What should I look for in an English Tutor?
When looking for an English tutor, it is important to choose someone with a good degree from a reputable university. English tutors should have an in-depth knowledge of a vast array of English texts, as well as experience with different exam boards and assessment criteria. All of our hand-picked tutors are superbly qualified with excellent academic backgrounds and are experts in their field.
It is also vital to look for English tutors who are inspiring, personable and resourceful, as this can make learning English even more enjoyable. English tutoring is about more than just academic knowledge; our English tutors are engaging, passionate and dedicated to helping their students achieve the best results.
Choosing the right English tutor can make all the difference when it comes to helping students reach their academic goals.
What can I expect from my English tutoring sessions?
When considering an English tutor, it’s important to understand what you can expect from your lessons.
We understand that everyone learns differently. That’s why all of our tutors provide individually tailored lessons to ensure each student gets the most from their time. Our tutors will go through topic by topic, breaking down complex concepts into simple steps and using a range of engaging activities to make sure learning stays interesting and enjoyable.
Our English tutors are also focused on motivating and inspiring their students. Sessions will often incorporate many different approaches such as visual learning, role-play and other fun techniques to help students engage, whilst feedback during and after each lesson helps keep students motivated to continue to improve.
Amelia’s approach to tutoring English
Here is what one of our English tutors, Amelia, says about her approach to tutoring English:
“I am an English tutor based in London, but I also do online sessions. I teach GCSE English, A-Level English, as well as the ELAT paper and interview preparation for Oxbridge admissions.
“My starting point when teaching English is ensuring that the student a) understands the texts in question, and b) develops some kind of interest in, or sense of relatability to, their themes. A Shakespearean play can have more parallels with modern life than they may have previously realised. Then it’s time to focus on exam technique and revision strategies. Contrary to popular belief, it is not all about learning hundreds of quotations, but rather about understanding how your revision can be made adaptable to a variety of exam titles and questions.”
How would English tutoring sessions be structured?
“Lesson structures obviously vary based on the student — the exams they are working towards, their exam board, and of course their specific areas for improvement. For tailored A-Level essay-writing tutoring, for example, we might begin by taking a past paper question and writing an essay plan and an introduction together — thinking about techniques for unpacking the question as well as go-to tips for paragraph structuring. Then I would ask the student to finish the essay in their own time, which I would mark, and we would go through the feedback at the beginning of the next session, before repeating the process with a different question.”
How do you make English tutoring sessions engaging and interesting?
“Although exam specifications and mark schemes are important, there are now so many other resources available to make teaching online fun and engaging. A particularly visual learner might benefit from video resources (like clips of theatre productions or modern film adaptations), colour-coded notes and mind mapping, for instance. It’s all about using resources to keep things interesting but making sure not to overwhelm the student with material.
“The goal is always to give students a positive experience and to build confidence. I think that if students enjoy the texts they are reading, and feel comfortable that they know what is expected of them, then the quality of their work automatically goes up and they may even be persuaded to take English to further study.”
To arrange English tutoring sessions with any of our fantastic English tutors, contact Wendy to discuss.
