Tutor Profile

Joanna

Private English and English Literature Tutor in London

20+ years of global teaching experience, with an extensive background in UK education (including HE) and international schools. I am a GCSE examiner with a first class in English and Politics - I love English and I want you to love it too! I am passionate about enabling everyone to reach their potential. I specialise in KS3; GCSE/iGCSE English Language and Literature; adults who are returning to education after a break; academic skills for Higher Education; and students who are learning English as a second language.

I have a PGCE and I became CELTA qualified, graded Outstanding in all areas, in 2014. I also have an Understanding Dyslexia qualification. This is a particular area of interest to me and I have taught many dyslexic students who have successfully achieved their qualifications. I teach a wide range of exam syllabuses which include: AQA, Cambridge, Edexcel, Eduqas and OCR.

Teaching Experience

I have been tutoring online (in addition to my classroom teaching) since 2016 and have helped hundres of students achieve at least their target grade, often 2+ grades higher. I really enjoy what I do and I aim to build confidence and study skills, alongside qualifications. I always assess a student's skills and identify areas of strength, as well as key areas for development.

GCSE student feedback examples from AQA English Lit & Lang, Y11 students. Each student received 1 hour's weekly Zoom tuition for 1 academic year (references available):

'Before Joanna started helping me with my English I was set to fail my English GCSEs, but with her help she helped me become more confident in myself and my abilities with English. She is a lovely, kind, funny person and her teaching methods definitely helped me to get passes in both English literature and language. I honestly couldn’t be more grateful for help and her patience in getting me through some very tough months.'

‘I finished bottom of my English class at the end of year 10 and Joanna helped me turn things around by moving up 6 entire grades and surpassing most of the other students in my class. Joanna's friendly, knowledgeable approach to tuition has really helped me this year and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone.’

'Before Joanna I lacked confidence in my English abilities and I was predicted a grade 6. However, Joanna really turned things around for me and I received two 8s in my English GCSEs. I would strongly recommend Joanna as she helped me to feel exceptionally prepared for my exams and I looked forward to her sessions every week.'

Tutoring Approach

I offer a free consultation where we can see if I'm the right fit. All my lessons are bespoke and tailored to individual needs. We will work together to ensure that you gain skills, confidence and (hopefully) love for the subject.

I teach Mondays to Fridays. I can offer tuition sessions of one, two or three hours on a regular basis.

Intensive lessons during the holidays or exam revision is also possible, on request. I can deliver a bespoke course if you would like; please be aware the price is dependent on what you require.

If you would like a quicker response, please let me know:

-the education stage you are enquiring about i.e. Year 10 -the exam board you are studying and set texts -why you are interested in arranging English tutoring -how often you would like lessons -when you are available

Qualifications

CELTA

Professional · University of Cambridge · A · 2014

PgCert Understanding Dyslexia

PGCert · London Southbank University · Pass · 2009

PGCE

PGCE · University of Greenwich · 2007

BA Honours English Literature & Politics

Bachelors · University of York · 1st · 2003

Reviews

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First Tutors

Joanna has been an excellent tutor for my son over the 2024-25 academic year. As a foreign student preparing for his English GCSE, he faced many challenges, but Joanne’s patience, skill, and ability to connect with young learners made all the difference. She helped him gain confidence and real progress in a non-native language. I highly recommend her.

Tutor response

Thank you so much. He was an absolute pleasure to teach and I looked forward to our lessons. I wish him so much success with his new course; he should be extremely proud of his achievements.

First Tutors

I cannot recommend Joanna enough. My Grandson had lost a significant amount of schooling due to an illness and in his mocks he did so badly that we thought he was going to have to do the whole year again. At the last minute Joanna found time in her busy schedule to tutor him in Language and Literature. She was able to give him confidence to feel that he could get his GCSEs in these subjects and she was able to give him the relevant skills to approach his exams in a competent manner. In addition, because she was so encouraging, it enabled him to have belief in himself and this has led to him being able to approach the other humanities subjects with more rigour and confidence. He is just finishing his examinations at present but we all feel he will do much better due to Joanna's intervention.

Tutor response

Thank you so much for the feedback. I have really enjoyed working with him and I wish him so much success in his next steps.

First Tutors

Joanna is an excellent tutor, she explains topics clearly and concisely, always showing remarkable patience.She is exceptionally kind and consistently offers thoughtful, constructive feedback to help improve my answers.Her guidance has been incredibly helpful and would highly recommend her to anyone seeking support with their English GCSE. Theo

Tutor response

Thank you so much Theo. It's been a pleasure working with you and I'm confident the hard work will pay off.

First Tutors

Joanna is very professional tutor. She is very flexible to the students' needs and can adopt a programme for the specific requirements. She is kind and patients when our child is late for a few minutes. We started out learning process with her not so long time ago, but hope we can continue till the end of school year!

Tutor response

Thank you so much. I'm enjoying teaching her and I look forward to helping her develop her skills this academic year.

First Tutors

Joanna is an excellent teacher. She has been teaching my son for a few months, and I’ve already noticed great progress. She’s always well-prepared and provides useful resources. Her exam tips and writing techniques have really boosted my son’s confidence and skills. Since starting lessons with Joanna, his improvement has been remarkable. My son really enjoys her lessons and feels more confident now in preparation for his exams. I highly recommend Joanna.

Tutor response

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. He's hardworking and bright, and I'm really enjoying working with him.

View all of Joanna's reviews