Richard

With over fifteen years tutoring French GCSE, IGCSE, A-level, Pre-U, SAT and Westminster and Winchester School candidates, I'm a 53-year old graduate of the excellent University of Sussex languages course with a First Class Honours degree in French and Russian. I lived for four years in Paris where I mastered the language and the accent!

I have also acted in plays in French, taking on the role of Alphonse in a production of The School for Wives, and touring to schools abroad to perform in front of students learning French elsewhere in Europe.

I like to stay abreast of French culture and society, read Le Figaro everyday, and regularly watch French TV news and discussion shows.

Tutoring Experience

I have tutored students at all levels, covering most UK exam boards at GCSE, IGCSE and A-level, and I have also helped prepare students for their SAT in French and the DELF exam. I've taught adults who are complete beginners, or have some vague memories of what they learned at school, as well as helping several students gain entry to Westminster School via their Challenge exam.

I currently have two KS3 pupils, three GCSE students and an A-level student whom I'm regularly helping.

Successes from the last (2022-23) academic year included: three 'A's at A-level (original predicted grades included a 'B' and a 'D'), and an '8' at GCSE (up from a '3' in the January mock exam, after just three months).

For A-level students, I have already taught Albert Camus's L'Etranger, Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse, Delphine de Vigan's No et moi, Joseph Joffo's Un Sac de Billes, François Mauriac's Thérèse Desqueyroux, Azouz Begag's Béni ou le paradis privé, Denis Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste, and Emile Zola's Thérèse Raquin, and am familiar with all the other current set texts as well. Au Revoir Les Enfants, Intouchables, Entre Les Murs (The Class) and La Haine are the films I am best acquainted with from a teaching point of view.

Here are some comments from a few previous students - originals available on request.

'We could not have asked for a better result - A*s! He got full marks for the reading paper. Thanks so much for all your help, and patience.' - Margaret (parent of home-schooled GCSE student)

'Henry won a scholarship to Westminster. Exactly what he was aiming for." (Leslie, student's mother)

'Thank you so much for all your patient hard work - you taught her exactly the right stuff and there is no way she could have done it without you! I really didn't think it was possible to teach the whole year 7 curriculum in a week but somehow you managed it. Tiffin Girls is one of the top state schools in the country and rather competitive. Chatting to the other parents outside the exam, most of the competitors went to good independents or had been tutored over a long period of time. You really knew not only what to teach but how to teach it, which shows you have exceptional skills.' - Anoushka (pupil's mother)

'Just thought I should let you know I got an A! Thanks for all your help' - Helena (A-level student)

'I ended up with an "A"... thanks for all your help, both my spoken papers improved, over my previous efforts.' - Philip, mature student sitting AS and A2 French

Tutoring Approach

It is important to tailor lessons specifically to a student's needs, but my general method is to engage him or her at a level just above their 'comfort zone'. Learning is about challenging yourself to do better, and it is crucial for a tutor to be supportive and encouraging, and also to keep the bar high.

Lessons can be conducted entirely in French, or in a mixture of English and French. I can work alongside a student's existing course (that is, from a textbook a student is already following), or we can use course books that I recommend.

Where the level allows, I like to draw upon material from contemporary sources such as French news magazines.

For 'conversation classes', I find it is useful to base the discussion on an article or a book to help build vocabulary, and also think that incorporating grammar instruction (where appropriate) can be a good idea.