English tuition for students who want to develop their skills and improve their exam results.
IGCSE . GCSE .
Personalised one-to-one online English tuition with an experienced teacher.
I help students develop the reading, analytical and writing skills they need to approach their English examinations with greater confidence — and achieve the grades they are capable of.
Teacher. Examiner. English tutor.
English can be a challenging subject because students are expected to do several things at once.
They need to understand what they are reading, recognise the choices a writer has made, explain why those choices are significant and then communicate their own ideas clearly and effectively.
My lessons begin with the student’s existing work. By looking carefully at what they have already written, I can identify areas where their understanding or skills need strengthening — whether that is grammar and syntax, analysing a text, developing an argument or expressing their ideas more precisely.
Lessons are then tailored around the individual student and the areas where they can make the greatest progress.
Read. Analyse. Write.
I want students to develop more than the ability to identify a technique or follow a particular essay structure.
Read
Develop the confidence to approach different texts and understand what they are communicating, how they are constructed and how they are intended to affect the reader.
Analyse
Look closely at the choices a writer makes — from individual words and phrases to syntax, punctuation and structure — and explore why those choices have been made.
Write
Learn how to turn ideas and observations into clear, developed and convincing written responses, while developing greater control over vocabulary, sentence construction and expression.
More than spotting techniques
English analysis can sometimes become a process of finding a technique, naming it and explaining its effect.
I encourage students to go further.
We explore why a writer has chosen a particular word, phrase, sentence structure or piece of punctuation. We consider what that choice reveals about the writer’s voice, intentions and relationship with the reader.
Students learn to move from simply identifying what a writer has done, to understanding how it works and why it matters.
The aim is to help students develop their own interpretations rather than rely on a collection of pre-learned phrases or formulaic responses.
What I can help with
English tuition can be tailored to support students with:
Analysing unseen texts
Understanding writers’ choices and intentions
Language, syntax and structural analysis
Exploring writers’ voice and use of language
Understanding the effect of punctuation and sentence structure
Developing analytical paragraphs and essays
Moving from identification to developed analysis
Grammar, syntax and written accuracy
Vocabulary and precision of expression
Creative and transactional writing
Planning, drafting and refining written work
Past-paper practice
Understanding what examination questions are really asking
Examination technique
Preparing for mocks and final examinations
Building confidence and independence
My principal focus is English Language examination preparation, although I also support students preparing for English Literature examinations.
Whether a student is struggling with a particular aspect of English or wants to develop their examination performance further, lessons are adapted to their individual starting point and goals.
Writing is a process
I don’t believe that good writing is something that simply appears on the page.
Students need opportunities to experiment with ideas, make choices, review what they have written and consider how it could be improved.
I use productive and processual approaches to writing so that students can understand how writing develops. We might plan, draft, reshape and edit a piece of writing, considering along the way how vocabulary, syntax, punctuation and structure affect meaning.
This applies to both analytical and creative writing.
The aim is not simply to produce one successful essay or examination response. It is to help students become more thoughtful, controlled and independent writers.
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Past papers are an important part of examination preparation, but I believe students benefit most from them when they understand the skills behind the questions.
We work with a range of texts and question types so that students become comfortable responding to unfamiliar material rather than simply learning how to answer one particular question.
We look carefully at previous examination questions and written responses, identifying what has worked well, where marks may have been lost and how an answer could be developed further.
The emphasis is on understanding the skill rather than memorising the answer.
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I have more than 16 years of experience in education and have taught students with a wide range of abilities and learning needs.
I am also an experienced History examiner and examination team leader.
Although History is my primary academic specialism, I have extensive experience supporting students with English and particularly enjoy helping students develop the confidence to express their ideas clearly and effectively.
I’m interested in the process of writing and in helping students understand not just what makes a successful piece of writing, but why it works.
Ready to improve your English?
If you’re preparing for an upcoming English examination and would benefit from personalised support with analysis, writing or examination technique, I’d be very happy to hear from you.
You don’t need to know exactly what support you need before getting in touch. We can talk about where you are now, what you would like to achieve and how I may be able to help.