Annabelle Gauntlett

I combine my academic achievements—top A** grades in English Literature and Language—with my career as a three-time award-winning journalist to offer students both exam success and practical writing skills.

Over the years, I’ve worked with the BBC, Edinburgh Evening News, The Scotsman, The Metro, and Highland News and Media, developing expertise in storytelling, critical analysis, and effective communication. I’ve also taught Digital Journalism across the UK with the BBC Young Reporter Scheme, which gave me invaluable experience in making complex skills engaging and easy to understand for young learners.

My approach to tutoring is personalised and adaptable, because every student learns differently. I take the time to get to know how you learn best, and then design lessons around your strengths and struggles. For example:

• If you find creative writing daunting, we might start with exercises that feel fun and accessible—like rewriting the ending of your favourite TV show, writing diary entries from a character’s perspective, or using prompts based on your hobbies (e.g. football, gaming, or music) to spark ideas. From there, I’ll show you how to build structure, atmosphere, and style so your writing is examiner-ready.

• If poetry or literature analysis feels overwhelming, we’ll break it down into manageable steps. I often use colour-coded annotation to highlight techniques, mind maps to link themes, or even comparisons to modern songs, films, or TikToks to make classic texts feel more relatable. This helps students move beyond memorisation and towards genuine understanding.

• For those who get overwhelmed by lots of text or old English, I bring in visual learning techniques like flow charts to track storylines, diagrams to simplify character relationships, and imagery to explain figurative language. This turns what might feel like “walls of words” into clear, memorable takeaways.

• When it comes to the basics, I make sure every student masters the foundations. We’ll cover tools like alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, metaphors, personification, and imagery—then practise weaving them into essays. Understanding these techniques doesn’t just tick boxes for examiners; it helps students see how writers build meaning, making their own analysis sharper and more confident.

I also like to use interactive exercises to keep lessons fresh and engaging. That might be comparing two unseen extracts in a timed “mini challenge,” building essay introductions together step by step, or creating quick-fire “spot the technique” games. These activities help students apply skills under pressure while making learning less intimidating.

What makes my teaching different is that I don’t just prepare students to pass an exam—I help them find their own voice in writing and analysis, and give them confidence in skills they’ll use for life. Whether that’s crafting a strong essay argument, explaining an idea clearly, or simply enjoying a poem they once found confusing, my goal is to make English feel achievable, creative, and rewarding.