Biology tutor & more · Bath and North East Somerset
Fiona G.
Over 13 years experience of tutoring A-level, GCSE and IGCSE biology and chemistry in person and online
Biology tutor & more · Bath and North East Somerset
Over 13 years experience of tutoring A-level, GCSE and IGCSE biology and chemistry in person and online
About
My Personal Description
I am an experienced biology and chemistry teacher/tutor who has loved science since starting to study it at secondary school and I thoroughly enjoy helping people understand these subjects and to achieve their full potential in their exams. I taught in Oxfordshire for 12 years, including being Head of Biology for 6 years, and then tutored full time for 5 years before moving to south Bath at the end of 2017, where I have continued tutoring in person and also online via Zoom. I enjoy teaching and tutoring science at all levels and it is wonderful when a student understands something for the first time or simply becomes more confident in their own understanding, wants to learn more and can achieve their goals in the subject.
My Tutoring Experience
I have been a full time tutor since January 2013 and have successfully tutored biology and chemistry for GCSE (most exam boards and for both Double and Triple award), IGCSE (Cambridge and Edexcel), A-level (most exam boards including international specifications) and European Baccalaureate exams with my students making excellent progress in their overall understanding, gaining confidence in their abilities and their exam results showing improvement. With many students I have also given advice on revision techniques, time management, stress management, subject choices and university applications as I see my role as more than tutoring the subject for the exams, as other factors can have an important impact on their success. I am comfortable and experienced with tutoring at the parental home, at my home and online. I have been a qualified teacher for over 25 years, teaching science at KS3, chemistry at GCSE and AS-level and biology at GCSE and A-level in state schools.
My Tutoring Approach
Tutorials will take an individual approach based on the student’s needs and learning styles and there will be regular discussions with the student and their parents on what the student needs to achieve their goals. My aim is for the student to enjoy their learning so that their understanding of the subject improves to give them the confidence they need to meet their full potential in their exams. I cover subject knowledge, concepts, study skills, revision skills and exam techniques, and monitor their progress throughout lessons. I prepare each session so that the activities suit the individual tutee and the syllabus that they are studying. I have packs of prepared worksheets for most chemistry and biology A-level and GCSE specifications and prepare more when required as well as access to many exam questions. I like to give regular homeworks, especially at A-level, as this allows more accurate monitoring of their progress and allows independent written work to be assessed and improved on.
Subjects & pricing
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- BSc (Hons) Biochemistry Certificate checked · University of Edinburgh · 2:1 (Upper second) · 1994 University of Edinburgh · 2:1 (Upper second) · 1994 Certificate checked
Teaching qualification
- PGCE Certificate checked · University of Cambridge · Pass · 2000 University of Cambridge · Pass · 2000 Certificate checked
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
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- Aug 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Thank you Fiona for tutoring Hattie in her Chemistry A level. Your considerate and generous approach gave Hattie the skills and confidence she needed to tackle some of the trickiest aspects of the course content , and your guidance on her study approach really helped during revision. She was delighted to achieve a B !
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. Hattie was wonderful to work with, hence many of our tutorials overrunning every week, and I was so happy to hear that she achieved the B grade and gained entry to her university course of choice. I wish her all the best in her future studies.
- Jul 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona tutored my daughter for just under a year for A-Level Biology. Fiona was very helpful and is very knowledgeable concerning the A-Level Biology curriculum. She has a large array of resources which helped to further my daughter's understanding of the course content. Fiona provided detailed and informative feedback on my daughter's homework and is brilliant at explaining difficult aspects of the course in a clear way. Fiona challenged and pushed my daughter in her preparation for both her mocks and final exams and always took a keen interest in her progress. I would thoroughly recommend Fiona.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your kind words Angela. Your daughter was fantastic to work with and I wish her all the best for the future.
- Nov 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Excellent communication with lots of advice and help for me (the parent). Homework is marked and feedback provided each time. Son is enjoying his lessons.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. I am glad your son is enjoying the tutorials; I am too and I hope that by us working as a team he can achieve his true potential in his GCSEs.
- Aug 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona was a good tutor, very engaging, positive and encouraging. Fiona created a structured learning environment with regular feedback on the homework set. Our daughter enjoyed learning with Fiona, which kept her committed to the sessions and definitely improved her grade.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your kind words Glyn. I enjoyed working with your daughter as she was engaged and organised with her work and willing to improve. I am so pleased with her final A-level result - a big improvement from where she was this time last year. Thank you again.
- Aug 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is an extremely dedicated tutor who has immensely helped me with A-Level biology. The resources she provides have been tailored to tick all the boxes for the content you must know. I feel far more relieved (although still nervous) going into year 13 as Fiona has an extensive knowledge on Biology and teaching.This has been able to provide me with relevant context which helps improve and further my understanding in my biology specification. As well as being very capable as a teacher, I am grateful for Fiona as she continues to create a very comfortable, judgement free learning environment where I am not scared of asking questions. Thank you for making Biology a subject I thoroughly enjoy!
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much Sana for your wonderful feedback. You are lovely to tutor as you are a hard working and dedicated student who wants to understand the biology as well as achieve excellent results. I look forward to working with you over the next year.
- Oct 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is being very supportive to my son. She is also always well prepared and can spot easily a student's weaknesses. Thank you Fiona for all your help!
Fiona G. replied
Thank you for your kind words Sarah. It is a pleasure to tutor your son, who is proactive and willing to work hard and to improve. Thank you for hiring me!
- Sept 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona was instantly reassuring, gave Arthur confidence, after only 2 lessons he has already learnt a lot. Very helpful, reliable, I would recommend her as a tutor.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much Anna for your lovely feedback. I look forward to continuing to help Arthur.
- Aug 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is very professional and was great at providing feedback on work completed every week. She is very committed to the person's progression in their subject.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your kind words. It was great to work with you this year and see you work hard and make such good progress.
- Jul 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona creates a comfortable environment for my daughter and makes sure that lessons are personalised to work on her weaknesses. Fiona's homework helped my daughter a lot as it was marked thoroughly and all mistakes were discussed, which helped her improve her biology. My daughter has really enjoyed working with Fiona.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your kind words. Your daughter was great to work with and I look forward to working with her again in the future.
- Jul 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Delighted with Fiona and grateful to have found her at such a critical time in our daughters A level biology studies. Fiona connected well with her, built her confidence and has a great teaching style . She clearly knows her topic inside out and covered all aspects of the curriculum to get her exam ready. Would definitely recommend to others.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much Amanda for your kind words. Your daughter was a wonderful student to work with and I wish her all the best in her future studies.
- Sept 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is a well prepared, highly experienced, knowledgeable and thoughtful tutor. She was able to explain things in a way that our daughter clearly understood and found accessible. This gave our daughter the extra one-to-one help, subject understanding and self confidence she needed to gain an 'A' in Biology and get into Liverpool University Vet School. We are very grateful to Fiona for her help and very pleased we found her! Thank you Fiona!
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much Tina for your lovely feedback. Your daughter was a great student to work with and I was so happy to hear of her fantastic result and that she got into vet school. I wish her, and you, all the best for the future.
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
If you are looking for a tutor, look no further; Fiona is absolutely outstanding in every way. She has helped my son prepare for his A-level chemistry exams and his marks have been consistently one to two grades higher than they were before she took him on as a student. She is an excellent teacher and is able to break down difficult concepts in manageable chunks. She is highly organised - she prepares for each tutoring session thoroughly, assigns relevant homework and marks it and sends it back in time for the next session. She was brilliant at keeping us informed about our son's progress. She is honest about where the areas for improvement are, but always encouraging when our son was struggling. She is also extremely kind and patient to boot. Our son now has four offers to study medicine, and there is no way my son could have achieved this without her help. Highly, highly recommend.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your very kind feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed tutoring your son and it was great to see him improve his understanding, memory and ability to answer exam questions in chemistry. I really hope he achieves the grades he needs to start his preferred medical degree course and I wish him all the best for the future.
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona has offered excellent support to our Y13 Biology A-Level student, helping him progress in knowledge and confidence and giving him time to catch up on missed content following teacher absences at school. The comprehensive homework and regular feedback has been invaluable in extending understanding. Fiona has made the sessions highly relevant, focused and enjoyable. Flexibility around face to face or on occasion, online sessions has also been appreciated. Many thanks
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your kind comments. It was so good to see your student improve and to help him with material missed due to teacher absence. He worked hard for me and I hope he achieves what he needs to get into his university course of choice. Thank you for the tutoring work over the last academic year and I wish you and your son all the best.
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona has provided invaluable support to our daughter in preparing for her A-level Biology through both face to face and online tuition sessions. Fiona's personable yet professional approach enabled our daughter to grow in confidence and improve her understanding of the subject area. I would not hesitate to recommend her.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you for your kind words. It was lovely to tutor your daughter - she was motivated to improve and worked hard during the academic year and I hope that her exam results show the improvements she made in her biology. I wish her all the best for the future.
- Jun 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona has been an invaluable support for my son through his A Level Biology final year; he has found the sessions incredible useful as 1-1 personal tuition to supplement learning from the regular 6th form group lessons over the academic year. Through the mock exams and the final A Level exams themselves, having the 1-1 sessions has been an enormous support for revision, practice questions discussion and having that expert support has I think been a big boost for his confidence too. We can't thank Fiona enough for helping our son do his very best this year.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Jo. I enjoyed tutoring your son, especially seeing him grow in confidence as his knowledge and understanding of the biology improved alongside his ability to answer exam questions. I'm sure he will have done his best in his exams and I wish him all the best for his university course.
- Aug 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is providing a very good level of support and guidance for my son. I am very happy that she is his tutor.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you Janet for your kind words. I look forward to supporting your son during the academic year.
- Jun 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona has been wonderful with Tutoring my son A level Biology . She really “got” him and understood how learning during CoVid was difficult. Lessons were well structured and Fiona managed to cover the whole syllabus filled with great tips - no mean feat. My sons skills rapidly improved, quickly followed by confidence and enjoyment. It was lovely to hear them chatting away on the odd occasion I over-heard. Truly exceptional teaching and we are very grateful for her support and dedication. We couldn’t recommend Fiona highly enough
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your lovely kind words Lisa. It was wonderful to see your son improve and respond so well to the tutoring and I enjoyed our tutorials too. I hope it results in him achieving his potential in his Biology A-level and gaining entry to his university of choice. Thank you again.
- May 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
I can’t rate Fiona highly enough as a tutor. Before lockdown I was struggling with my A-Level Biology and was predicted a U. With Fiona’s help and support I have now been predicted a C. I felt very comfortable and at ease with Fiona and enjoyed her way of teaching. She took into consideration my dyslexia and tailored lessons to focus on the areas in which I needed to improve most. Which in turn helped to build on my confidence and enjoyment of the subject.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for this kind feedback. You were a wonderful student to work with. You worked hard and listened to and followed the advice and knew the areas that required work. So well done and all the best for your future.
- Jul 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
Fiona is very focused on doing all she can to support our son with his IB Diploma Higher in biology. She's committed, clearly wants to know how best to support him and gives detailed feedback. She's also incredibly reliable and professional. I warmly recommend her.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you Susanne for your lovely feedback.
- Apr 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
A First Tutors client
My daughter has really enjoyed her tutor sessions with Fiona. She was made to feel very comfortable and gained confidence and determination to do well in her exams. She says that her homework was well discussed and her lessons clearly and effectively structured. We saw a steady progress in regards to grades and felt that our daughter still had more to give in exams… if only.
Fiona G. replied
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed tutoring your daughter as she was great to work with and it was wonderful to see her improve so much in motivation, ability and confidence with her chemistry studies. I wish her and all of you all the best during these difficult times.