DBS verified David
GCSE English & 11+/13+ Entrance Exams | Bachelor’s degree in Education | 20+ years of experience | Top school placements & exam results
About
I am a fully-qualified English teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in education and over 20 years of tutoring experience. My students consistently gain entry to their first-choice schools in the 11+ & 13+ entrance exams, and also achieve top grades in the GCSEs & IGCSEs.
See my testimonials for numerous success stories. I previously taught through First Tutors for 15 years, receiving 70 positive reviews.
I am highly knowledgeable about the many different exam formats at all levels, and my tuition has been extremely successful in helping students achieve their target grades and above in their GCSEs & IGCSEs, with many seeing dramatic improvements, jumping from grade 3 or 4 in the mocks, to 8 or 9 in the final examinations.
The vast majority of the students I tutor for 11+ or 13+ entrance exams are awarded a place (or scholarship) at their preferred school, including Westminster, St Paul’s, King’s College School, North London Collegiate, City of London, Sevenoaks, Haberdashers’, Queen Elizabeth’s, Henrietta Barnett, Perse School Cambridge, Hampton, Merchant Taylors’, Latymer, St Helen’s, Watford Grammar, John Lyon, and Eltham.
I myself received scholarship places at Haberdashers’, John Lyon and Merchant Taylors’ (which I attended for seven years).
Please refer to the many parent testimonials at the foot of my profile to see how happy everyone has been with the quality of my tutoring and the outstanding results achieved.
To help my students succeed in their entrance examinations and GCSEs, I teach them how to do the following:
Comprehension (11+/13+/GCSE)
• Retrieve relevant information from a passage
• Write clear and fully-developed answers to comprehension questions
• Assess how much information is needed to gain the marks for each question
• Recognise and express the nuances of a writer’s language choices
• Learn to work under timed conditions
Writing Tasks (11+/13+/GCSE)
• Understand how to use a wide variety of literary techniques in creative writing
• Fully develop characters and settings in a detailed and realistic way
• Use advanced punctuation and sentence forms in all writing
• Handle a variety of writing formats (narrative, descriptive, letter, article etc.)
• Appreciate the value of careful checking
Multiple Choice Examinations (11+/13+)
• Approach multiple choice papers the right way and avoid the pitfalls
• Match answers to the text so as to avoid a hasty, incorrect answer
• Successfully complete all styles of verbal reasoning questions
• Practise cloze & shuffled sentences tasks
• Be aware of frequently-used punctuation and spelling errors
I also conduct mock interviews with students where I prepare them for the wide range of questions they may be asked, and also show them how to express themselves in a natural and engaging manner.
Tutoring Experience
I have 20 years of experience in teaching, which I began at Harrow College, and I hold the following qualifications:
Level 5 Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 3 (Bachelor's degree level)
Level 4 Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists
Level 4 Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) (Grade A)
Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment in Further Education
I also have Enhanced Disclosure (a police check that confirms I do not have a criminal record of any kind).
I am a native English speaker, and throughout my career as a teacher, I have taught students of many different nationalities at all levels, ranging from primary to adult.
Tutoring Approach
My role as an English tutor involves careful assessment of each student and the adaptation of my lessons accordingly. I like to take a structured and logical approach, breaking things down so they are easy to understand, and then building them back up again. I find this method to be highly effective with learners of all levels.
I take the time to develop a rapport with my students and boost their confidence in their own abilities so that they gain the autonomy they will need to succeed. Through the use of careful questioning during the lessons, I help them understand that they can find the answers and produce high-quality work themselves (rather than always needing to be told what to do). As students come to realise their full potential, a real change can come about where they strive to do well independently of outside help.
When I start with a new student, I use an array of materials to assess vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing skills. I then approach each lesson on a week-by-week basis, addressing areas of weakness as they arise, while following a general plan based on my initial assessment. My teaching style is very fluid, as I do not believe in following a set course that may suit one student but not another.
During the lessons, I use actual past exam materials as much as possible (supported by additional worksheets), so that students are able to become comfortable with their exam format and fully understand what is expected of them. I also like to pitch the material slightly higher than the student's ability, as it encourages them to push themselves further, and not remain stuck at a particular level.
Please note
Lessons are all year round, including the summer holidays (allowing 1-2 weeks for vacations), with a four-week break over the Christmas period.
Subjects & pricing
Languages
- English Native
- French Conversational
Qualifications
Higher education
- BEd Education · University of Cambridge · Distinction · 2006 University of Cambridge · Distinction · 2006
Teaching qualification
- CELTA English · University of Cambridge · Pass A · 2005 University of Cambridge · Pass A · 2005
- Level 4 Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists · University of Cambridge · Pass with Distinction · 2006 University of Cambridge · Pass with Distinction · 2006
- Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment in Further Education · Education & Training Foundation · CPD · 2015 Education & Training Foundation · CPD · 2015
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
Imported from David's First Tutors profile before the site went dark. Shown separately from Tutorperch reviews — today they don't feed this tutor's Tutorperch rating or ranking.
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The review text is the original reviewer's own words, quoted as-is. We verified the tutor's ownership of the profile, not the truth of what each individual reviewer wrote.
- imported from First Tutors
Nehal
David is an excellent teacher who always believes in the student regardless of their ability. I would using David again for my youngest child in the foreseeable future.
David replied
I very much enjoyed working with your son and look forward to seeing an excellent result in January!
- imported from First Tutors
Billy
His teaching was very straight to the point, which I found really helpful given that I had limited tutoring time with him. Would recommend!
David replied
Thank you for your feedback! You've worked really hard and covered so much ground in a short space of time. I am sure you will meet or exceed your target grade in the upcoming exams!
- imported from First Tutors
Ruth
David while pleasant was not suitable for my child as very much exam performance focussed.
David replied
Thank you for your feedback - I wish your daughter the very best for the future!
- imported from First Tutors
Roxana
David has been an excellent tutor for my daughter. His lessons are well-structured and tailored to her needs, helping her improve both her understanding of the subject and her ability to approach it with more clarity. He takes the time to explain challenging concepts clearly and always provides constructive, actionable feedback. My daughter enjoys the sessions and has become more engaged with her studies. David’s thoughtful and positive approach has made a real difference, and I would highly recommend him!
David replied
I’m really glad to hear that your daughter is benefiting from the lessons - it’s been great to see her tackle challenging concepts and become more involved with her studies. She’s making excellent progress!
- imported from First Tutors
Aaron
David has been an outstanding tutor for my son in the lead-up to his GCSE English exams. In just a short space of time, he's helped transform both my son's confidence and ability, particularly in English Language, where he had been struggling. The improvement has been dramatic. My son now understands how to approach each style of exam question properly, and he's approaching his GCSEs feeling prepared, capable, and even optimistic - something I couldn't have imagined a few months ago. David’s teaching has made all the difference!
David replied
Working with your son is a pleasure, and with his hard work and commitment during our sessions, I’m confident he'll perform strongly in his English GCSEs.
- imported from First Tutors
Jyotsna
David has been tutoring my 12 year old for more than a couple of months now. David with his engaging lessons , great sense of humor and preparatory course material that is provided in advance has really helped my son with his confidence in English writing. His attention to detail weather it is a missing full stop , a spelling mistake or even upscaling a simple word to sound better, David brings these little but very important details to my son's attention every time he writes a piece stirring him in the right direction. A good experienced tutor and would definitely recommend him .
David replied
Thank you so much for your feedback!
- imported from First Tutors
David
If you want a serious professional who can lift a student immediately, who knows the board requirements for doing well, and who can tailor tuition to the precise needs of the kid, then David is the man. My son is bright, but he was not well taught in English. David turned it all around within a matter of weeks and set him on track to a great grade. Don't mess around - go with David. Highly recommend.
David replied
It has been a real pleasure to teach your son, and I am expecting him to achieve a high grade in the upcoming exams!
- imported from First Tutors
Julie
David has been a fantastic tutor to my son over the last few weeks as he prepares for GCSE's this year. After a disappointing result in mock exams in February we contacted David through First Tutors. From the first session my son felt very comfortable working with David and has improved significantly since then. He looks forward to his sessions and is feeling much more confident and prepared. I would highly recommend David to others, he is easy to contact and communicate with and clearly has deep knowledge of how to respond to GCSE exam questions which he shares in a really accessible manner.
David replied
Thank you for your feedback - your son has progressed extremely well in a short space of time, and I feel confident that he will perform well in the upcoming exams
- imported from First Tutors
Demi
David is a professional tutor with lots of teaching experience and knowledge.
David replied
Thank you for your feedback!
- imported from First Tutors
Tanya
David is really experienced for group interview. His teaching is effective and skillful. I would repeat if needed.
David replied
Thank you for your feedback - I am very happy to hear that the practice had a positive impact, and I am confident that the interview will go well!
- imported from First Tutors
Pavan
David is been tutoring my son who is in year 5 since last month or so. I would recommend David. Brilliant person, very positive, attention to detail and most of all my son enjoyed each of his lesson who is not a big literacy fan!
David replied
Thank you very much for the kind feedback – I’m enjoying the lessons as well and feel very positive about Megh’s future success in the exams!
- imported from First Tutors
Mandy
David has been a very reliable and helpful English tutor to my 14yr old son .He has given my son confidence and my son has said he is very approachable and patient . We will definately use him again and would highly recommend him.
David replied
Gabriel has been a pleasure to work with and I'm confident that he will do well in his English exams.
- imported from First Tutors
Neil
David has been teaching our son since last September to help him prepare for his 11+ exams. Alex really looks forward to his sessions each week and gets on with him so well. We can see a big improvement with his verbal reasoning skills and in the way he approaches his work. David has a very pleasant and easy manner, he is organised and thorough. We would highly recommend David and look forward to having him teach our number two son !
David replied
Thank you for your feedback - Alex is great to work with and I'm confident that he will do very well!
- imported from First Tutors
Thushari
David has been teaching my daughter for the past 12 months where he focused mainly on writing and comprehension skills for 11+. He has also supported her on some VR areas when we requested to support few weak points. My daughter absolutely adore David and really looks forward to the session each week. He is a great tutor and can see a big improvement in my daughter's writing and comprehension skills which we couldn't have done without David's support. I am hoping that the forthcoming 11+ exams will prove this . I highly recommend David.
David replied
Thank you for your kind feedback - I very much enjoy the sessions and am sure we will see excellent results in the exams! Update - I am thrilled that your daughter was awarded a place at Watford Grammar!
- imported from First Tutors
Ioannis
David is an excellent tutor and, with his help, my son was awarded places at all the schools he applied for (we are thrilled that he will be starting at Haberdashers soon!). David has a very pleasant manner and is very easy to get along with, and my son thoroughly enjoys his lessons! He is also very organised and extremely knowledgeable about his subject. I would not hesitate in recommending him as a tutor and am very grateful for all the help he has given my son.
David replied
Thank you for the feedback - I am very happy with the results too!
- imported from First Tutors
Angela
David has been working with my son for a number of weeks and they get on well. My son feels he's making good progress and understands David's clear teaching methods on how to achieve the grades he's capable of. David is always on time - great communication & knowledge on the new GCSE exams in English **Telephone Number Removed** wards. Thanks
David replied
Thank you! Liam is progressing very well and I am confident that he will do very well in his exams next year.
- imported from First Tutors
Paresh
David has been tutoring our daughter for a few weeks now. The two of them seemed to have clicked and we can already see progress. David has an organised style of working and is very thorough. He is also friendly and our daughter enjoys her sessions with him.
David replied
Thank you for you kind feedback - I am enjoying the sessions too and am expecting great results! Update - I am so happy that your daughter was awarded places at all the schools she applied for and will be attending North London Collegiate School in September. All the hard work certainly paid off!
- imported from First Tutors
Romana
David is an excellent tutor. He helped my daughter get into all top schools including St Paul's, NLCS and Haberdasher's. He is a cheerful and happy person and his lessons are very enjoyable. I would highly recommend him.
David replied
Thank you very much - the lessons have been a real pleasure and I'm delighted that your daughter will be attending North London Collegiate School in September!
- imported from First Tutors
Jyoti
My daughter has really connected with her tutor and is making very good progress
David replied
Thank you - Maya is a pleasure to work with and I am sure she will do very well in her exams! Update - I am very happy that Maya achieved A-grade in both English Language & English Literature!
- imported from First Tutors
Preeti
David is a good teacher, my children eagerly wait for their turn.
David replied
Ahan and Adrika both make the sessions very enjoyable and they are progressing extremely well.