Anna B
"She was so organised and she worked out how long I had until my exam and created a plan for us so that all the content and vocab could be covered in time."
New Testament Greek, Undergraduate level
13 +
A Level
Ancient History
English Language
English Literature
GCSE
Greek
History
Latin
Oxbridge Applications
Undergraduate Level
Academic History
BA (Hons) Classics, University of Cambridge (2019-2024)
- Final year: First with distinction • Papers on The Roman Civil Wars (60-31 BC), Later Roman Empire (284-476 BC), Greek in the Bronze Age and The Creation of Latin • Awarded Henry Arthur Thomas Travel Exhibition and Jennings Prize
- Second year: First with distinction • Papers in language, linguistics, literature and history • Awarded Pitt Scholarship and Jennings Prize
- First year: no result due to Covid
A-levels: German A*, Italian A* (2018); Classical Greek A*, Latin A (2016)
GCSEs: A*s in English Language, Mathematics, Double Science, History, Latin, Classical Greek, German and French; AS Level English Literature A (2012)
About Me
I believe that good tutoring comes down to three things: treating each student as an individual, giving them the tools to take control of their own learning and being a real expert in – and enthusiast for – your subject.
First, as a tutor I always try to think about what I’m doing and make sure that I’m tailoring my teaching to the individual. My students have ranged from a 12-year-old to an undergraduate, and from those struggling to pass GCSE English to candidates targeting top Russell Group universities. In each case, I start with a diagnostic process: working out what the student needs to fulfil their potential (something they often don’t know themselves) and then developing a plan to achieve that. The result is highly personalised: I have found myself tutoring the same content in two completely different ways, to reflect each student’s strengths and weaknesses.
Second, the teachers who helped me the most gave me the tools to learn independently. This is something I try to pass on to my own pupils, from looking at practical skills like time management or essay planning to giving students the confidence to think for themselves. In areas such as grammar and translation, I have found that the methods I’ve developed over the years are often new to students and have helped to unlock the subject for them. Sometimes it’s as much a matter of building a rapport and confidence; too many of my tutees have been held back in the past by their fear of ‘getting it wrong’.
Finally, I specialise in tutoring subjects which formed a central part of my degree: language, literature and history. I enjoy researching new content – such as the Norman Conquest or Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale – but the skills involved are those I learned at university. This is because I am convinced that teaching at any level needs to be grounded in a deep understanding of the material.
Recent tuition
Latin Common Entrance (ISEB, Level 1)
I supported this student for four months in the run-up to his exam, for 30 mins per week. He had mild dyslexia and felt that he had not understood Latin since starting it over a year earlier. I took him back to basics, focusing on key grammar concepts and embedding lots of practice. He rapidly gained in confidence and enjoyment, and his final result was a C (60-65%; average at Radley, his destination school, was 54% last year).
English Language GCSE (AQA) (Year 11)
I supported this student with severe learning difficulties for a little under two hours a week over most of the year. I created templates and planning grids to enable her to analyse texts rather than simply repeat the content. She had spent several years feeling behind other students, so we also worked on rebuilding confidence by starting with easier texts before moving onto GCSE material. By exam time, she’d mastered the templates, was enjoying English more and was producing more sophisticated creative writing.
English Language GCSE (AQA) (Year 11)
Over six weeks, I ran an online revision programme for three students targeting grades from 6 to 8, focusing on the writing sections of the exam. I broke the tasks down into the different skills required, working through each one separately before bringing them together. By the end of the programme, the students felt more in control: they knew what was required of them in the exam and had the tools to identify and work on gaps in their own skills.
Ancient History A-level (OCR) (Year 13)
I supported this student for an hour a week for most the year. She was aiming to study History & Archaeology at York. She had a good understanding of the course material but had been struggling to improve her written work. I focused on developing her essay structure and source analysis, including giving detailed feedback on previous essays. By exam time, she was producing tighter, clearer writing and felt more confident with the various question types.
Latin A-level (OCR) (Year 13)
Over several months, I provided 21 hours of tuition and created a structured self-study plan. The student had been struggling with A2 work and lacked confidence. I identified significant gaps in her grammar knowledge and addressed this through a targeted revision plan and regular tests. I also taught her more engaging methods for learning set texts. Her mock exam grade rose from a C to an A just before the exams, with particularly strong results in the language papers.
New Testament Greek (Undergraduate)
I supported a Cambridge Theology student with intensive revision over the Easter break. She had struggled to keep up with independent study on the ab initio course and lacked direction. I created a structured revision plan and systematically reviewed all grammar, addressing gaps in understanding. Though she intermitted for health reasons, she had been starting to make good progress in Greek and is now in a strong position for returning to the course next year.
Hobbies
Since finishing my degree, I’ve enjoyed keeping up my interest in the ancient world through some independent study, for instance attending a Warburg Institute group reading Late Antique poetry in Greek. I also like hobbies which enable me to ‘switch off’: gentle yoga, sewing or simply dipping into podcasts and books which spark my interest (fiction or non-fiction – recent listens have included Gresham College lectures on neurodiversity, modern paganism and human evolution).
Testimonials
“Anna has worked consistently with — this academic year. She was quick to build a professional, kind and supportive relationship with — . — trusted her and enjoyed her company.”
GCSE English Language: Year 11 (School SENCo)
“Anna tutored me in New Testament Greek twice a week, for around six weeks. She has been so incredible to work with. She was so organised and she worked out how long I had until my exam and created a plan for us so that all the content and vocab could be covered in time. And even when I didn’t quite stick to the plan, Anna was very patient and encouraging, and we would adjust the plan to make it work, which was really reassuring. She also made sure I had all the resources I needed, such as tables with all the verb endings for the different tenses and a list with the most important vocab. Anna was also amazing at explaining all the grammar clearly and would answer any question I had about the Greek, however small it seemed. Anna helped me so much with Greek and is also such a lovely person, so I cannot recommend her enough!”
New Testament Greek (Undergraduate Theology student)
