Michael has a very calm demeanour and the creative writing course he prepared for our son was well organised and goal focused. Our son was highly motivated by Michael’s teaching and his creative writing improved significantly in a short time. We would highly recommend Michael to others.
Michael's biography
Michael is a specialist in the 13+ English entrance exam having helped students to secure their placement at schools such as Harrow, Charterhouse and Brighton College. He also works as an examiner for AQA and the IB, with a specific focus on A Level Literature and the IB internal assessment.
Michael started his teaching career at international schools in South Korea before going on to work at outstanding secondary schools in London. He has eleven years’ experience in helping students to prepare for their exams. Michael has also recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths University.
As an expert 13+ English tutor, Michael’s approach breaks down each question into clear steps that students can practice at home. He provides meaningful resources ahead of each lesson so that parents and students can work together and become familiar with aspects of the exam such as the unseen extract. He also provides paragraph structures that his students easily follow to access the best marks. Michael’s experience, particularly his recent Masters, also gives him some unique insights into the teaching of creative writing. His students appreciate working with him because he helps them to believe in themselves as writers.
Michael’s tutees have gained scholarships to institutions such as Forest School London, Lycee International De Londres and Brighton College. He has also helped his tutees to secure placements at Ardingly College, Sevenoaks, Charterhouse and Harrow to name a few.
Michael has taught all the major exam boards helping students excel in GCSEs, IGCSEs, A Levels and IB examinations. With over seven years’ experience as an examiner for English Literature, Michael is able to show students, particularly those working toward their university applications, how to craft sophisticated and original arguments in their essays. He does this by modelling critical thinking processes that his tutees easily apply to their subject texts. Michael enjoys working with students at an advanced level and his strong emphasis on evaluative and analytical skills helps his tutees to attain their first choice University place.
To further his professional development, Michael has conducted action research projects on academic writing. He understands the value in teaching the transferable skills that apply to subjects such as English and History and is, therefore, equally at home helping students with either discipline.
Michael now lives in Brighton where he enjoys sea-swimming, running on the Downs and writing short stories in his spare time.
IB Experience
Michael is an examiner for the IB Diploma so has an in-depth understanding of the requirements that must be met in order to achieve the top grades.
Michael's availability
Contact Owl Tutors for availability.
School entrance experience
Michael has worked with children aiming to attend the following schools:
English (KS3, GCSE AQA, GCSE Edexcel, GCSE OCR, IGCSE, A Level AQA, A Level Edexcel, A Level OCR, IB Standard Level, IB Higher Level, Undergraduate and ESL)
History (GCSE AQA, GCSE Edexcel, GCSE OCR, IGCSE, A Level AQA, A Level Edexcel, A Level OCR, IB Standard Level and IB Higher Level)
Recent testimonials
I have no hesitation in recommending Michael as an English tutor. In two hours, my son went from hating this subject to feeling confident about how to approach it. He has also asked for more tuition from Michael in the future.