Suzi

About Me

I am an experienced secondary English teacher and tutor, supporting pupils across the Scottish curriculum, GCSE and International GCSE English.

I work with pupils at a range of levels, including National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher, as well as GCSE and International GCSE English Language and Literature. Each lesson is tailored to the pupil’s course, examination board, current level and individual goals.

Alongside my classroom teaching, I have experience marking national English examinations. This gives me a detailed understanding of assessment standards, common mistakes and what examiners are looking for in successful answers.

I have also been tutoring English for around 16 years and have supported pupils with a wide range of needs, levels and qualifications. Many of my pupils have gone on to achieve excellent results and make significant progress in confidence and skill, although no tutor can guarantee a particular grade. What I can promise is thoughtful, individual support and a clear focus on helping each pupil make the strongest progress they can.

I help pupils develop their knowledge and confidence, as well as the practical skills needed to understand questions, structure their ideas clearly and perform effectively under exam conditions.

I can offer support with:

• English Language and English Literature

• Critical essays and literary analysis

• Poetry, prose and drama

• Unseen texts

• Reading comprehension and analysis

• Close reading and textual analysis

• Creative, persuasive and discursive writing

• Coursework, folio and portfolio writing skills

• Exam technique and timed practice

• Building confidence with reading and writing

My approach is supportive, encouraging and tailored to the individual pupil. English can feel overwhelming when pupils are unsure what a question is asking or how to turn their ideas into a structured answer.

I aim to make these processes clearer by breaking difficult tasks into manageable steps and giving pupils practical strategies they can use independently.

How Tutoring Works

Tutoring takes place online, allowing pupils to learn from home in a familiar and comfortable environment.

Each booked session represents a full hour of personalised tutoring support. This usually includes approximately 30 to 40 minutes of focused, one-to-one online teaching, with the remaining time used for individual preparation, marking, written feedback and setting appropriate follow-up work.

In my experience, this approach is more effective than extending the video call simply to fill an hour. It helps lessons remain focused and purposeful while ensuring that pupils also receive carefully prepared materials and meaningful feedback.

Each session may include:

• A focused live lesson based on the pupil’s current needs

• Personalised examples, notes or practice questions

• Detailed marking and written feedback

• Homework or revision tasks to complete independently

• Planning and preparation for the following lesson

Lessons can be arranged regularly or used for focused support in the run-up to coursework deadlines, assessments and examinations.

Initial Consultation

The first session is usually a little different from subsequent lessons. It gives me the opportunity to learn more about the pupil’s course, current level, confidence, areas of difficulty and individual goals. It also gives us both the chance to see whether we are a good fit.

That fit really matters. Pupils need to feel comfortable asking questions, admitting when they do not understand something and trying ideas without worrying about getting everything right straight away.

The first meeting usually involves quite a lot of conversation and planning, and possibly what feels like a million questions from me! We may discuss recent assessments, classwork, upcoming deadlines, previous experiences of English and the kinds of support the pupil finds most helpful. Where appropriate, I may also look at examples of their work or ask them to complete a short task.

This initial consultation helps me plan future lessons carefully and make sure that the support is focused, relevant and genuinely suited to the individual pupil.

Cost

£35 per session

Where a tutoring platform displays this as an hourly fee, the advertised rate covers a full hour of personalised tutoring support. This includes approximately 30 to 40 minutes of live online teaching, alongside preparation, marking, written feedback and follow-up work completed outside the call.