Tom W.

A Level Biology Specialist | One-to-One & Small-Group Tuition

I specialise exclusively in A Level Biology. I have 30 years' experience teaching A Level Biology full time, giving me an exceptional depth of subject knowledge and an extensive understanding of the skills students need to achieve the highest grades.

I teach AQA and OCR A through both one-to-one tuition and small, exam-board-specific group classes. I also teach one to one Edexcel SNAB and CIE.

I taught at a top sixth form college throughout my teaching career. My Biology department was graded Grade 1, as were my own lessons in the most recent OFSTED inspections. My classes achieved results in the top 1% of A Level Biology sixth-form college classes nationally for value-added performance.

My students have achieved exceptional results. I have helped students progress from D grades in their Lower Sixth exams to A at A Level, and from C to A*. Many students have achieved full marks in examination papers, while others have gone on to achieve their goal of studying Medicine or Dentistry.

Over the years I have also tutored students from many of the UK's leading independent schools, grammar schools and sixth-form colleges, including:

Eton College, Cheltenham Ladies' College, St Swithun's, Rugby School, Wycombe Abbey, Winchester College, Benenden School, St Paul's School for Girls, Kingston Grammar School, St Peter's York, Eastbourne College, St Mary's Calne, Brentwood School, Whitgift School, Oundle School, Downe House, UCS Hampstead, Bradfield College, St Benedict's Ealing, Concord College, Emanuel School, King Edward's Southampton, Royal Grammar School Guildford, Reading School, Kingswood School, Eltham College, Harris Sixth Form, Barton Peveril, Alton College, Portsmouth Grammar School, Godolphins, Chesham Grammar, Cardiff Sixth Form Centre, Collingham College, Duff Miller Tutorial College and The John Lyon School.

I have also taught students from international schools, including the New English School in Kuwait and Leysin American School in Switzerland.

My Approach to A Level Biology

A Level Biology can be an extremely challenging subject. There is a huge amount of content to understand, and modern examination questions test much more than factual recall.

My aim is to ensure that students understand why and how biological processes occur, rather than simply trying to memorise them.

Once a topic has been thoroughly explained, I use relevant past-paper questions to develop the skills needed to apply that knowledge. We look carefully at what each question is actually asking, how it relates to the underlying Biology, what the examiner is looking for and how to construct an answer that earns full marks.

This combination of deep subject understanding and rigorous exam practice is at the heart of my teaching.

One-to-One & Small-Group Tuition

I offer two complementary ways for students to work with me.

One-to-one tuition provides completely personalised support. Lessons can be tailored to a student's individual weaknesses, whether they need help understanding difficult topics, improving their exam technique, catching up with missed work or pushing towards the very highest grades.

Alongside this, I run weekly small-group classes, organised by exam board and year group. These are interactive classes rather than large online lectures. There is extensive exam practice, detailed analysis of questions and mark schemes, and plenty of opportunity for students to ask questions and discuss difficult concepts.

The weekly classes run throughout the academic year, from September to June, providing students with structured and continuous support rather than relying on last-minute revision.

Students can choose the option that suits them best, or combine group tuition with one-to-one lessons when they need additional individual support.

Current Weekly Classes

AQA Year 12 — Tuesday, 5:15 pm
AQA Year 13 — Wednesday, 6:30 pm & Thursday 6:30pm
OCR A Year 12 — Wednesday, 5:15 pm
OCR A Year 13 — Tuesday, 6:30 pm

If you want to try a group class I will discount the lesson by the cost of the tutorperch fee

Expert Online Tuition

I now tutor exclusively online and have delivered over 3,000 hours of online lessons.

I use a professional HD webcam, graphics tablet and interactive online teaching platform, allowing both myself and the student to see and annotate notes, past papers and PowerPoints during lessons.

Online tuition also gives me immediate access to a huge range of exam questions, mark schemes and teaching resources.

Lessons are recorded and shared with students, allowing them to revisit explanations when revising. Before lessons, I can provide notes, videos, questions, animations and PowerPoints so that valuable lesson time can be spent developing understanding and applying knowledge.

Students can also contact me via WhatsApp outside lessons if they are stuck on a question or need help with additional work.

My goal is not simply to help students get a better grade. It is to give them the knowledge, understanding, exam technique and confidence to achieve the best result they are capable of.