Alex T

Academic History

DPhil in Biochemistry, University of Oxford (in progress)

MSc in Biology, ETH Zurich (5.44/6 – very good or “sehr gut”)

BSc in Biochemistry, University College London (1st class, Dean’s List, top graduate of the year)

GCE A Level – A*s in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry

IGCSE – A*s in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics

School – Diocesan Boys’ School, Hong Kong

Recent tuition

As well as tutoring Maths, Biology and Chemistry at IB and A Level, I prepare students for the following tests and exams:

UK School entrance exams from 11+ to 16+

Oxford Admission Tests (BMAT, MAT)

Cambridge Admission Tests  (ESAT)

Personal statements (UCAS)

Statement of motivation & research (graduate studies)

Below is a snapshot of my recent tutoring experience:

A Level Mathematics (Edexcel) and Biology (OCR)

I tutored this student throughout the summer between Year 12 and 13 as a residential tutor with time spent in Switzerland and England, covering both Mathematics and Biology for GCE A Level. Prior to the summer holidays, his predicted grade for both subjects were at the C/D range, and help was sought to improve on this, as his school has provided minimal support. We spent four hours a day for one month, going through the entire AS Level materials, with a strong focus on exam practice as his exam skills were weak. At the start of his Year 13, he wrote another mock exam for Mathematics and attained an A grade to his relief.

A Level Chemistry (Edexcel) and Biology (Edexcel)

This student was at Brighton College with solid grades for Chemistry and Biology (A grade) at the time I met him in Year 13. He was aiming for London universities and possibly Oxbridge. Aside from tutoring on both subjects with him intermittently over Year 13 (mostly during breaks), I also gave advice to his personal statement and interviews. Despite his predicted grades at A, he was invited for interview at Oxford Chemistry. He ended up at Imperial College London reading Chemistry and plans to do a PhD in Cancer Therapy after graduation.

International A Level Chemistry (Edexcel)

This student finished secondary school in Hong Kong but unfortunately was not able to secure a good university offer. He looked into the option of studying GCE A Level in private, which would enable him to apply to universities in the UK. He picked Chemistry as one of his subjects to study for A Level and approached me for an intensive tutorial plan. As a private candidate, his schedule was flexible. I was able to teach him over the summer with an intense schedule, for about eight hours a week for about two months. During this time, I taught him the entire two-year syllabus from scratch, building up only on his Grade 11 level of Chemistry. Though intense, it remains one of my most rewarding teaching experiences as he was a very motivated and goal-driven student. He attended the exams only two months after I started teaching him from the basics, and obtained grade A. He went on to study Architecture at the University of Edinburgh, which was his top choice.

German Abitur Mathematics (Baden-Württemberg)

I tutored this student in Hong Kong during the COVID pandemic in Mathematics. She studied the German Abitur syllabus at an international school in Hong Kong, and I provided support to her in Mathematics as classes at the time were mostly online. I supported her for about three months overlapping the summer, which allowed her to catch up with the knowledge that is required to proceed to the final year of her Abitur studies. Her skills in Mathematics were improved significantly with better utilisation skills of technology (graphical calculator) and computer programmes, a strong emphasis of the school. While the medium of education at her school is in German, and the materials are in German, I was able to execute effective classes with her in English.

College-level Statistics

I started with this student during the summer holiday after she just finished IB. Her plan was to attend UC Davis, majoring in political science, but was looking to transfer to Cornell University after a year. This would require good grades in all courses she would do at UC Davis. One of the required modules in university was Statistics, which she was quite worried about as she only did Maths SL in IB.  Based on the course material available from UC Davis’s website, I devised a tailor-made 20-hour course for her before she set off for California. The brief experience with me proved to be valuable. With her excellent grades in her other courses, she successfully transferred to Cornell and has now graduated.

University-level Biochemistry (Imperial College)

This student was a final-year Biology undergraduate student at Imperial College London, working on her nine-week undergraduate research project. However, she was allocated a project that is focused on Structural Biology, which involves biochemical experimental techniques not covered by her course. While she was performing experiments to some success in the laboratory, she felt that she was struggling to understand the principles of the experiments and the literature she read, due to the lack of guidance by her supervisor. Therefore, based on her specific needs, I gave her a crash course on the technique of X-ray crystallography (a technique she used throughout her research project), and guided her through some of the academic papers she was asked to read.  We spent about 20 hours altogether before she submitted her thesis.  She graduated from Imperial with First Class Honours and went on for a PhD at LMU Munich.

Hobbies

I enjoy experiencing different cultures. Thanks to my studies, I have lived in five countries since leaving my native Hong Kong, switching my base every two to three years. In Switzerland I developed my interest in hiking, and I enjoyed spending time in the National Parks while I lived in California. I also enjoy cooking a lot, and at Oxford I developed an interest in competitive blind wine tasting. I was part of the Varsity team during my three years there. Outside of science, I also teach about wines and wines tasting to students of all ages. Most recently, I was awarded as a top graduate in the world for the Diploma in Wines offered by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Testimonials

“Alex has been my chemistry tutor for two years, during which he cleared up many of my confusion towards chemistry, allowing me to have a better grasp on each topic. I like how sometimes he explains a theory in the perspective of physics or biology since it made me realise the interconnection between different strands of science, thus strengthening my understanding of the concept holistically. With the aid of his tutorials, I went from only achieving a grade 5 in IB bridging year, to a 7 in my Grade 12 first term. Alex also gave me valuable guidance in choosing university courses and how to write a strong personal statement.”

18 year old Chemistry student (IB Higher Level)

This went on to complete a BSc Biochemistry and an MSc Epidemiology at Imperial College London, and now works in the UK.

“Alex is an enthusiastic and resourceful tutor. His role has been monumental in my study of chemistry throughout the last year of my IB curriculum, leading up to the exams.  Alex always tries to first clear up any confusion that I have had in class, before providing extra practice and problems for each topic. Very often Alex reteaches the principles I learnt in school in a much more succinct way. I feel every moment in Alex’s class is well spent. I would recommend him to anyone!”

18 year old Chemistry student (IB Higher Level)

“I find Alex a patient and dependable tutor. My course at University College London in Biochemistry can be difficult at times, and I am glad that I found Alex who was also a graduate from the course. He is able to explain complex scientific papers to me in a palatable manner, and provided me with valuable feedback for my essays and thesis. Additionally, he also shared career advice with me since we studied the same course and I see him as a mentor.”

21 year old Biochemistry student (University College London)

This student graduated from UCL with a First Class Honours, and completed a year of internship at GSK. She was then accepted by Cambridge for her Master’s studies.