Will

Let me tell you a quick story. The first time I sat my AS English Literature exam, I got a D. I was gutted, and was seriously considering dropping the subject entirely. But with the help of an absolute wizard of an English teacher, I managed to turn that D into an A, and I went on to study Literature at Oxford University.

I’ve since had 10 years’ experience helping students achieve top grades in humanities subjects. Want to know the key to my transformation, and to the success of my students?

NAILING ESSAY TECHNIQUE.

My sole focus as a tutor is helping students cut through the confusion about how to write a good academic essay. I’m here to share with you the key principles and techniques I've learned, so you can achieve top marks in your essays – and to do so as efficiently as possible, saving you hours of wasted time and effort.

If that sounds good, read on!

Tutoring Experience

I am a seasoned, professional tutor with ten years experience. In that time, I've helped over 150 students to raise their grades, and secure offers from their top choices for schools and universities.

I do this by delivering my 'Essay Technique Crash Course', which you can read more about, below!

P.S. In the past, I mostly worked via a platform called 'MyTutor', which is where I built up most of my clientele and reviews before moving to FirstTutors for more flexibility. I'm happy to forward a link to my MyTutor profile, so you can see the 60+ reviews I have there.

Tutoring Approach

WORKING SMART NOT HARD

I don't know about you, but I prefer to work smart, not hard. It leaves more time for enjoying the good things in life.

According to the 80/20 principle - otherwise known as the 'Pareto principle' - 80% of our output (the results we get in any undertaking) generally come from about 20% of input (the preparations we make). In other words, by identifying and focussing on the essential factors for achieving success - on that crucial 20% - we can achieve better results, and save ourselves a whole lot of ineffective studying and wasted time in the process. That 20% is essay technique.

Some students spend literally thousands of hours obsessing over their course content, memorising hundreds more quotes than they’ll ever actually need for their exams. Some can end up doing quite well, working this way – but many of them don't.

When a capable student comes out with a B or worse (like yours truly, here), it is typically because they haven’t nailed their essay technique. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how many hours you put in or how well you know your material; if you can't put your argument and analysis down on paper in the right way, you won't get the grades. It's as simple as that.

DE-MYSTIFYING ESSAY TECHNIQUE

Fortunately, writing good academic essays isn’t some dark, mystical art whose secrets are jealously guarded by bearded old men in robes – even if it might sometimes feel that way…

Luckily for us, the examination boards are benevolent (albeit quite boring) gods who, in their infinite wisdom, have revealed to us mere mortals something called ‘Assessment Criteria’. Kind of like the Ten Commandments, if you will.

Take, for instance, the 4th commandment (AO4) of AQA’s GCSE English Literature:

“Thou shalt use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.” (Disclaimer: I’ve adapted it slightly to make it sound more biblical.)

Criteria like these tell us, fairly directly, what a student has to do in order to get top marks for a particular essay. The tricky part is knowing how those criteria translate into what you actually need to get good at doing, in practice. That’s where I come in – like a modern-day John Milton, on a mission to “justifie the wayes of God to men”. And to women, of course. (C’mon Milton, get with it...)

LEARNING THE FORMULA FOR WRITING TOP ESSAYS

For better or worse, students are examined in a way that is entirely formulaic: there are a number of boxes you need to tick, and if you tick those boxes, you get the marks. Academic success, then, is simply a case of understanding what those boxes are, and knowing how to tick them.

Over the years, I've helped dozens of students to learn the necessary skills and techniques for ticking these boxes, and for getting top grades in their coursework and exams. You can read some of their glowing feedback in my reviews!

Along the way, I’ve developed and refined an essay-writing formula – an outline of the key principles and skills you’ll need to achieve top marks. If you stick to this formula (and practice using it!), then I guarantee you your grades will improve.
This formula forms the basis of my ‘essay-writing crash course’ – a package / programme of sessions, designed specially to teach students exactly what they need to do in order to achieve the highest marks in their essays.

WHAT YOU'LL GET

With this 8-week programme, I’ll help you to:
- Understand your exam board’s assessment objectives, and what they mean in practice, in relation to the different exam questions you’ll be facing.
- Structure your paragraphs and arguments so strongly you could knock houses (or exam halls) down with them.
- Hone your writing style – cutting unnecessary waffle, and making sure every sentence is a ‘marks magnet’.
- Navigate the ins and outs of analysis, and how to use it.
- Identify any specific weaknesses in your personal essay technique, and understand what you need to do to improve.
- Optimise your reading and your notes, so they can be used as effectively as possible when it comes to planning essays.
- And much more!

BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION TODAY

I offer an initial ‘essay diagnosis’ and half-hour consultation, completely free of charge. Book an available slot with my today, and I’ll send you more information about the programme and the packages I offer, and I’ll also analyse one of your essays for you, to identify key areas for improvement.

My schedule tends to fill up pretty quickly after the New Year, so if you think you might like to work with me, do book a slot while you can!