Emma

I have been obsessed with Chemistry since my first lesson in Year 7 when I used a Bunsen burner for the first time. I am an expert in Chemistry (see awards below), but I am also an expert teacher and explainer. If you would like to be taught by someone who genuinely loves Chemistry and cares about their students, then look no further.

I have a PhD in Chemistry, an MChem in Chemistry, a PGCE in Secondary Science (Chemistry specialism), and an MA in Education. I have an outstanding teaching track record for teaching science to Years 7 – 13, but my specialism is A Level Chemistry. I am also an A Level Chemistry Examiner. I have helped many students with their UCAS applications, with a focus on STEM subjects, especially Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Science.
I graduated with a first-class honours MChem in Chemistry from the University of St Andrews (the number 1 university for Chemistry in UK league tables), and also won several prizes, including a prize for the “Best Overall Chemistry Student”. I then went onto win a Salters’ Graduate Prize, which are awarded to the top 5 chemistry students in the UK. During my PhD, I won an extremely sought-after Marie Curie Fellowship to further my research. During my PGCE, I won awards for the “Best Science Trainee Teacher” and the “Best Overall Trainee Teacher” (from all subjects).

Qualifications, prizes and awards:
• 2001 Sixth Form (I won the Chemistry Prize and the Biology prize for highest scoring student in the school in Chemistry and Biology A Levels)
• 2002 The University of St Andrews (I skipped the first year of study due to excellent A Level results)
• 2002 The University of St Andrews (I won the Finlayson Book Prize [best student in second year chemistry], the Chemistry and Materials Class Medal and the Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry Class Medal)
• 2003 The University of St Andrews (I won the Elizabeth Soutar Prize [best student in third year chemistry])
• 2008 The University of Manchester: PhD in Chemistry (I won a sought-after Marie Curie Fellowship to study at the University of Florence for part of my PhD)
• 2005 The University of St Andrews: MChem in Chemistry with External Placement First Class Honours (I won the Salters’ Graduate Prize [awarded to top five chemistry undergraduates in the UK], the BP Prize [best final year research project in inorganic chemistry], the Forrester Prize [best student in honours chemistry], the Gray Prize [best essay in chemistry] and the Irvine Jubilee Prize and Medal [best overall chemistry student])
• 2013 The University of Manchester: PGCE Secondary Science (I won the Withers Prize [best overall PGCE student from all subjects] and the Owens Prize [best PGCE student in science])
• 2019 Manchester Metropolitan University: MA in Education

Tutoring Experience

I have 10+ years of teaching experience and I am a former Head of Chemistry and Assistant Director of Sixth Form. I have taught KS3 and GCSE Science and Chemistry to Years 7 – 11 and A Level to Years 12 and 13 in mixed, outstanding comprehensive schools and Sixth Forms. I am an A Level examiner. During the pandemic, I taught Years 7 – 13 online using a variety of techniques. I have helped students with their UCAS applications, with a focus on STEM subjects, but also looked after the students applying for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science. I have been an online tutor since June 2023.

Tutoring Approach

I have a friendly and approachable teaching style, and I tailor each tutorial to the individual student. For me, explanations are key to understanding the fundamentals of a topic, and I pride myself on being able to break down complicated topics and explain them clearly in a variety of ways. Practice is also vitally important, and in each lesson I model how to answer specific exam questions before giving the student an opportunity to practice. I also provide topic-specific exam questions with worked answers as homework after each lesson so that students can practice independently.
In a typical lesson you can expect:
• Short starter questions to review previous topics
• Clear explanations of the lesson topic in bitesize chunks
• Review questions after each new piece of information
• Modelling of how to answer topic-specific exam questions
• Time for the student to ask any further questions
• Homework consisting of topic-specific exam questions with worked answers for students to complete independently