George A

GCSE English Literature (AQA)

I tutored this student (The Judd School) for six months, assembling quote banks on ‘Macbeth’, key themes, and offering critical feedback on essays. Together we also developed his knowledge and understanding of ‘Lord of the Flies’, through practice papers, character analysis and memorising quotations. Having been at a 6/7 level, the student achieved an 8 in his English Literature GCSE.

IB English (SL)

I tutored this student for a year, initially working on essay writing for IB Paper 1, discussing several texts in class together, setting regular essays for homework and identifying areas for improvement. I also prepared this student for his IB Individual Oral assessment, helping him write the document and giving him the tools to memorise it effectively before the exam. Finally, in the run up to the exam, I supported the student’s revision for IB Paper 2. The student’s essay writing significantly improved in fluency, structure and sophistication by the end of the year.

A-Level English (OCR), Classics University Application

I tutored this student (Francis Holland School) for a year, covering all aspects of their A-Level English and University Applications in Classics. I supported the student edit their personal statement and with the university application process, securing an interview for Classics at Oxford, and offers from Durham, Exeter and Edinburgh. We worked on essay writing and structuring, assisting with their English coursework essays on Atonement and Frank O’Hara’s poetry (for which they received an A* grade). In addition to this, I offered feedback and revision support for The Tempest – improving their close reading skills and confidence, as well as their ability to structure and write the whole-text question. We worked together on the dystopia paper (‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’), Christina Rossetti’s poetry and The Duchess of Malfi. Since they had a tendency to try to do too much revision in an unfocussed manner, I helped them craft a bespoke revision timetable leading up to the exams that made their revision more efficient and effective, giving time for essay plans and memorising quotes. Initially working at B grade, by the time of her exam, she was able to structure and plan answers to an A* level with confidence.

Application to Oxford

I supported this student throughout their application to Oxford to read English, working on the personal statement, submitted work, extracurricular reading recommendations and providing bespoke workshops. Their initial personal statement draft lacked the focus and range of reading to make it competitive, so I suggested changes to make the student’s interest clearer and the application more competitive. The student, who was passionate and enthusiastic, had gaps of knowledge in their areas of interest (such as modernist literature and poetry). I gave masterclasses on different aspects of modernism, on preparing for the ELAT, and on nineteenth-century poetry and metaphysical poetry. These included short presentation, accompanied by readings and exercises that we discussed in an interview-style format. I introduced the student to reading texts such as Joyce’s ‘The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ and ‘Ulysses’, which he ended up loving. When the student received an offer for interview, I provided in-depth interview preparation and several mock-interview sessions. By the end of our sessions the student’s knowledge, range of expertise and ability to articulate complex ideas was superb. They went on to secure a place at to read English at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Classics Undergraduate Thesis (Oxford) and Masters Applications (Oxford)

I worked with this student (Oxford) for three months, supporting the editing process of their undergraduate Classics dissertation on female funerary monuments. Initially, the essay was at a mid 2.1 level, but after receiving several rounds of feedback the student went on to achieve a 75 (first-class) grade. I also helped this student structure their classics revision, exam timetable, and the content of their revision sessions. The student received a Gibbs Prize for their overall finals results, coming first in Classics 2B and fourth overall. During this time, I also provided feedback on their successful application to Oxford for an MSt in Classical Archaeology, and the student secured a highly competitive Ertegun Scholarship to cover all of their international course fees and living expenses.

Hobbies