Jack D

Academic History

General Engineering BEng (Hons) King’s College London First Class Honours

A-Levels: 3 A*s Mathematics – A* Physics – A* Computing – A*

GCSEs: 9 A*s, 2As and 2 BTECS (Equivalent to 15 GCSEs)

About Me

I work well with students of all ages who need a calm but focused approach. I aim to develop a clear, methodical thought process in all students, at the same time as stretching and testing their knowledge in way that brings out their full potential. I aim to give my students confidence in their abilities, and a comprehensive ‘mental toolkit’ in order for them to successfully tackle a wide range of topics with ease.

I have extensive experience in tutoring students from 11+ level to first year undergraduates, specialising in Maths, Physics, Statistics and Biomechanics. Notably, I pride myself on assisting undergraduate students with the Maths elements of leading UK university and US college exams, including the ESAT (as used by universities such as Imperial and Cambridge), TMUA, ACT and AP Precalculus (both used for college admissions in the United States).

Recent tuition

Key Stage 2 Mathematics, 11+ Entrance Examination Preparation (Westminster School, London)

I worked with this high-achieving student for three years from (Years 3-6). As a naturally gifted mathematician, he found the pace of his normal school maths curriculum too slow. I gave him extended problems to stretch his mathematical knowledge whilst also keeping in line with his Key Stage 2 mathematics curriculum requirements. I coached him for the 11+ entrance examination at Westminster School, where he secured a place with a full academic scholarship.

Key Stage 3 English and Mathematics, 13+ Entrance Examination Preparation (Royal Russell School, Surrey)

I tutored this student in English and Mathematics for one year (throughout their Year 7), coaching them for the Royal Russell School 13+ Entrance Examinations. This student was naturally intelligent, but had inconsistencies in their school performances across all subjects due to their lack of awareness of effective exam technique. With regular weekly sessions, I covered all the required English and Mathematics concepts with this student, including verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, exam technique and interview preparation. This student was ultimately successful in securing their Year 9 entry to Royal Russell School.

GCSE Mathematics, Physics and Statistics (Years 8-11)

I have tutored this student (Ravens Wood School, Bromley) in GCSE Mathematics, Physics and Statistics. I have been working with him since 2019 when he was in Year 8 at school. He is currently now in Year 13. When I first met him, he was struggling to keep up with the demands of being moved to the top set for mathematics and physics at school. I worked with him to fill in the gaps in his knowledge, which gave him more confidence in his studies. I taught him the entirety of the GCSE Mathematics, Physics and Statistics courses at his own pace, where he achieved grades 7, 8 and 7 respectively at the end of Year 11. I am now tutoring him in A-Level Mathematics and Physics, where his ambition is to study Astrophysics at university.

GCSE Physics (Years 10-11)

I tutored this student GCSE Physics over the course of two years from the start of Year 10 to the end of Year 11. He was not a naturally gifted mathematics or physics student, and had started to find himself struggling to keep up with the pace of his classes towards the end of Year 9. This student worked best with repetition techniques, so I routinely set him extra homework and past papers between sessions to consolidate his learning. Through a combination of my guidance and his diligent work ethic, he was able to secure a grade 9 in his GCSE Physics course.

GCSE (Equivalent) Mathematics for a Mature Learner (Healthcare Professional)

I worked with a mature learner in his 50s for around nine months in order to increase his mathematical literacy and awareness. This was so he could better understand the technical aspects of his healthcare role (mental health nursing – qualified overseas). The student said he struggled to fully understand the mathematical nuances of the medical journal publications that he enjoyed reading. As this student worked best with visual information, and had never formally studied any kind of mathematics, I taught him the key elements from a typical GCSE Mathematics course. I used relatable real-world news articles on science and engineering stories to enable the student to better visualise the GCSE Mathematics course content. By the end of my time with the student, they reported a marked increase in their general mathematical understanding, which gave him the confidence to pursue more technical Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses related to his role.

GCSE Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Computer Science (Year 11)

I prepared this Year 11 student for their GCSE Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Computer Science examinations over the course of one academic year. This student was naturally gifted, however his initial lack of motivation and disengagement at school meant that his mock examination results were very poor. I worked intensively with him, running between 3-5 sessions with him per week for most of the year. I taught this student a variety of exam techniques, including written answer structuring and dealing with time pressure, as these were elements that had previously caused him to lose marks in exams. The student was able to elevate his initial working GCSE grade average of 5-6 to grades 8,9,9,9 respectively in his final exams.

Functional Skills Mathematics Level 3 for a SEN Student

I worked with this SEN student (on the ASD spectrum) for two years to help him secure his Functional Skills Mathematics Level 3 qualification. This was required for him to pursue an educational course in video game design that he wanted to study. The student had severe communication issues, and worked best with extensive repetition in order to be comfortable with the required mathematical concepts and techniques. The student was a visual learner who loved video games and puzzles, so I incorporated a variety of interactive educational activities into each lesson to keep him engaged. The student was able to pass his Functional Skills Mathematics Level 3 course, and went on to study a course in video game design.

A-Level Physics (Year 13)

I worked online with this student for one academic year (across Year 13). After completing the first half of their AQA A-Level Physics course, this student had started to struggle with the increasing difficulty of the Year 13 concepts. During our weekly online sessions, we identified the gaps in their knowledge, and then targeted these weaker areas of understanding with additional worksheets and homework. The student said they really benefitted from the regular tuition sessions in parallel to their school learning, as it gave accountability for their studies and boosted their overall confidence with Physics. This student went on to achieve a grade A in A-Level Physics.

American Advanced Placement (AP) Maths/Physics (Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry I, Physics I), and American College ACT Preparation

I worked with this student (American School in London – ASL) for three years, where I taught him all the required Mathematics and Physics American AP modules (Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry I, Physics I), and prepared him for the American College ACT test, for his application to New Jersey City University (NJCU), to pursue a bachelors degree course in film production. This student had always struggled with mathematics and physics at school, however he still needed a high average score in all his AP classes to apply for a film production degree course at a competitive American university. The student struggled with the advanced terminology used in the AP courses, which negatively impacted his overall understanding. I used analogies and interactive learning tools to simplify his lesson material. Over time, he was able to grasp the course content, and ultimately was able to score highly in his final AP exams and secure a place at NJCU for film production.

Undergraduate Level 4 (Equivalent) Biophysics – Supporting a First-Year Medicine Student at Semmelweis University, Hungary

I taught this first-year medicine student for around six months. She was struggling with the Biophysics element of her medical programme, as she had not previously studied A-Level Physics. I gave her weekly support with her problem sets, laboratory assignments and test preparation, as well as providing formal teaching to clarify any conceptual issues she had during lectures. This student went from strength to strength with her aptitude in the Biophysics module – she passed the final exam first time with a very high score.

Physics and Biophysics tuition for a mature student pursuing an MSc in Physical Therapy and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation at University College London (UCL)

I taught this mature student in her 50s, who was progressing her long-term nursing career by pursuing a further education masters (an MSc in Physical Therapy and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation) at UCL. As she had not formally studied mathematics or physics since her school days a long time ago, she was concerned with technical aspects of two of her MSc modules – Biophysics and Biomechanics. I tutored her a condensed version of the standard A-Level Mathematics and Physics courses over the duration of three months, as well as covering the more specialised Biophysics and Biomechanics material. She was able to fill the gaps in her knowledge whilst working with me, gaining a vast amount of confidence, resulting in her passing her Biophysics and Biomechanics modules first time.

Hobbies

Testimonials

“Jack has been helping my son since 2019, first when my son was put into a higher maths set and was struggling to keep up, then to prepare for GCSE. In that time, Jack has proved invaluable. He has a lovely way about him – he’s patient, calm and excellent at explaining abstract concepts in a way that is clear and easy to understand. My son genuinely enjoys his lessons with Jack and his grades have improved substantially: he took Statistics GCSE a year early and got grade 7, and is on-track to do well in Maths GCSE this year.”

GCSE Maths, Physics, Statistics

“Jack has been tutoring my son for several years. Many tutors have a one-size-fits-all approach, or only work with top students to maximise their results. Jack is completely different to that. He gets to know a student and their learning profile and tailors his approach to work toward their goals. He is knowledgeable, patient, encouraging and flexible. My son feels extremely comfortable with Jack and has progressed through several math topics with his help. I highly recommend Jack.”

American AP Maths/Physics – Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry I, Physics I American College ACT Preparation

“He has been tutoring me biophysics for my med school. (Calculation, theory, lab topic). He’s very clear and flexible in teaching. He will teach you with your pace and whenever you ask him questions, he will give you back the answer with many details!!”