Giles Gough English Tuition

04/06/2026

Lang Paper 2 tomorrow. The last GCSE English exam.

Remember:

Take a breath after reading the inserts. Sometimes, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. You're so busy looking for language techniques, you miss the tone of the writing. How does it 'feel'?

Questions 2 and 4 need to have quotes from both sources. If you only do one, your marks will be restricted, no matter how good the answer.

Pay attention to the FORMAT of the writing question. Is it a letter? Is it an article or speech? Write in such a way that you show that you know what format you're writing in.

Last push now. You've got this.

18/05/2026

LIT PAPER 2 EXAM TOMORROW!

A few pro-tips:

1) 'An Inspector Calls' is set in 1912 (the Edwardian era) but written in 1945 (post-war era). Check out my Youtube series on 'An Inspector Calls' as well.

2) At this point, trying to remember quotes for the poems will be overwhelming. Pick 6 (3 war poems, 3 not) and memorise quotes from them. Just make sure you know the context for the rest.

3) For Unseen Poetry, use this method in my video until you find something interesting to say. https://youtu.be/EUl8t1J_sa0

Go over your quotes. Double check your techniques. Get a good night's sleep.

YOU'VE GOT THIS.

In this video, we look at Unseen Poetry, the scourge of many student's lives. The good news about unseen poetry is, you don't have to know absolutely everyth...

11/05/2026

LIT PAPER 1 EXAM TODAY!

A few pro-tips:

1) If you're talking about people in the time Macbeth was written, it's the 'Jacobean era', if it's Romeo & Juliet it's the 'Elizabethan era'. If you're absolutely stumped, called it 'Shakespearean times.

2) Always recycle the question to show the examiner you're definitely engaging with the task.

3) Save time for proofreading! Quality not quantity.

Knock 'em dead tigers!

08/04/2026

To all the GCSE students on Easter break...

Enjoy this time. Take a beat. Breathe deeply. Touch some grass.

When you come back, this is a good indication of what your rooms will need to look like. This is where I prepped to do my GCSE maths equivalency test back in 2007. Because I was 3 marks off a C in 1999, I had to sit a numeracy test just to get onto my PGCE course.

It was hard, it was scary. But I knew that if I got my head down for the next few weeks, it would pay huge dividends and I would never have to think about it again. It was tough because I associated maths with failure. I'd always tried so hard, and gotten nowhere.

I got 99% in that GCSE Maths equivalency test. It's probably the academic achievement I'm most proud of.

If you hate English, that's fine, I don't blame you. Not everyone had me to teach it to them ;-)

But over these next few weeks, if you just dig deep, you might just find yourself achieving something you never thought possible.

26/01/2026

If your kids are having trouble with their literature essays, trying to remember what hoops to jump through, show them this video.

I unpack the technique that has helped all my tutees get success in the English literature essays. It's also a good indication of my teaching style as well!

Are you tired of P.E.E? Is it working for you?What about PETAL? PETZL or any of the others? Still seem a bit vague.Here's my version, reverse engineered from...

09/09/2025

I taught Rand from year 6 to year 11, a lot longer than most of my students. She started off as a tiny little speck of a thing afraid to say a single thing, to becoming a fantastic writer who has a style and flourish all of her own. When I found out she got a 9 in English I was proud, but not a bit surprised!

21/08/2025

All the best to all my students today! Let me know how you got on!

03/07/2025

Watching students' confidence grow is one of the perks of the job!

06/06/2025

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR LAST ENGLISH EXAM TODAY! You've all so hard!

21/05/2025

Had a lovely surprise for my last session with a student. She got me these little presents as a thank you! I love Taylor Swift as much as I love Shakespeare so this gift really made me smile and it was lovely to hear that 'Othello' is one of her favourite plays! (It's one of the bangers after all).

What a great day!

(I will shortly be recruiting for new students, and if you get in quick, you will have a much greater choice of time slots!)