Roland

Hi. I'm a very experienced teacher, having worked in both the state and private sectors. I work in the state sector currently (part-time), alongside my role as an external examiner for AQA GCSE English Language. I also have extensive experience examining for OCR and CIE IGCSE at both A-Level and GCSE. I teach both English and English Literature and have tutored since 2010.

Tutoring Experience

I started teaching in 2006 in the state sector. I then worked in a private school in Surrey from 2010 - 2022. Recently, due to family circumstances, I have focused on tutoring and working as an examiner. As well as this, I have worked with students whose first language isn't English and I've also prepped students for interviews, entrance exams, and helped with verbal reasoning skills. I have extensive knowledge of GCSE, IGCSE and A Level set Literature texts, alongside KS2 and KS3 English.

Tutoring Approach

As a primarily skills-based subject, there are many interesting, quirky and engaging ways of teaching English and English Literature. Some of the mark schemes might seem a bit vague, but I'm experienced and knowledgeable enough to know what they mean in 'pupil friendly' terms, and I use a wealth of different resources. For Literature, learning quotes and understanding the text is obviously key, so I work on this, as well as on answering the questions.
I'm more than happy to mark student work between sessions if needs be. Above all, successful tutoring is based on precise, detailed feedback and a careful, targeted approach.
Having assessed a student's working level, I focus on helping them understand the specific requirements of each task and the skills needed to satisfy the assessment criteria. As an examiner, I know how important it is to meet the specific assessment objectives, and so I focus on this, as well as providing 'points of difference' that will elevate students above other candidates. If students aren't aiming at a particular examination, I assess their weaknesses and strengths and help build up their skills in the same way.