Help! I Need an A Level English Language Tutor Near Me

17/11/2023 / English Tuition

Taking A level English language is a great choice for students who love to really examine and analyse how language functions. Rather than focusing on fiction and story, the English language A level considers the components of the English language – like phonetics, grammar and vocabulary – and how they work together to shape communication.

However, all of these details can be complex. If you’ve just started an A level English language course, you’re likely hearing a heap of new terminology – prosodics, lexis, morphology and more. Given this intricacy in the English language course, it’s easy to see why students can get overwhelmed.

Fortunately, an A level English language tutor can be a great help for students who are overloaded with work and new terminology. Even for those who are already fans of linguistics, a little extra one-on-one time with a tutor can be just the ticket to boost a B to an A.

But if you’ve been thinking, “I’m ready to start looking for A level English language tutors near me,” what do you do next? How can you be sure you’ll find just the right tutor who can ease your worries and boost your achievement? And what if there aren’t qualified teachers in your area who can tutor A level English language?

Worry not! We’re here to help with a guide to getting just the right A level English language tutor for you.

Step 1: Decide what you need in your tutor

When you’re looking for an A level English language tutor, the first step is to know what you’re looking for.

The most essential requirement is that your tutor has experience and even expertise in teaching A level English language. If you’re going to set aside time in your busy schedule for tutoring, you don’t want to waste that time with a tutor who’s shaky on the details. It’s also no good to have a tutor who understands the material but doesn’t know how to explain it to someone else. A qualified teacher is really the only way to go.

This is even more crucial when you’re looking for tutoring at A level. A level English language covers a lot of specific material – you really need a teacher who has taught this specific content before and understands it inside and out.

Furthermore, since A level English language covers a lot of ground, you might even want to think about any specific areas that you want to focus on. That way, you can look for a tutor who really enjoys and perhaps even has a little extra expertise in those particular areas.

What if you’re not sure which topics or skills within A level English language you need help with? Then it’s good to recognise that too, because it means you need a tutor who can help to analyse your performance and help you to identify your needs.

Topic areas within A level English language

So, what topic areas does A level English language cover?

A level English language specifications vary to some extent according to exam board, so you should check your exam specification to see exactly how you’ll be assessed. Different exam boards can divide up content into topics and components differently.

However, the Department for Education does set out some content required in all A level English language specifications, such as an understanding of the levels of language, ranging from phonetics, phonology and prosodics to pragmatics and discourse.

You’re also required to understand how these concepts are used in different contexts, including varieties of English used in different time periods, locations and social contexts.

Moreover, you’ll need to use your knowledge of the language levels and your analytical skills as you examine texts and perform your own independent investigation of language. Writing skills are an important part of A level English language too – the government wants students to “develop their skills as producers and interpreters of language.”

Deciding on a tutoring focus

This is just a sample of what’s required – for full details, take a look at the Department for Education syllabus and your own exam specification. But hopefully you might already be getting some ideas about where you want your A level English language tutor to focus their energies.

Do you want to start with hashing out what all of these new terms mean? Or are you comfortable with what these terms mean on their own, but not sure how to employ them when you’re looking at a text? Or perhaps it’s this independent language research thing that you really want to put at the centre of your tutoring time.

Whatever you decide, by identifying your needs you’ve already made your first step toward success in finding a great A level English language tutor.

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Step 2: Decide whether you need an online or in-person tutor

Now that you know what qualities are essential in your tutor, it’s time to start searching.

You might be asking yourself: “How can I find a good A level English language tutor near me?”

That’s actually an important question – for a reason you might not expect. Depending on where you’re located, there might not be many teachers within a reasonable distance who know how to tutor A level English language. There might be even fewer who are even available for tutoring or willing to travel to your home to tutor.

That’s why another important question is: “Do I need an A level English language tutor near me, or can I learn just as well online?”

To help you decide, we’ll break down a few pros and cons.

Recordings and resources

If we reflect back on the topics and content within the A level English language specification, there’s really nothing there that requires your tutor to be with you in person. A tutor can explain key terms, discuss analysis of a text and help you with writing just as well virtually. In fact, sometimes online tutoring can allow you to do things that in-person tutoring can’t.

For example, with an online tutor you may be able to record your session, allowing you to use it as a reference throughout your course. That’s fantastic if you want to stay in the moment during your session rather than occupy yourself with writing notes to help yourself remember. Some tutoring companies also offer online platforms that allow you to save collaborative notes – like having an automatic snapshot of the whiteboard from a lesson.

Likewise, sometimes in online tutoring you’ll analyse a text together. But rather than sitting side by side and peering at the same paper, you can both comfortably look at a text on the screen and follow along as you interact with the same text.

More choices

If you’re in a less densely populated area, there might be few people nearby who are qualified to teach English language at A level. If you’re lucky, at least one of them is willing to provide tutoring. Then you have to decide where you’re going to meet for tutoring and who’s going to drive where.

On the other hand, if you’re in a city, there’s city traffic and congestion to deal with. Given the boom of online tutoring, even qualified tutors near you might not be willing to travel because they can tutor just as well online.

In contrast, online tutoring greatly opens up your pool of potential tutors.  That means you don’t have to settle for someone who’s not well qualified or even just an okay fit just because they’re local and willing to meet in person. You have vastly more opportunities to find exactly the right tutor – a qualified teacher who understands A level English language deeply and fits your needs, learning style and more. And you have a higher chance of finding someone who has expertise in A level English language and the specific topic areas you’re focusing on.

Ultimately, when it comes to tutoring, you want the best fit possible. It’s not really fruitful to expend time and effort on tutoring if your tutor doesn’t know the subject matter well or even if you and your tutor just aren’t meshing well in terms of teaching style or personality.

For more information on the pros and cons of both options, read this blog post: English GCSE Tuition: Online Vs In-Person.

Step 3: Secure your tutor

Once you know your goals for tutoring and what you need in a tutor, you can start searching for that perfectly suited tutor.

To do this, you need a company that has access to a wide variety of highly qualified, DBS checked, experienced tutors who understand the UK curriculum.

At Principal Tutors, this is our area of expertise. Our focus is making that fantastic match between each student and a tutor from our broad pool of qualified teachers. When you ask us for an A level English language tutor, you’ll get a tutor who understands UK schooling and the A level English language qualification inside and out.

In other words, we ensure there’s no need to worry about finding your A level English language tutor. Just let us know your needs, and we’ll take care of the rest.

What’s more, we can record lessons at your request, we email each session’s digital whiteboard notes to you automatically, and we provide written feedback after every session. That means you get the maximum benefit from every single session – including resources you can continue to use every time you revise.

What if you have questions or need support? We provide personal customer support by teachers so that you get the answers and feedback you need.

Keen to get started finding your A level English language tutor right away? We’re just a phone call away at 0800 772 0974 – just give us a call to begin the matching process. Or if it’s easier, you can fill out our online form to give us your initial details.