GCSE and A-Level English lessons with a tutor in Bristol

Finding the Perfect English Tutor in Bristol

Primary and secondary students in Bristol will spend years of their compulsory education with English Language and English Literature classes on their timetable, especially as they head towards their GCSEs, where both subjects are compulsory.

The English Literature classes generally cover the study of English when used as art in stories, poetry, and dramatic works.

English Language classes still include some of these, too, but they tend to cover how we use our language when written and spoken and a lot of analysis of it.

Let's see why studying English is important, the challenges faced by primary and secondary school students in Bristol, how private English tutoring can help them, and where you can find private English tutors.

Why It's Important to Study English

Before we talk about how important literacy is, we have to accept the fact that English as a school subject isn't going anywhere and will be with every student throughout their years in primary and secondary school. The first reason that studying English is important is that you have to. Much like maths and the sciences, it's compulsory and if you want to do well at school, it's one of the subjects that you'll need to focus on because you won't have the option to drop it before you finish your GCSEs.

Aside from the fact that you'll be attending English Language classes in school until you're 16, it is a subject that teaches you a lot of valuable transferrable skills, which is probably why it's a compulsory subject. Monolingual English speakers get almost all of their information from either written or spoken English so it's important that you clearly understand what people mean and what their intent is when reading or listening to them.

The analytical skills in English are also incredibly useful in other subjects, especially the humanities and social sciences. That said, these skills can still help in sciences like physics, biology, and chemistry, too.

Challenges in English

It's probably fair to say that if gaining a solid analytical understanding of the English language was easy, we wouldn't have to study it almost every year we spend in school. English isn't the easiest subject for every student and for some, the fact that it isn't always as clear or quantitative as subjects like maths, physics, chemistry, and biology can make it quite challenging.

When children first start attending primary school, they start learning a variety of subjects and tend to learn that there are right and wrong answers and correct responses get you a point, star, whatever. By secondary school, however, a lot of these concepts are sidelined in subjects like English where answers can be greyer and more qualitative and nuanced. For some students, especially those who've been strictly taught the other way at looking at subjects, this can be difficult to unlearn.

Private English Tutoring

Tutors are a great way to help students struggling with their English Language lessons. While you might think it's down to the school to help them, in some cases, their teacher may not have the time or resources to adequately help them. Some children need to be taught in a different way and a teacher mightn't be able to offer this teaching approach, especially when they have a curriculum to get through and several other children to teach at the same time.

A private tutor can tailor their teaching to the student and the ways they most enjoy learning. You'd be surprised how much a different perspective or explanation can help a student struggling to grasp a given concept. Similarly, we learn much better when we're having fun so if a student doesn't like their teacher or doesn't get on well with them, having a tutor at home that they like and enjoy learning with can really help them with their learning.

That said, tutoring isn't just for students who are struggling. At its core, private tuition is to ensure that any student can reach their full potential by providing them with an ideal learning experience. Gifted students might want to spend more time focusing on their English Language classes in order to get the best possible grades in order to apply to prestigious university degree courses, for example.

It's not just for children, either. If you've decided to get a GCSE or A-Level in English as an adult, a private tutor can help you with your studies. This can be particularly useful if it's been a while since the last time you had to study for an exam and you need help with study techniques and revision.

Finding an English Tutor in Bristol

If you've decided that a private tutor is right for you, you can find English language tutors in Bristol on the Superprof website! After a quick search, you can view each tutor's profile, see what experience they have, how much they charge, the level they teach, and what their previous students had to say about them.

A lot of the tutors on Superprof offer the first lesson for free. These taster sessions are useful as they allow you to try out different tutors before committing to the one that's right for you or your child.

There are many different types of tutors but all of them will offer either face-to-face, group, or online tutorials. Each type of teaching comes with its pros and cons so you might want to carefully consider each.

Being taught in person is particularly helpful for hands-on subjects, but with more academic subjects like English, you can always look for online tutors outside of Bristol if you don't find any available or to your liking.

If you're on a tight budget, group tutorials are a good option as everyone being taught will share the cost of the tutor's time, experience, and expertise. This can also be good for English tutorials as it allows students to engage in discussion with their peers and learn from one another as well as the tutor.

Whether you need help with English, maths, or science, private lessons are a great option!