If you are looking for an IGCSE English tutor in Abu Dhabi, a good place to start is the work your child has already done. A recent essay can show whether it answers the question and whether the ideas are clear enough to follow. The exact course matters too, because English Language and English Literature are not the same qualification.
What may be affecting the English grade
- The essay may be answering a different question from the one that was asked.
- The ideas may be there, but the sentences make them hard to follow.
- One way to judge tutoring is to look at what a lesson does with your child’s own writing.
- There is more than one IGCSE English course, and the one your child follows matters when choosing help.
Your child’s English grade does not show what they understand
An English grade is based on the work that was marked. It cannot include an explanation your child gave out loud or an idea they meant to write. This can leave a gap between what a parent hears at home and what ends up on paper.
The useful question is what the essay itself shows. Does it answer the question that was asked? Are the ideas clear enough for the reader to follow? The next two sections look at each one.
The essay may not answer what the question is asking
In an analytical essay, the question asks your child to do more than retell what happens in the text. The answer may need to look closely at a word, an image or the way the text is put together, and explain why it matters. A paragraph that retells the story may show knowledge of the text without doing that job.
Close analysis stays with the writer’s choices. It picks a phrase, names what the writer has done and explains how that backs up the answer. The explanation does not need long words or a list of techniques, but it does need to return to the question.
Try the two-colour paragraph check
- Choose one paragraph from a recent English essay.
- In one colour, underline the parts that describe what happens or repeat what the text says.
- In another colour, underline the parts that explain a writer’s choice of word, image, form or structure and why it matters.
- Compare the colours. If the first colour dominates, that may be a clue that the paragraph is retelling. The second colour shows where analysis is present.
Colour balance is only a clue. One paragraph cannot measure your child’s grade, the whole essay, planning, timing, or how they would perform across a full paper.
How Laurie puts close analysis first
So the close analysis is always the priority. And if you do make a historical point, try not to make it too vague.
Laurie, English tutor
Laurie used this distinction while discussing how to build an English Literature essay.
Does your child understand the text but struggle with the essay?
If the essay describes the story without explaining the writer’s choices, an English tutor can work through the writing one paragraph at a time. Tell us what your child needs help with and we will come back to you by email.
Tell us about your childYour child has the ideas but struggles to write them clearly
Your child may explain an idea clearly out loud and then struggle to turn it into a sentence. Long sentences, guessed punctuation or a half-remembered term can make the point hard to follow.
In one recent GCSE English lesson, the tutor stopped to explain polysyndeton, the use of several connectives in a row, then went back to the text. In another lesson, the tutor used the student’s own sentences to work through colons and semicolons, and explained that it would take practice over several weeks.
None of this proves why any one grade is lower than expected. It shows how an English lesson can work on the sentence as well as the idea.
You may not know what your child would get from an English lesson
It is fair to ask what an English lesson would give your child. One place to start can be their own writing. A tutor can read a paragraph with your child, ask what the question was looking for, and rebuild the paragraph with them. The tutor can also set homework and go through it in a later lesson, so your child gets feedback on the work.
Lessons at Greenhill Academics run online, in a shared classroom where the tutor and your child write on the same page and talk as they go.
Inside the online classroom
A Greenhill Academics online lesson recorded live on the shared whiteboard. English lessons use the same online format.
Will an IGCSE English tutor in Abu Dhabi know your child’s English course?
IGCSE English is not one course. Your child may follow English Language, English Literature or both, with Pearson Edexcel or Cambridge International. The texts, papers and grading depend on the exact course.
What helps is the name of the course and the exam board. If you can tell us those, we can consider them when matching, and the tutor can use texts and questions from the course your child is studying.
If you are unsure, your child’s school should be able to confirm the course and exam board before tutoring starts.
Which IGCSE English course is your child studying?
Tell us whether your child studies English Language, English Literature or both, and include the course or exam board if you know it. We can consider that information when matching.
Share your child’s courseFrancesca and Laurie teach GCSE and IGCSE English
Francesca graduated from Oxford with a 2:1 in English and has been tutoring since 2017. She teaches GCSE and IGCSE English Language and Literature, as well as A Level English Literature.
Laurie graduated from Oxford with a Double First in English and has more than a decade of tutoring experience. He teaches GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB English.
Find out which English tutor could work with your child
Francesca and Laurie teach GCSE and IGCSE English online. Send us your child’s course and the support they need, and we will let you know by email who may be available.
Ask about tutor availabilityWhat parents ask before starting IGCSE English tutoring
How are GCSE and IGCSE English different?
Both qualifications are taken at the same stage, but the texts, papers and grading depend on the exam board and course. Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English courses use 9 to 1 grades, while some Cambridge IGCSE English courses use A* to G.
How does my child’s IGCSE English course affect tutor matching?
Tell us the course and exam board your child follows so that information can be considered when matching. In lessons, the tutor can use texts and questions from the course your child is studying.
Can one tutor help with both English Language and English Literature?
It may be possible. Francesca teaches both IGCSE English Language and Literature. Whether one tutor can cover both depends on your child’s courses, the support they need and tutor availability.
Can lessons use my child’s own essays and schoolwork?
Yes. A tutor can work through your child’s own writing, including a full essay or an individual sentence. The tutor can also set homework and review it in a later lesson when that would help.
When should my child start working with an IGCSE English tutor in Abu Dhabi?
There is no single starting point that suits every child. You may decide to start after a lower-than-expected grade, after reading feedback on an essay or as an exam approaches.
Get help improving your child’s IGCSE English grade
Tell us which English course your child is studying and what they want to improve. Complete the enquiry form and our team will reply by email.
Enquire about IGCSE English