Ali B.

I am a dedicated Psychology teacher with a Master’s degree in the subject and nine years experience of classroom teaching and private tuition. I am a specialist in the AQA specification, which I have taught extensively, giving me deep subject knowledge in both the core content of papers 1 and 2, and the optional modules of paper 3. Crucially, I have served as an AQA examiner for the past four years (Papers 1, 2 and 3), a role that provides me with an "insider" perspective on marking criteria and the precise requirements for high-level responses. By equipping students with a raft of highly effective study skills, I aim to demystify the process of academic improvement, allowing students to see a high achieving version of themselves they never thought possible. 

In our first session we will review your recent tests, identifying key areas requiring improvement. I will explain the four main ways students most often lose marks: mark scheme understanding, application to stem, reading the question and lack of knowledge. My aim is to show you clearly where and how you are losing marks, and give you exercises and questions designed to stop you losing those marks in the future. 

An example of a tutorial exercise might be to work through a set of similar past paper questions and their marks schemes, in order to show how certain words, or syntaxes might require a very particular type of answer structure. Furthermore, I might model how to incorporate a key issue or debate into a PEEL paragraph, demonstrating how to get into the top mark band more easily. Once students see these patterns in the questions and understand these rhetorical techniques they start to increase dramatically in exam confidence. Through this targeted approach to tutoring, I will show you a way through the daunting complexity of the subject, giving you strategies for success and helping you embrace a bold new academic identity.