Ollie Hands

Over the past 4 years, I have tutored over 20 students at secondary school, GCSE, A-Level and IB levels in Biology. Following the completion of my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences in July 2024, I spent a year teaching and tutoring both in the UK and internationally in Luanda, Angola. These experiences have only boosted my knowledge and passion for tutoring.

My sessions last for 1 hour, with the potential to have a block of multiple sessions in one day. My recommendation, based on my experience, is 2 sessions per week for GCSE students and 3 sessions per week for A-level or IB students, however this is dependent on the student’s current level and desired grades.

In my first session, I discuss which areas of Biology the student is having difficulty in and plan a schedule to provide and integrated knowledge of the subject.

Each subsequent session follows the same overall plan. First, I provide exam style questions to consolidate learning from the previous session. Then, we look at a strengthening a different aspect of the learning through discussions around the topic; I also consistently ask questions of the student to expand their knowledge and ensure links between topics and areas are being made as my experience shows this is the best way ti make progress in Biology . At the end of each sessions I will do an overview of what we’ve covered and any suggest additional reading or work they may want to do before the next session. Exercises or mini quizzes can be provided based on the students needs and goals.

Overall I have had great successes when tutoring these past four years, with all student who have followed my recommendations and tutoring plan seeing tangible results in increased grades, with several achieving beyond what they had originally believed possible.

I hope to help many more students improve and consolidate their knowledge of biology and potentially pass on some of my passion for the subject in doing so.