TUTORING
GCSE English Tutor – Loughborough, London & Online
Hi! I’m Eddie
I’m an undergraduate at a Top 10 UK University. At A-Level, I studied Biology, Economics, and Geography. I also undertook an EPQ, in which I achieved an A* (Biology and Geography adjacent). I’m a Biology tutor working with GCSE and A-level students across CIE, AQA, Edexcel, and OCR.
GCSE English tutor
I’m Eddie. English was one of my GCSEs – in which I achieved a 9 and an 8. I took Geography, Economics, and Biology at A-Level. I also completed an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), a self-directed 5,000-word research essay, and came out with an A*. An EPQ is graded almost entirely on the exact skill English rewards most: building one sustained, evidenced argument across thousands of words, rather than a string of separate good points strung together. I spent nigh on a year honing exactly that skill – and it turns out that’s there much sameness between it and English GCSE.
I’m now a Geography undergraduate at a top-10 UK university, and alongside my work through Key2, I tutor GCSE English, both Language and Literature. If your child needs help with English, I’m passionate about tutoring, and would love to help them out with it, or any other subjects (see bottom of this page for a full list).
Why English trips students up specifically
The most common issue at GCSE is quotation without analysis. A student picks a strong, relevant quote, then moves straight on to the next point instead of actually unpacking the word choices, the structure, the effect – not using PEEL! Examiners reward the unpacking far more than the quote selection itself, and it’s a habit that has to be practised – it doesn’t tend to show up naturally.
The second issue is structure across a whole essay, not just within a single paragraph. It’s really common for a student to have genuinely good ideas about each individual point and still lose marks because the essay reads as a list of separate observations rather than one argument building toward a conclusion – which, funnily enough, is exactly the skill an EPQ forces you to develop over a much longer piece of writing.
According to GoStudent’s independent study of over 2,600 students, around three in four improved their performance by up to three grades through personalised tutoring, and 90% of students who gained confidence went on to improve their grades too.
A quick check you can do with your child today
Take one paragraph from a recent essay and get your child to underline just the analysis – the sentences explaining why a word or technique matters, separately from the sentences that just describe what happens. A small underlined portion points to a technique gap, not a knowledge one, and it’s exactly the sort of thing a tutor can fix faster than another round of set-text revision.
If you’d like to go deeper, have them analyse which sections are giving a point, where is the evidence/quote, where is the explanation, and then a link to the question. If any of these are missing, a tutor could be a great asset for your child.
What GCSE English tutoring costs, and what you’re paying for
UK GCSE tutoring generally runs £25-£40/hour, with QTS-qualified specialists at £40-£60+. English typically sits toward the lower-to-mid end of that range compared to Maths and the sciences. My own rates sit well under that – you’re getting a current top-10 university undergraduate with a track record in extended, evidenced writing, not a QTS specialist’s price tag.
The Education Endowment Foundation’s research shows properly targeted 1:1 or small-group tuition adds 4–5 months of extra progress in a year, and can boost average grades by over half a grade — often enough to shift a student across a critical grade boundary.
What a session with your English tutor looks like
Every session starts from wherever the student actually is, not a generic scheme of work. I like to set small tasks between sessions, such as an essay paragraph, or a past-paper question. I then mark them against the MS before we meet again, so we’re always working on plugging those gaps.
I’ve tutored Years 4 through 13 across English, Geography, Biology, Economics, Maths, and GCSE Chemistry and Physics, both online and in person. I hold an Enhanced DBS check.
Frequently Asked Questions — GCSE English Tutor
Do you tutor English Language, English Literature, or both?
Both. The analysis-versus-description deficiencies that cost marks shows up in almost identical form across both, so sessions often strengthen the same underlying skill for whichever paper is coming up next.
Do you tutor A-level English?
No, I specialise in GCSE English.
Can you help with a specific set text, or is this general essay technique?
Both, depending on what’s needed. I can work through your child’s specific set texts, or focus purely on essay structure and technique if that’s what they’d find most useful. Try the underlining check above to see which your child needs.
Do you tutor in person or online?
Both. I’m based in Loughborough & London and tutor in person locally, with online sessions available for students further afield.
Do you also offer tutoring in other subjects?
Yes – alongside English, I tutor Geography, Biology, Economics, Maths, and GCSE Chemistry and Physics from Years 4 through 13. See the full range of tutoring services here.
Ready to Close the Gap? Get in Touch with Eddie
If your child’s English grade could use a bit of a boost, get in touch below.