Half-term has arrived and we’re getting ready for a week packed full of expert tuition, group sessions, and mock-exam preparation! Whether you’re boosting your English skills in our group sessions, fine-tuning your Macbeth and English Language Paper 2 knowledge in our mastery webinars or getting ahead with one-to-one sessions, we’re here to help you make the most of the break.
With so many of our Year 11 tutees sitting their second mock exams immediately after half-term, we know that now is the time to sharpen exam techniques and refine responses.
Our English Language Paper 2 webinar on Sunday 23rd February is ideal for this, so don’t miss out! 📚
Half-Term Group Sessions: Let’s Go! 🚀
We’ve been in touch with everyone who has signed up for our February half-term group sessions, outlining how the sessions will work and recommending any pre-reading to ensure maximum benefit. We cannot wait to get started—these sessions are packed with key learning, exam-style questions, and expert guidance!
Key Stage 3: Understanding the GCSE Journey 🎯
Many of our KS3 tutees have spent this week exploring what the AQA English Language and Literature GCSE courses will look like when they begin Year 10. Knowing what’s coming makes a huge difference when it comes to long-term success.
📌 Top Tip: Use the GCSE Assessment Objectives to your advantage!
When you sit your final English exams, the examiners are looking for specific skills—and knowing what these are in advance helps you to fine-tune your responses.
- AO1 – Read carefully and pick out key information.
- AO2 – Analyse how writers use language and structure.
- AO3 – Compare and contrast different texts and their contexts.
- AO4 – Evaluate texts and form your own opinions.
Understanding how you’re being marked is a game-changer!
Key Stage 4 – GCSE Focus 📖
Year 10 – The Changing Character of Dr Jekyll 🧪
As we reach Chapters 5 and 6 of Jekyll & Hyde, we see Dr Jekyll’s personality shift dramatically. Stevenson deliberately makes Jekyll appear calmer, almost as if he has overcome Hyde.
📌 Top Tip: Pay attention to Jekyll’s fake sense of control.
For example:
"I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again."
This religious oath shows his desperation to prove he’s changed—but deep down, the reader knows he’s losing control. Stevenson does this to make Jekyll’s later downfall even more shocking.
Year 11 – Exploring ‘Tissue’ by Imtiaz Dharker 📜
This poem is one of the most misunderstood in the Power & Conflict cluster, but it’s full of rich metaphors about human fragility and power.
📌 Top Tip: Look at how tissue paper is used as a metaphor for conflict and power.
- “The back of the Koran, where a hand has written in the names and histories.” → Shows how delicate human history and identity are.
- “Paper that lets the light shine through.” → Suggests that true power lies in knowledge, not destruction.
This is a deeply philosophical poem—don’t panic! Focus on how Dharker links fragility with strength.
Key Stage 5: Mastering A-Level Revision 📚
If you’re studying AQA A-Level English Language, we highly recommend using The Ultimate Revision Guide for AQA A-Level English Language by Tom Hollins.
📌 Top Tip: Use the practice exam responses in the book as model answers.
- Highlight key phrases that match the mark scheme.
- Break down how the top-level responses analyse texts effectively.
- Use them as a structure for your own essays.
This guide is gold dust for both coursework and exams.
New Course – CV & Interview Mastery 🎤
We’re so excited to launch our two session CV & Interview Mastery Course. Perfect for Sixth Form, College, University or part-time job applications!
📌 Session 1: CV perfection & interview preparation
📌 Session 2: Full mock interview with expert feedback
Boost your confidence and ace your next interview.
Valentine’s Day: Feeling the Love at BA Tuition ❤️🍫
Our friends at Chunk Fudge have delivered once again for Valentine's Day! As well as treating our tutees to more delicious fudge samples over the half-term break, we’re also excited to share an exclusive 20% off voucher code: CHUNKYLOVE20—because nothing says “I love English” quite like a well-structured essay… and a piece of fudge!
And yes, we fully endorse the idea that a little sugar boost can fuel revision and focus (in moderation, of course!)—just don’t try to replace your highlighters with chocolate bars. Trust us, it doesn’t end well.
Funny Flashback – Bradley’s Nightmare Job Interview 🤦♂️
Bradley’s first-ever part-time job interview was at a small electronics store. Thinking he’d impress them; he told them he was "extremely tech-savvy"—only for them to ask him to assemble a printer in real time.
Cue panic.
Instead of admitting defeat, Bradley pressed random buttons, flipped it upside down, and somehow ejected every paper tray possible.
Safe to say, he didn’t get the job. But—lesson learned. He took the feedback seriously, prepared properly for his next interview… and landed a job at Toys R Us! 🎉
Life Outside the Books
Valentine’s Day came early at BA English Tuition, with Arlo somehow managing to present Jemma with a card and flowers (we suspect outside help… given that he’s only two years old). This week, we’ve also been hooked on The Apprentice and the Boyzone documentary (turns out Bradley knows way too many lyrics). Meanwhile, we’re finalising the structure of our Language Paper 2 webinar to give you the best possible prep before mocks.
That’s a wrap for this week! If you haven’t booked in for a Half-Term session, get in there quickly before everything is full!
Stay focused and stay BA....Tuition!
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