Dr Catherine

English Tutor with PhD & 20 Years Experience, Former A-level English Examiner

Online 20 yrs Joined May 2026

About

With 20 years of tutoring experience, I hold a PhD, Masters, and First Class Degree in English from UCL (Dean's List, English Dept Medal, Faculty Medal) and came top of my year. I was also an A-Level specialist examiner for one of the major examining boards for five years and am a former fellow at UCL, ranked among the top 10 universities globally.

- 20 years of private tutoring experience preparing students for their examinations and elevating grades.

- Every year I have a number of students successfully achieve Oxbridge entrance, with 99% of students also placing at Russell Group universities.

- I am well-versed in all the major examination boards and their current requirements (OCR, Edexcel, AQA).

- I currently lecture on two Masters programmes but tutor privately in my spare time.

- I am very flexible and able to offer online sessions both during the day and in after-school hours.

- Although I have lectured at some of the UK's top institutions, I have a down to earth approach to my tutoring sessions and enjoy sharing my passion for literature with be students.

- I make good use of past papers and exemplars in my sessions, and as a former A-level examiner I am well-versed in elevating grades and helping students to achieve their full potential and meet their UCAS offer grades.

- I have worked privately as a tutor alongside my academic posts since completing my PhD and enjoy helping my students to achieve their academic goals. I pride myself in the excellent rapport I have with my students and families, with many working with me across both their school and university studies.

- I craft a curriculum specifically designed for each student's needs and progress, with no one-size-fits-all-approach. This is bespoke tutoring at the highest level, informed by my decades of experience as a tutor and lecturer.

- I offer a variety of locked exam papers and sample responses to enhance exam preparation. As a former examiner with a keen eye for knowing what it takes to get a the highest grades, I make sure to provide tips and tricks, and revision notes to help attain your grade ambitions.

- I teach exclusively online to create a focused environment for our sessions.

- I blend exam practice, close text reading, theme exploration, and feedback in every session, ensuring an enjoyable and innovative learning experience.

- I provide guidance and support for upcoming exams and interviews to enhance students' chances of securing positions in prestigious Russell Group Universities and Oxbridge

Subjects & pricing

English

£80/hr

  • GCSEAQA · Cambridge · Edexcel · OCR
  • A-levelAQA · Edexcel · OCR
  • University
  • GCSEAQA · Cambridge · Edexcel · OCR
  • A-levelAQA · Edexcel · OCR
  • University, Postgraduate

Languages

  • English Native

Qualifications

Higher education

  • PhD English Literature UCL · PhD · 2008
  • MA English Literature UCL · Distinction · 2004
  • BA (Hons) English Literature UCL · First-class (1st) · 2003

Reviews from Tutorperch

No Tutorperch reviews yet. Students can leave a verified review here after a lesson.

Reviews from First Tutors

5.0 across 10 reviews

Imported from Dr Catherine'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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  • Simon

    imported from First Tutors

    Outstanding, has completely engaged with my son who is now asking for more books to read!

    Dr Catherine replied

    Many thanks Simon. A pleasure to be able to help.

  • Adnan

    imported from First Tutors

    Brilliant tutor! Exceptional tutoring skills, perfect explanations. Has helped improve grades drastically, definitely recommend!

    Dr Catherine replied

    Many thanks Adnan. A pleasure to work with your daughter.

  • Mala

    imported from First Tutors

    Catherine is a highly qualified and experienced tutor who puts in alot of thought into how she plans and presents her lessons. Her lessons are very engaging and extremely useful as she provides tips and pointers in regards analysing and presentimg information in relation to my daughters English writing. She is patient, flexible and always encourages my daughter to do her best. My daugher throughly enjoys working with Catherine and has beome more confident in her English A-Level in a short space of time. I would highly recommend Catherine.

    Dr Catherine replied

    Thank you Mala. It's been a pleasure to work with your daughter and wishing her all the best for her exams.

  • Henry

    imported from First Tutors

    Catherine’s tutoring approach is first class. With her professional knowledge and experience in teaching the subject, she is able to identify weaknesses of individual student quickly and to provide precise and effective guidance and encouragement for helping student to improve. Not only that she has a sharp focus on my daughter’s academic needs, Catherine also understands parents’ perspective. I am very grateful for her professional attitude and for keeping us informed of the progress at the appropriate stages. My daughter enjoys Catherine’s tutorials very much and she is gaining insight and confidence in the subject within a short period of time. Despite Catherine’s busy schedule, she is always prepared to give support to my daughter. A great professional. I would highly recommend Catherine.

  • Sandra

    imported from First Tutors

    Olivia is really enjoying the lessons with you and finding your advice and tips very helpful. Many thanks. Sandra and John Borns

  • Neil

    imported from First Tutors

    Experience invaluable in working to make the difference from an A grade to an A* and provides that additional insight when analysing submitted works.

  • Vijitha

    imported from First Tutors

    Catherine is very knowledgable and has a clear understanding about my daughter’s weaknesses and comes up with a solution quickly on how to tackle it. I have seen improvements in my daughter’s work in 3 weeks.

  • Lucja

    imported from First Tutors

    Catherine was an excellent tutor of English. My son was happy about the lessons but it wasn't happened with different English teacher which he had before. I believe feedback from your child is very important. Was highly competent and knowledgeable about all aspects of GSCE exam and very organised. I think her teaching style was very effective as she helped my son re-take English GSCE exam in very short time (3 months). Highly recommend. Thank you :)

  • Laura

    imported from First Tutors

    Catherine is not only incredibly experienced but she is sensitive to the individual needs of her student. Couldn't have found a more caring tutor for my son.

  • Diane

    imported from First Tutors

    Hi Catherine - I think this feedback is coming directly to you. I'm very pleased indeed with the way you have quickly established rapport with Ben and he is genuinely enthusiastic and wants to do well - which he wasn't before he met you! I think that expressing himself through writing doesn't come easily to him and so it will take time. You've already helped him a lot though through breaking down what he needs to do and how to work on things. Thank you Diane