KB
Katherine Brown
MEd English — GCSE & A-Level Literature Specialist
- English
- English Literature
- Literary Analysis
4.9(178)$48/hr
English tutoring that builds confident communicators
From early phonics to university-level literary analysis, our English tutors don't just help with homework. They build lifelong literacy, critical thinking and communication skills.
- GCSE, A-Level, IB & IGCSE
- DBS-checked tutors
- Free assessment included
90%
of students improve their English grade
The English education crisis: why so many students struggle
English literacy is the gateway to academic achievement, yet reading proficiency has reached crisis levels. The research is just as clear on what works.
- Missed grade 4 in GCSE English Language
- 28.8%
- Nearly one in three did not meet the standard pass required for further education.
- GCSE 2023
- US 8th graders reading at a proficient level
- 33%
- Only one-third of students can read grade-level texts with understanding.
- NAEP 2022
- Extra progress from reading comprehension strategies
- +6 months
- Among the most effective literacy interventions.
- Education Endowment Foundation
- Effect size of one-on-one literacy interventions
- 0.40+ SD
- 0.40 to 0.63 SD, moving struggling readers from the 50th to the 65th–74th percentile.
- Review of Educational Research, 2019
and English unlocks the rest: the same skills carry into every essay subject
English works best alongside reading and writing
Strong English builds on reading fluency and writing practice. Explore our related literacy services to support your child's complete language development.
Reading
Evidence-based reading tutoring covering phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Phonics · Reading Fluency · Vocabulary
See the guideWriting
Master essay structure, grammar, creative writing, and academic composition skills.
Essay Writing · Creative Writing · Grammar
See the guide
English by curriculum
Need help with reading, writing, or both? We offer integrated literacy tutoring that addresses all skills together. Ask about your subject
Taught by English specialists
Every English tutor in our network holds advanced qualifications, is DBS-checked and has proven results helping students improve their English.
Exam board expertise
AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Cambridge, IB—we teach your actual assessment objectives. If your child is studying Edexcel GCSE English Language, they'll work with a tutor who knows Edexcel GCSE English Language inside out.
Evidence-based methods
Structured literacy approaches backed by decades of reading research. We use explicit strategy instruction for reading comprehension, literary analysis, and essay writing—methods research shows actually work.
Progress tracking
Regular assessments and detailed reports keep parents informed. You'll see measurable improvement in reading comprehension, writing quality, and exam performance—not just a feeling.
AM
Alexander Mitchell
PhD Literature — IB Language & Literature Expert
- English
- IB English
- Language Analysis
4.8(124)$55/hr
CR
Chloe Roberts
MA English — Reading Comprehension & Language Specialist
- English
- English Language
- Reading Comprehension
4.9(142)$45/hr
BL
Benjamin Lee
MSc Education — Essay Writing & Analysis Expert
- English
- Essay Writing
- Critical Analysis
4.8(96)$50/hr
What parents and students say
Real results from English students and their parents after working with our tutors.
- Students improve English grade
- 90%
- Average parent satisfaction rating
- 4.9/5
- English students helped
- 2,100+
“My son went from a predicted grade 3 in English Language to achieving a grade 6 on the actual GCSE. His tutor didn't just help him practice exam questions—she taught him how to structure arguments and use sophisticated vocabulary naturally. Life-changing.”
Emma R.
Parent — Year 11 Student, Manchester
Verified
“I always thought I just wasn't 'good at English.' My RootsTutor showed me it's not about natural talent—it's about having the right strategies for breaking down texts and building essays. I went from Ds to As in A-Level Literature.”
Oliver T.
A-Level Literature Student
Verified
“The Individual Oral was my biggest IB stress. My tutor helped me select a strong global issue, choose complementary texts, and structure my 10-minute presentation with confidence. I scored 28/30 and it pulled my final grade up to a 6.”
Sofia L.
IB Language & Literature HL Student, Singapore
Verified
Getting started is simple
One conversation is all it takes. Here's what happens next.
- 1.
Book a free English consultation
We'll assess your child's current reading level and writing skills, review recent test scores and teacher feedback, and discuss exam board requirements and target grades.
- 2.
Get matched with an English specialist
Your child will work with a tutor who specialises in their exact curriculum — GCSE English Language/Literature, A-Level English, IB Language & Literature, or IGCSE. No generalists, only subject experts.
- 3.
Watch their English skills transform
Explicit strategy instruction builds reading comprehension, literary analysis, and essay writing skills. You'll receive progress updates after every session, tracking improvements in grades and confidence.
Common questions about English tutoring
Choosing an English tutor is a big decision. Here are honest answers to what parents ask us most.
Ready to transform your child's English?
Book a free English consultation today. We'll assess your child's current reading level and writing skills, review recent test scores, and create a personalised tutoring plan — with no commitment required.
further reading, for parents who like the detail
English tutoring, in depth
Show or hide the guide
further reading, for parents who like the detail
English tutoring, in depth
What the research says
Reading intervention research provides some of the strongest evidence in all of education. A 2019 meta-analysis in Review of Educational Research found that one-on-one literacy interventions produce effect sizes of 0.40 to 0.63—moving struggling readers from the 50th to the 65th-74th percentile. The Education Endowment Foundation's Teaching & Learning Toolkit identifies several approaches with robust evidence: reading comprehension strategies (+6 months additional progress), phonics (+5 months for early readers), and one-to-one tuition (+5 months).
Results before exams
For older students preparing for high-stakes exams, targeted English tutoring yields dramatic results. Students receiving consistent GCSE English tutoring improve by an average of 1-2 grades. For context, moving from a grade 4 to a grade 5 in English Language—often the difference between meeting and missing sixth form requirements—is achievable with 8-12 weeks of focused weekly tutoring.
Targeted skills, not more practice
Most struggling English students don't need more reading practice—they need diagnostic-driven, targeted skill building. A student who can't analyze metaphor in a poem isn't helped by reading more poems; they need explicit instruction in figurative language recognition, effects analysis, and textual evidence integration. A student who writes repetitive, simplistic essays doesn't need more writing—they need instruction in syntactic variety, vocabulary sophistication, and organizational frameworks.
How our tutors work
RootsTutorServices English tutors are trained to diagnose the specific deficit (phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension strategies, analytical writing, etc.), provide explicit, systematic instruction in that skill, apply the skill to grade-appropriate, exam-relevant texts, and build metacognitive awareness so students can self-monitor and self-correct.
Taught to your exam board
English assessments vary dramatically across exam systems, and teaching "English" generically leaves students unprepared for their actual exams. GCSE English Language (AQA, Edexcel, OCR) requires fiction/non-fiction reading, creative writing, transactional writing, and spoken language endorsement. A-Level English Literature demands independent critical reading, sustained comparison, wider reading beyond set texts, and 3,000-word NEA coursework. IB Language & Literature includes analysis of non-literary texts (advertising, journalism, social media) and exploration of language and identity. Our tutors are specialists in these specific frameworks—teaching the actual assessment objectives, mark scheme criteria, and genre/format expectations your child will face.