GCSE and iGCSE
English language and literature
Rates
Exam Boards — AQA | Cambridge | Edexcel |OCR
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£45 per hour — Year 9
£50 per hour — Years 10 and 11​
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DISCOUNTS FOR BOOKINGS EXTENDING BEYOND ONE ACADEMIC YEAR
With Deborah's help my daughter went from a 4 and 5 in her mocks to two 9s in the real thing ... Very highly recommended.
Liz, August 2023
Aims
To appreciate the depth and power of the English literary heritage | To analyse a writer’s choice of vocabulary, form, grammatical and structural features | To evaluate a writer's effectiveness and impact | To adapt a student's writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences | To restructure writing to improve coherence, consistency and clarity | To speak confidently, audibly and effectively.
Service
Continuous appraisal of your child's aptitude to meet the KS4 Assessment Objectives | Lesson Plans and Teaching Objectives aligned with the National Curriculum | Planning and preparation before lessons to ensure that each session provides what your child specifically needs | Creation and/or downloading of educational resources | Additional subject and/or pedagogical research, as required | Regular post-lesson feedback | Brief reviews of any written work/answers sent to me at least 24 hours before the lesson (for a more comprehensive review, please see details below).
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See the latest offers for details!
Texts
​Macbeth | Romeo & Juliet | Midsummer Night's Dream | Jane Eyre | Pride and Prejudice | The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde | War of the Worlds | A Christmas Carol | The Sign of Four | Journey's End | Lord of the Flies | Animal Farm | An Inspector Calls | Of Mice & Men | A View from the Bridge | Blood Brothers
Poetry, fiction and non-fiction anthologies
Topics
Language — Each exam board assesses students' reading and writing skills for two papers that comprise the English language GCSE. One paper focuses on fiction, whilst the other focuses on non-fiction. The English language GCSE requires students to satisfy six different Assessment Objectives, while the English literature GCSE covers only four, so for many of our students, the language GCSE is the most challenging. ​In school, students often practise answering questions from past papers to prepare for the language exam. However, because the English language GCSE requires students to be adept at a range of skills, and each student is different, many students can often be ill-prepared for the final exams. ​​One-to-one tuition enables us to understand and address individual concerns, needs, and learning styles. Through repeated, collaborative practice that is paced effectively, we can ensure that students master each of the assessment objectives in time for the exams.
Creative writing — Creative writing is included in the English language fiction paper and commands the highest marks. Students tend to be either extremely confident in their creative writing or struggle to know where to start. For many, tuition allows them to practise creative writing at a pace that is appropriate to them. Together, we clarify means of expression, investigate new vocabulary, and celebrate language in a way that essay-writing doesn't allow.
Poetry — an absolute favourite! ​Some students have a fear of poetry that is almost always vanquished during one-to-one tuition. For many, the biggest challenge is allowing themselves to think and, most importantly, feel the meaning of language. Tuition allows us to explain, clarify and demonstrate the technical nuances of poetry, giving students the confidence to explore their interpretations. For many of our students, it is the revelation of poetry's experimental use of language and structure that leaves them with the legacy of its infinite magic.
Shakespeare — Shakespeare is a staple of our literary heritage. Whether your teenager is studying Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or one of the other key stage four plays, Shakespeare's work deserves their attention. Shakespeare's plays provide a wealth of themes, characters, and language that reward students with profound insights into human nature and society. ​Navigating Shakespeare's language can be tricky for some students, for whom tuition can be invaluable. For other teenagers, tuition can enhance their studies of Shakespeare's plays in several ways. The personalised attention only possible in private tuition enables a more active engagement with the play through discussion and interactive activities. Such methods help to break down scenes to explain the nuances of structure and language according to individual needs.
Modern drama — GCSE English literature includes some wonderful twentieth-century plays in its syllabus: An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley, A View from the Bridge by the American playwright Arthur Miller, and recent additions such as Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock. Drama is a highly experiential aspect of English literature, and private tuition allows students to immerse themselves in a play's drama, characters and language in a way that may be preferable to 'performing' in front of a classroom of fellow students. Teaching modern drama also closely examines writers' decisions about staging, performance, and audience reactions.
Novels — many of the novels studied at key stage four were published during the Victorian era. Texts such as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen use language that students may find overly long and impenetrable. Tuition enables us to explain any challenging vocabulary or intricate writing styles, ensuring that the nineteenth-century language does not hinder their learning. In addition, focused discussions of themes and characters help foster a stronger connection between your teenager and the novel than is possible in a classroom setting.
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Many students study novels at GCSE that were written more recently. Although the language is more accessible and easily understood, texts such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Animal Farm by George Orwell, or Lord of the Flies by William Golding, require a detailed appreciation of social, historical and political contexts to fully understand a writer's nuanced construction of character and theme. Private tuition is often invaluable in bringing a text to life for a student, ensuring timely opportunities to explain, clarify and discuss.