Maria

Tutoring Experience

My main areas of research in my final year were Middle English and 20th century science fiction. I completed two dissertations: the first on the use of religious texts in 13th century midwifery, and the second on posthumanism in the work of Brian Aldiss. I am extremely passionate about these two subject areas and particularly enjoy working with A Level students who study either Chaucer or Science and Society units.

I have been working as a tutor since 2017. At the beginning of my tutoring career, I gave in-person sessions at students' homes in London. In the last few years, I have transitioned to online learning in order to work with a larger and wider range of students in the UK and beyond. Since completing my Cambridge degree, I have begun to offer coaching for the ELAT exam and Oxbridge interviews.

Tutoring Approach

I am familiar with working one-to-one with GCSE and A Level students to develop their essay writing and analytical skills.

In a first meeting, I will begin by discussing the student's goals and outlining any queries on concerns about their syllabus. They will show me some of their previous work, and we will come up with a study plan together, reviewing this every few weeks. A typical weekly session might involve developing a school essay, brainstorming comparisons between key texts, or working through the structural elements of essay writing.

I like to use a visual model to help students work logically through the essay process. However, I understand that different learning methods work better for different people, and I will always tailor my teaching approach to the preferences and skill level of the student.

As a general rule, I am confident teaching the core GCSE and A Level texts, as well as unseen poetry. In the case that I am unfamiliar with a set text, I will read it and surrounding critical work before approaching it with the student.