Qasim Mazhar

My teaching is based on 3 core principles; understanding, application & consolidation.

Understanding and memorising content is the foundation to success. By using effective, evidence-based strategies like active recall flashcards, blurting and using condensed key notes, I ensure students understand the content in the most efficient way.

But understanding is only half the challenge, many exams also focus on testing students’ ability to apply that knowledge to unfamiliar contexts. Through targeted practice and extensive past paper analysis, I have helped many students become confident handling difficult application-style questions to maximise their marks.

And finally, consolidation is the key to long-term retention. When working with students, I make sure they’re understanding topics not just during each lesson, but in the long-term with their future exams in mind. This is often the biggest step that most students forget. GCSE and A-level exams demand synoptic knowledge, linking ideas from different topics together which can only happen with thorough understanding of all the content. Using blurting and a personalised consolidation spreadsheet, I ensure there are no holes in any of my students’ knowledge and that they feel confident on each topic not just after having learnt it, but further down the line.