Joshua
English & Creative Writing tutor (All levels) • 11 yrs experience
About
** Final exam results from the 2023/24 academic year:
A-LEVELS
- My A-Level tutee was predicted a B, and got an A*
GCSEs
- One tutee (who was retaking her English Language) went from a Grade 6 to a Grade 9
- One tutee went from a 6 in their English Literature mocks, to a 9 in their GCSE; and from a 7 in their English Language mocks, to an 8 in their GCSE.
- One tutee went from a 6-7 in their English mocks, to an 8 for English Language and a 9 for English Literature in their GCSEs
As one parent wrote to me (and gave me permission to post publicly):
“Josh!! Just want to say a HUGE thank you again oh my goodness Declan is over the moon! You brought him up from a 6 to a 9 - there are no words!”
Of course, these grades are mostly due to the hard work of the tutees, and tuition can never guarantee any grade. But I thought I’d post these grades here to give you an indication of the effect that good tuition can have. **
I am a friendly and highly qualified tutor with a degree in English Literature & Creative Writing, and a Masters in Writing, both from the University of Warwick. I have eleven years’ experience tutoring, and have been highly recommended due to my skill at breaking down complex texts in an accessible, enjoyable, and easily digestible manner.
I am also a published novelist (‘The 8th Emotion’, a sci-fi thriller) and have received a substantial grant from Arts Council England in recognition of my literary work.
I have tutored numerous students, from six-year-olds to people studying for their MA, and every grade in between. My philosophy is always to adapt my approach to the needs of each individual. I give my students the confidence, understanding and exam technique they need to succeed.
I’ve also taught two students intensively in the days running up to their exams, and one went from a predicted E to a C; the other went from a predicted C to an A.
I’ve delivered plenty of online lessons in the past, and know how to make them work well. I’ve also found that, in the majority of cases, online tutoring is as or more effective than face to face. This is because
a) I can use the bespoke set of resource documents that I’ve built up on my computer, over years, as part of the lessons,
b) I can see what the tutee is writing in real time, and so the process of offering feedback becomes quicker (in person, either I would watch them as they wrote on their computer, which might feel a bit pressured, or I would have to wait for them to finish handwriting their work before they passed it across the table for me to have a look at), and
c) it’s easier for me to give neat, clear feedback (which becomes a useful revision resource) on the computer rather than by hand, which tends to, by its nature, be a little messier.
Essentially, all the above mean that you are very likely to get better value for money when you hire me, as opposed to if I were doing face-to-face tuition.
N.B. Along with proofreading and feedback on specific pieces of writing (which services are available for my standard lesson fee) I also offer special lessons on how to write fiction. These cost £150 per hour, and can cover pretty much any aspect of fiction writing, from a practical step-by-step process on how to plan a novel; to tips on characterisation and setting; to how to develop an initial idea into a story; etc. I charge this high fee because the insights I offer have been gleaned from years of practical experience in writing, and as such, I believe they can drastically accelerate a student’s development; and because the one-to-one nature of the lesson means that the tutee, through their questions, can have this guidance completely tailored to their specific interests and needs.
Tutoring Experience
I am currently tutoring several pupils across a broad range of age groups, from helping one child in primary school improve her reading and writing skills, to preparing pupils for their SATS, GCSEs, and A-levels. I am also assisting a couple of students with their university courses.
Tutoring Approach
Each student is unique, and that's why I tailor my teaching style to each individual pupil.
I'll ask you what you believe your strengths and weaknesses are... find out what ways you learn most effectively (for example, either visually or by rote)... and then structure my lesson plan accordingly.
I'm also a very patient teacher, and believe that one of my key skills is the ability to break down complex ideas so that they are much easier to understand and remember. This approach is proven to work, and can lead to your results leaping upwards by several grades.
Subjects & pricing
English
£70/hr
- Pre-school, KS1, KS2, 11+, KS3, IB, Pre-U, Higher, Advanced Higher, University, Postgraduate, Adult, National 5, BTEC Level 3
- GCSE — AQA · CCEA · Cambridge · Edexcel · OCR · WJEC
- IGCSE — Cambridge · Edexcel · oxford-aqa
- Functional Skills — AQA · C&G · Edexcel · NCFE · OCR
English Literature
£70/hr
- Pre-school, KS1, KS2, 11+, KS3, IB, Pre-U, Higher, Advanced Higher, University, Postgraduate, Adult, National 5, BTEC Level 3
- GCSE — AQA · CCEA · Cambridge · Edexcel · OCR · WJEC
- IGCSE — Cambridge · Edexcel · oxford-aqa
English Language
£70/hr
Creative Writing
£70/hr
- GCSE — AQA · CCEA · Edexcel · OCR · WJEC
- IGCSE — Cambridge · Edexcel · oxford-aqa
- EPQ — AQA · Edexcel · OCR · WJEC
- T-level — C&G · Edexcel · NCFE
- BTEC Level 3 — Edexcel
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- MA Creative Writing · University of Warwick · Merit · 2012 University of Warwick · Merit · 2012
- BA (Hons) English Literature & Creative Writing · University of Warwick · 2:1 (Upper second) · 2011 University of Warwick · 2:1 (Upper second) · 2011
Reviews
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- imported from First Tutors
Xiaolu
My son is in a year 11 now and has almost finished his GCSE exams. Yesterday is the last time for my son having English language session and English literature session with Mr. since the tutor began to help him last September. My son has more and more confidence to study English and the English level keeps going up. Mr. is good tutor who have enough patience and good planning even if in normal day my son can contact him to ask some English help in email. I have no doubt believe my son will achieve good grades in GCSE English exam. Thank you Mr. .
- imported from First Tutors
Ollagnier
Student’s feedback: Josh has been overall a very competent tutor supporting me climb the challenge of the IGCSE exams. What I really liked was the first lesson, as he asked questions trying to find my weaknesses to then pick exercises helping improve those weaknesses. He also doesn’t just give me the answer when I’m stuck, he gives me a hint so that I find the answer myself and then improve. I thank Joshua for supporting me in my IGCSE exams’s revision! Parent’s feedback: a big thank to Josh who helped our son to improved his English writing skills and gave me structured approchas to analyse English Litterature poetry. Above all, our son gained confidence which enabled him to approach the exam’s day without stress. Josh very quickly established good contact with our son and was very attentive to his needs. We highly recommend Josh for English tutoring!
- imported from First Tutors
Kim
Josh has been working with my son on GCSE English Lit for some weeks now and he found Josh to be friendly and patient and they developed a great rapport very quickly. My son’s confidence in English lit has increased tremendously and Josh has made him aware of his blind spots and shown him some great techniques. Would highly recommend.
- imported from First Tutors
Naylah
Working with my Joshua for just under a month has been an incredibly rewarding experience. His teaching style is not only effective but also engaging, making each session both educational and enjoyable. Thanks to his guidance and support, I've made significant progress in my English skills, and I'm looking forward to continuing my journey of learning with him.
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Elaine
Joshua has been tutoring my daughter A level English literature for the past few weeks. He is reliable and communicates well with both me and my daughter. He took time to ascertain the main areas to focus on and makes the lessons engaging and relevant, while putting my daughter at ease and boosting her confidence. I would highly recommend him.
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Roger
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Abraham
Good tutor, but cannot work well enough for my daughter.
Joshua replied
Hi Abraham, thanks for the review! It’s a shame that the initially agreed time didn’t work well enough for your daughter long-term, but I wish her and the rest of your family all the best :)
- imported from First Tutors
Arooz
Josh engaged well with my son and they had a good rapport. He was very accommodating and flexible. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for us as there were one too many technical difficulties and reception issues which lost us lesson time and it became disjointed. Otherwise the sessions were very helpful.
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Olga
Joshua is the very best. Simply brilliant. Look no further for your English tuition. My son is looking forward to his lessons.
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Khadijah
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Amit
My son always liked his maths (and he still does) but his creative writing was on a weaker side. So we were looking for someone who can help him like writing. Due to his strong education background and excellent references, we decided to take few trial lessons with Josh. We liked his approach during those trial lessons, so we continued with him. Since then he has been helping out my child with his English for more than a year now. Throughout last one year, Josh has been working with him on all the basic building blocks of creative writing like imagination, planning, flow and the structure of the story, using the right vocabulary - and all this in a very playful and pleasant manner. As a result of this, my son now enjoys his English work and it gives us pleasure to see him planning and writing his stories without any help from us! All thanks to Josh.
- imported from First Tutors
Mahtab
Josh has made a really significant difference to my son's performance and motivation. He has a great ability of being able to quickly understand his students' weaknesses and teaches his students how to overcome them. This coupled with his very easygoing nature he is the ideal tutor for bringing out the best in his students. I would highly recommend Josh to anyone wishing to improve not just their grades but their whole approach to the subject.
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Maria
Joshua helped my brother in improving his english, focusing on the pronunciation and covering grammar and different topics. He is professional and suitable for young students. Would totally recommend him.
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Sola
Josh is prompt and gets on well with my 2 daughters as their English language tutor. No complain since September 2015. His good teaching method is building self confidence and understanding with my girls at that subject. Leah/Rebecca's Dad. February 2016.
- imported from First Tutors
Ildiko
Jushua helped me to improve my academic writing skills, and I was really satisfied with the pace and the methods he used while tutoring. Also, he was is very reliable and considerate. I can only recommend him to anyone.
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Ala
Joshua worked intensively with my son on his writing and analytic skills just three weeks before my son's GCSE English Literature exams. My son's school prediction was a C grade, but he became more confident and relaxed before sitting his exams after been taught by Joshua and got a high B grade in his GCSE. Joshua is a flexible and pleasant tutor and he built an excellent rapport with my son and that had a good impact on my son's results. I feel that being able to improve his grade in this short time before the exam is an outstanding effort and I strongly recommend Joshua for other parents.
- imported from First Tutors
Abdul
Joshua has been an amazing tutor. He has helped me with my English writing skills. His help allowed my english to flow better within my essays and he has also helped me with my grammar. Very helpful tutor always on time. Would recommend to anyone looking for an amazing tutor to help with your English.