Lawrence Explains - Online Academic Tuition

Ready to roll 2026 - let's take this year to the moon guys!

For students and parents February is often the time that people get 'serious' in relation to their exams.

In my own practice, I focus heavily on ensuring GCSE students are well prepared in the core subjects:

English and Maths.

These two subjects will have the largest knock on effect on their future pathways.

Gaining at least a solid pass grade in each is a requirement for 6th form and University.

Here are a few insider tips for students preparing to sit the English Language exam in the coming months.

English Tips:

1. Keep reading (or start reading). The brain is very efficient at processing and absorbing incoming language if you just take the time to sit down and read. Students should read texts they enjoy and find interesting - Detective novels, autobiographies, travel writing and books on science, music or history are all fine.

2. Go back over grammar and punctuation. Many students are still hazy on the fundamentals of grammar and punctuation which impacts on their exam performance. Go over to my Youtube channel if you want to see detailed videos on grammar and punctuation.

3. Familiarise yourself with the format and requirements of the papers. I go through the question style with all students and also look over the examiners reports in detail. All of this helps students to address questions in ways that garner the maximum amount of marks.

We're about to start the run-in to exams - let's make sure we work smart as well as hard.

One group of students consistently gets overlooked at this time of year.

In this video I discuss the UK's forgotten school leavers and how my practice has evolved to assist them academically - and ultimately help them get on the right track in life.

Important group of students that is IGNORED nationally

Congratulations to all GCSE students this year! Some excellent results. Updates to follow!

In this video I discuss the monetary value of the GCSE qualification.

It's a question I spent some time researching a few years ago.

The answer I found surprised me.

What is the monetary value of a GCSE? In this video I discuss some research I did into the monetary value of a GCSE.

In this quick video I discuss a third tip for English GCSE students wanting to make the most of the summer months. The idea is simple: start writing!

Let's go into a little more detail in the video below:

GCSE English summer improvements: tip number 3!

One of the easiest way to boost grades in English is to improve a student's level of grammar.

Most students have a hazy understanding of grammar. This is understandable as it is no longer taught with the same rigour. Unfortunately this leaves students on shaky ground when it comes to writing analytically or creatively.

The great thing about grammar is that it doesn't change so once you learn it, you have it for life.

In this video I discuss the question in a little bit more depth:

Year 9 and 10 students NEED to MASTER 1 thing this summer (it's actually quite easy!)

A simple tip for KS3 and GCSE level students this summer is just to get reading!

A lot of students get put off reading by the kinds of texts that are studied at secondary school.

My view is that in the holidays students should be reading what they actually WANT to read - this can be autobiographies, detective novels or books on history or science. The important thing is that they are READING something!

It's not something that is evident straight away but after a few months students begin to see improvements in their overall level of processing, vocabulary and feel for sentence structure.

I discuss the benefits in a bit more detail in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PqiiM665i4

Looking over some old notes, I realised today that it's close to seven years ago that I did my first online classes. Time has certainly flown by.

As a tutor some things have never changed: personalization, a drive for excellence and positive work relationships are at the core of my practice. Recognizing the uniqueness of each student, their backgrounds, and challenges, I've always enjoyed taking a student-centric approach. By the mid 2010s the opportunities available in online learning were too interesting to ignore. Emphasizing this tailored methodology, I ventured into online tuition in 2016, discovering its potential and subsequently launching Lawrence Explains - Online Tuition in 2018.

Online classes mirror face-to-face sessions, leveraging tools like Zoom and Bitpaper. Sessions follow a structured yet engaging format, ensuring interactive learning. My approach is intensive, limiting sessions to maintain focus while providing extensive feedback and resources.

Transitioning online hasn’t just streamlined logistics but enhanced the quality of tutoring. Eliminating travel time, it offers a professional, dedicated service. It’s a win-win, empowering tutors to offer their best while students benefit from personalized learning, all from the comfort of home.

The teaching practice has expanded my reach within my own home-city of Sheffield, across the UK and in recent years internationally. As I write this post I'm just thinking about tomorrow's classes with students in the Middle East and Portugal. Now time-zones are something I think about on a daily basis. It's an amazing time to be working in education. Who knows what the next innovation will bring - maybe in a couple of years we'll be doing classes in VR headsets from the library of Alexandria or Shakespeare's living room in Stratford!

Congratulations to all of this year's GCSE cohort!

There were some excellent results in the core subjects of English and Maths. We also saw some successful results in the language papers across GCSE, A-level and undergraduate level.

Seeing students improve and reach a high standard in their work, giving themselves a platform for future endeavours is a wonderful way to end the academic year.

It's now time to start the 2022/23 year. Welcome back returning students - it's time to learn!