Paul

I have taught A level Economics for over 20 years and been an examiner with a major Examination Board for over twenty years and a Team Leader of examiners for fifteen of those years. I have tutored many students over the years in all the major syllabus e.g. Pearson (Edexcel); AQA; OCR; IB; CIE and WJEC.
I hold a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Economics and Political Science from Oxford Brookes University. I gained this qualification in 1984. I am currently studying for a M.Sc. in Applied Environmental Economics from London University by distance learning.
In addition. I have been a fully qualified teacher in the post compulsory sector (16+) since 2004, being trained on-the-job.

Tutoring Experience

I have taught since experiencing teaching as a foreign language for a small language school whilst retraining as a Web Designer. Since 2003, I have taught or trained teachers continuously and I find the combination of an ever-changing world of Economics and the diverse and interesting insights of students into the subject extremely rewarding. My early training emphasised that every child matters.
I am fully familiar with all aspects of the Pearson Economics syllabus at A level; I have taught all the themes and been an examiner for all three papers. However, I am constantly learning new aspects of the subject and considering how to improve teaching Economics and continually updating my supporting material.
I have also taught or tutored AQA; IB, CIE and Welsh boards Economics.
I have tutored a large number of students over the past 20 years when my employment allowed.
I have taught undergraduates which sometimes requires extra preparation as each institution may have a different approach to aspects of the subject.

Tutoring Approach

I prefer to establish a rule based informal atmosphere with lessons that are structured but adaptive with sufficient variety of material and activities to maintain interest for students and to encourage questions.
As an senior Examiner I have seen the main development in the subject over the past year has been the move to a stricter interpretation of mark schemes and a higher expectation of accuracy in student responses. This means that it is essential that students develop the skill of using evidence-based analysis from an early stage of their learning in economics. This can be aided by modelling responses to questions and sharing examples.
I enjoy creating my own materials and employing these resources to keep the student's subject knowledge up to date. In the pandemic lockdowns, the school I worked in switched to entirely online lessons which meant I could revamp my materials for a modern audio-visual audience which proved to be very positive for the cohorts impacted.
I prefer to tutor online but am happy to visit when this is more convenient for the student.
I work with mainly contemporary materials and exam papers. I specialise in exam skills with a focus on evidence based evaluative essays. Generally, I will set work to be completed during the tutoring which I will assess and give feedback from. I will only mark work that I have set. I use a variety of assessment techniques to identify where the student needs to have more development. Any parents or guardians will be informed of progress at regular intervals.