Sarah Said

GCSE English Literature and English Language

I ensure that each lesson is tailored to the student’s needs and the requirement of their syllabus, with a focus on exam technique and content. Ensuring students have a comprehensive understanding of how to approach each paper and what exactly is being assessed, I work with them on an individual basis to address any concerns they may have, helping them to hit top marks and realise their potential.

For GCSE English Literature, I help students to understand and respond to key ideas as well as more subtle and underlying themes in each text, ensuring their analysis is supplemented with appropriate theory and context. I ensure students understand the importance of form, characterisation, and structure in their respective texts. I also mark and discuss practice papers, ensuring they understand how to structure their ideas on the page when writing to hit all points of the given mark scheme. Alongside this, I support them in developing critical and analytical writing skills, as well as an independent tone and personal opinions on the text necessary to achieving top grades. I pride myself on my thorough knowledge of texts when teaching and I am familiar with most texts and poetry anthologies covered in GCSE syllabi.

For GCSE English Language, I help students develop an exam strategy to approach the unseen texts in each paper. I mark and discuss practice papers, ensuring they understand how to structure their ideas on the page when writing to hit all points of the given mark scheme. My lessons are centred around understanding how texts are deliberately structured to make an impact on the reader and helping students identify key ideas, language features and structural techniques. I also support students in developing their prose to suit the demands of paper 1 and paper 2’s creative and non-fiction writing tasks.

A-level/IB English Literature

I help students push for top marks in their English Literature A-level and IB through a system which ensures that they have a thorough understanding of the texts they are studying, and their contexts. This includes formulating their own ideas and interpretations, supported by critical ideas and arguments. I also support them in developing their writing style to ensure that they relay their ideas clearly and confidently. In addition, I make sure students understand the mark scheme and are able to hit the highest points to realise their academic potential.

I pride myself on my thorough knowledge of texts when teaching and I am familiar with most prose, drama and poetry anthologies covered in A-level and IB syllabi. Using this system, I help students achieve results which reflect their hard work and prepare them for further study. Where students are considering applying to university for further study of literature, I am happy to support them in subject exploration across a variety of areas of English Literature and Language, verging on first-year university level content.

IB & A-level Coursework

Coursework offers students the opportunity to develop their academic voice and ideas, and it is an excellent taster for university courses in English Literature. I am especially passionate about this paper for the independence and creativity it allows. I support students in judiciously and creatively choosing texts for comparison, depending on their personal interests, and I ensure their coursework thesis is unique, suitably ambitious, and in an area of genuine interest.

I provide further related reading and discuss how arguments can be strengthened through literary criticism and socio-historical contexts. I also support students in developing their prose so that their ideas are expressed in their best light, as well as helping with academic referencing and the creation of bibliographies. I read drafts and offer detailed feedback in terms of both content and structure.

English Literature and Language Oxbridge Admissions

(Personal Statements; Interview Preparation)

Oxbridge Admissions for English Literature and Language is my area of specialism, from providing support in writing personal statements to interview preparation. This is a highly individual process and is based on each student’s unique interests in literature and language. Through my Oxbridge network, I have built a large collection of resources from previous admission interviews. I am also available for advice regarding college choice, and for general queries about the Oxford education system.

To ensure that students can receive personalised guidance in line with their individual interests, I cap my availability to three students per admissions period.

For personal statements, I guide students when writing their statements based on their individual interests and use those statements to generate thoughtful discussion in preparation for interview. I also recommend further reading to help them deepen their subject knowledge and present as genuinely passionate and well-prepared candidates.

For interview preparation, I work closely with students on their personal statement discussion, practicing tutorial-style academic conversations around their chosen topics and themes. I also support them in unseen text discussion: through my Oxbridge network, I have built a large collection of unseen text resources from previous admission interviews, and I expose students to a variety of texts so that they feel confident dissecting any piece of writing. More generally, I prepare students by researching interviewing tutors’ areas of specialism so that they gain a basic subject knowledge of related topics, while also building their confidence and calming nerves by ensuring they understand what to expect throughout the process.