Ellena

I am an A Level Biology specialist tutoring A Level Biology full time and live and breathe the OCR and AQA specifications every day. As a senior examiner and setter I write exam questions and am best placed to coach my tutees on exam technique.

I am now taking bookings for September 2024 for new Y12 and Y13 tutees. I'm afraid I am booked up now for regular weekly sessions this academic year 2023-2024.

I deliver teacher training for Hodder Education And Keynotes Education for OCR spec A and the AQA spec, so teachers can achieve more success with their classes.

I want my tutees not only to get their top grade but also to love Biology as I do!

I find it a privileged position being able to work closely with tutees to cover their specific learning needs. I divide my time between tutoring, assessment work and authoring A-Level Biology resources. These work areas all complement each other very well. Each tutee is different and it is always a pleasure to watch them grow in knowledge, understanding and confidence.

I support every tutee in a bespoke way to support their specific needs. I often focus on exam technique, the importance of the practical skills in written exams and the use of specialist terms.

Whether on Skype or in person, I will guide each tutee through topics to enable them to clock up marks on exam papers.

I tutor Monday to Thursday. After school prime times are at 3.15pm, 4.30pm and 7pm. I am available to tutor during the school day as well for students with non-contact time.

Tutoring Experience

I am an experienced teacher of 25 years, previously head of Biology at a local grammar school. My PGCE comes from studying at Cambridge University.

I am a Principle examiner and senior examiner for 2 exam boards. I set exam questions for A Level papers and work with assessment material daily.

I am also an author of A Level Biology educational resources for several publishers.

I give Webinars for students and teachers and teacher training workshops for Hodder Education and Keynotes Educational.

Tutoring Approach

A Level Biology is a very demanding course. There is so much content to learn – some of it is quite challenging to understand too. Many exam questions involve application of knowledge and understanding and skills are needed to be successful with these questions.

When I go over a topic I emphasise the specialist terms needed to get marks in exam questions. The mark schemes can be very specific! We look at exam questions together - I teach my tutees how to interpret the information given along with the question, and then to make a specific and concise answer.

As well as a focus on exam technique, we look closely at the importance of the practical skills. A minimum of 15% of exam questions test the practical skills, so being confident in the language of measurement, science methodology, data interpretation and analysis and evaluation is a grade changer.

I use a graphics tablet and Microsoft OneNote as my whiteboard. My tutees tell me this is really useful to refer back to all the session notes. I also send through resources ahead of each session. Using Skype with a Webcam allows me to share my screen and we can look at resources together. These can be diagrams, past paper questions or video resources.

I have a friendly approach with my tutees and quickly build up their confidence. My patient demeanour means tutees feel able to ask questions and contribute and I always endeavour to let my enthusiasm rub off onto them. As my tutees improve in confidence, that translates into top grades. I am lucky to often see those precious lightbulb moments when a tutees’ understanding is solidified.

It is very satisfying to receive calls on results day and to hear of the wonderful successes.