Matthew S

Academic History

2009 – 13; University of Cambridge; BA Hons & MSci Natural Sciences (2:1) Having covered a mixture of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Materials Science in my first two years, I went on to specialise in Experimental and Theoretical Physics in my final two.

2004 – 09; Desborough School, Maidenhead; A-Levels: Physics (A), Chemistry (A), Maths (A), Further Maths (A), Biology [AS] (A)

About Me

I am a full-time professional private tutor with more than 12,000 hours of one-to-one teaching experience since 2013. I hold a BA (Hons) and MSci in Natural Sciences from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, where I studied Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Materials Science before specialising in Experimental & Theoretical Physics.

I teach Mathematics and the sciences from primary level through to undergraduate study, with particular expertise in independent-school entrance, Oxbridge and other competitive university admissions, and long-term home-schooling. My school-entrance experience spans 7+ through to 16+, including the London 11+ Consortium, ISEB Pre-Tests, Common Entrance, school-specific entrance examinations and interviews.

Alongside private tuition, I currently teach A-level Chemistry at a senior girls school in London, working with Years 12 and 13 and taking responsibility for half of the specification. I have completed more than 1,000 hours of subject-specific Oxbridge mock interviewing and was Principal Oxbridge STEM Mock Interviewer at Epsom College from 2018 to 2022. In September 2026 I also delivered a TMUA workshop at Eton College.

For university admissions, I support UCAS applications, super-curricular development, admissions tests and interview preparation. Current tests include ESAT, TMUA, STEP and UCAT, with extensive experience of former MAT, PAT, NSAA, ENGAA, BMAT and TSA papers. Recent students have received offers from Cambridge and Imperial in the biological and physical sciences. I have supported adult university students with quantitative material, including a student on UCL’s MSc Private Equity and Venture Capital with Financial Technology programme. This involved mathematical and statistical work in a finance context.

My approach is highly individualised. I aim to identify whether a student’s difficulty lies in underlying knowledge, application, exam technique, confidence or organisation, and then target lessons accordingly. I work with students who need careful consolidation as well as highly academic candidates preparing for selective schools and universities. I teach in person across London and the Home Counties and online worldwide.

Recent tuition

Please see below for a sample of my tuition experience:

GCSE Physics

In this 13 year old student’s school they started learning their GCSEs a year early and I helped her to grasp some of the topics she found difficult in her Physics course.

Year 10 Home Schooling

This 15 year old boy had to take a month off of school so I home schooled him Maths in parallel to other tutors covering his other subjects.

16+

I worked with a student for three hours a week from September to November helping him transition from the state sector to the private sector and apply to leading private day schools in London. Support included ensuring his knowledge met what was expected for entrance tests and interview (which often required knowledge from across different exam boards and beyond), exam technique, and mock-interview practice. English also wasn’t his first language so extra care was required to help him understand the subtlety of question terminology, e.g. describe vs explain. He gained a place at his first choice school of City of London School. His preferred A-level choices were Physics, Maths, Further Maths and Biology.

IB Maths Studies

I worked with a student in the last two weeks before their Maths studies exam consolidating essential knowledge and working on exam technique. I was pleased to learn that the student had tried working with several other tutors unsuccessfully, but was happy with my approach and wanted to continue with me till the exams had been completed.

A-Level Physics

This student had failed his first year of AS Physics and needed help preparing for his retakes. I helped him improve his understanding and exam technique. Once he regained his confidence physics came more naturally to him and he was then ready to concentrate on ways to tackle the exam. He passed his retakes with B’s and C’s.

A-level Chemistry AQA

I was approached by a dyslexic student at A2 level who had to achieve a B in her Chemistry to meet her University offers but was concerned she had been achieving Ds in all her recent assessments. I worked with the student on a weekly basis up to the summer exams, consolidating her understanding of the syllabus and focusing on exam technique. I also helped her to organise her independent revision and provided resources she could use to practice. The student achieved a B and made her university offer.

AS/A-Level Maths and Further Maths

I supported two siblings (16 and 17) with their AS and A2-level Further Mathematics work. Since tutoring them, their father became increasingly interested in improving his Mathematical skills so I began tutoring him additionally as an adult casual learner.

Pre-U Physics

I have worked with numerous students for Cambridge Pre-U Physics. This is a much harder qualification than A-Level, and I support the students in helping them to grasp the more advanced degree-level topics.

Foundation Level Physics

I worked with an international student who was studying a foundation year at St. George’s University Hospital for Medical School. We focussed primarily on Physics modules.

University Applications and Interviews

Since 2014, each year I have taken on multiple students for one-to-one interview preparation sessions. The preparation process involves ensuring the student is familiar with the various topics that most commonly crop up in interview and then tackling interview style questions with a focus on interview technique (e.g. thinking aloud). Towards the end of the preparation process I will conduct full length interviews with the student and provide feedback on their performance. I cover both Oxford and Cambridge applicants for all STEM subjects. Each year my students provide feedback on the questions they were asked in their real interview and I have collated a database of these questions to practice with future students. I have a good success rate and recent students have received offers from Cambridge and Imperial in the biological and physical sciences.

Hobbies and Interests 

Outside tutoring I use my time to pursue my other interests. For example, I am a keen musician and I am currently working on several electronic music projects with other artists. I would like to someday become a successful musician but also use this profile as a platform to work in the media for projects which popularise science. This vision stems not only from my fondness of science but my interest in video editing and production – a skill I picked up to help promote several charitable events I was involved with at university.

I enjoy travel and over the past few years have visited many exotic locations such as India, China and South America. Finally, I am a sporty individual having achieved a black belt in kickboxing and played badminton for my college’s III team at university

Client Testimonials

“We have found Matthew’s approach to teaching to be both professional and effective. My daughter always enjoyed her lessons with him and we were impressed by how well prepared and well structured each lesson was. Matthew managed to make subjects she previously found quite challenging, not only easier to understand, but also engaging. He was skilled at identifying gaps in her knowledge and setting appropriate practice tasks to address this. His patience and encouragement helped to improve my daughter’s confidence in all four subjects which led her to excel in her exams this summer. Matthew is an excellent and dedicated tutor and I have no hesitation in recommending him to another family looking for academic support for their child.”

Parent of long-term GCSE student

“I really enjoyed the sessions I’ve had with Matthew. He was enthusiastic and passionate about A level physics, having read Natural Sciences from Cambridge University. He was very friendly and was patient. He didn’t mind repeating topics a few times until I grasped the concept. He was organised and was always prepared for each session I would strongly recommend Matthew to anyone studying physics.”

A-Level Physics

“Matthew helped me a lot in learning Physics, although it is a hard subject and it is so difficult to understand what’s going on! he helped me a lot with simplifying everything with using examples from real life. Learning with Matthew is really fun and useful at the same time. He will actually make you love the subject you’re studying even if you don’t!”

A-Level Physics student

“Matthew has helped me enormously so far to prepare for my for my Cambridge Pre-U examinations in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, firstly by going through topics which I am finding difficult and generating revision material on these topics, and then setting questions on specific topics for me to tackle and explaining carefully where the problems lie if I don’t get it correct the first time around. I would certainly recommend Matthew if you are looking for tuition in any of these subjects.”

Pre-U Physics student