible.

1. Click School Marks in the left sidebar, then + Add Mark.
2. Pick one of your enrolled subjects, or choose Other and type the subject name for something you don't take with them.
3. Give it a title — for example Term 2 Control Test — pick the type (test, exam, assignment, tutorial, practical or other), and set the date.
4. Enter My score and what it was out of.
5. Attach the evidence: a photo or PDF of the marked paper or your report card, up to 10MB. This is required — your tutor checks the score against it.
6. Add notes if you want, and save. The mark shows as Pending until it's reviewed.
7. Use the subject and period dropdowns above the graph to see the gap between your school marks and your tutoring marks over this year, the last six months, or all time.

Your tutoring sessions and your own exams and deadlines on one page.

1. Click Calendar in the left sidebar. Switch between Month, Week and List at the top right.
2. Sessions appear in your tutoring company's colours; completed ones turn grey; your own events use the accent colour.
3. Click a session to open its page.
4. Click + Add Event to add your own: a title, a date, an optional time, a type (exam, test, assignment or other) and notes.
5. Click one of your own events to delete it. Sessions can't be deleted — they belong to your tutoring company.

Everything that needs you reaches you twice: in the portal, and by email.

1. Click Notifications in the left sidebar, or the bell in the top right. The count is what you haven't read.
2. You're told when an assessment is published, when your work has been graded, when quiz results are released, when a school mark is verified or rejected, and when a session is waiting for your rating.
3. Each one has a button straight to the thing it's about — View, View feedback, My Grades or Rate session.
4. Opening the page marks everything as read.
5. The same alerts go to your email, along with session invitations and the feedback request after a session.