Option one - exam prep:

• Warm-up - I’ll ask questions about a theme, character, or setting, in the same structure as an exam question so the student has practice designing essay plans with no prep, like in an exam

• Activity - we’ll look at a past paper together, and I’ll ask the student to answer the question we’re looking at

• Evaluation - the student and I will compare their work to an official mark scheme and grade them together until the student can identify what they do well and what they can improve on

• Revision - this will give the student space to edit their work with the needed improvements in mind

This layout allows the student to identify what they need to work on, then work on it with me, until it becomes a habit and they do it automatically.

Option two - revision:

• Warm-up - I’ll ask the student to tell me what they know about an element of the plot, a theme, a character, a setting, context, etc, to get them going

• Discussion - we’ll work together to help the student remember elements of plot, or key quotes, or context around their texts, and I’ll share resources meant to assist with this

• Recap - we’ll go over what we learned today, I’ll share any additional resources that we wouldn’t do in class (eg videos as watching these together would waste class time) and I’ll set homework if needed before our next session.

This layout is far more flexible and offers more opportunity to tailor the work to the student. If the student prefers flashcards, we’ll use flashcards. If they prefer a Q&A format, we can do that. If they learn best through the act of writing things down, I’ll help them develop visual reminders for the information they need to get them through.

Additional information about tuition

I do give homework, but I firmly believe that the average student gets enough homework at school, so I never want to cause unnecessary stress or cause students to prioritise my homework over the work they’ve been given from their school. Therefore, some weeks there will be lighter homework, or even no homework at all, it will depend entirely on the student.

I believe that learning is a marathon, not a sprint, and therefore my priority will never be solely on getting the student past their next hurdle, whether that is mock exams, actual exams, or assessments, but on helping students build a solid foundation of skills that they can apply not just to their English classes, but to education, and life, as a whole.

We will ensure that your analysis is detailed, your paragraph and essay writing is solid and structured, and your creative and persuasive writing is compelling and comprehensive, and that alongside all of these skills, you also have a developed and in-depth knowledge of the texts on your curriculum. This will leave you, as a student, confident as you go into whatever comes next.