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What parents notice after exam season.
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Hi Reader Now that exam season is drawing to a close, many families find themselves in a strange in-between period. The papers are done. The revision notes are put away. And then comes the waiting. Waiting for results can feel surprisingly unsettling. Without the immediate pressure of exams, there is often finally space to reflect. What went well this year? What felt harder than expected? Where did your child thrive, and where did they struggle? For many parents, this is the point when they start taking stock. They begin noticing patterns: where confidence dipped, where frustration built, and where the right support might have made a real difference. As I’ve been reflecting on this myself, I’ve spent the past few weeks updating the testimonials page on my website, gathering reflections from families I’ve worked with over the years. Some are local families here in Essex. Others are based elsewhere in the UK or overseas. Some are happy to share their names; others prefer privacy. What unites them is not geography, but a shared desire to help their child feel more confident and capable in English. As I read through their comments, certain themes kept emerging. Not just improved grades (though those matter). But confidence. Clarity. Reduced anxiety. The feeling of finally understanding what examiners are actually looking for. Often, students don’t need endless extra work. They need the right explanations, the right strategies, and feedback that helps them understand why something works. If your child has just sat exams, or is moving into Year 10, Year 11, or Sixth Form in September, summer can be an excellent time to reflect and plan ahead. If you’d like to read what other parents and students have said about working with me, you can view the new testimonials page here: I already have several students booked in for September, so availability is more limited than usual, particularly for after-school slots. If you’re wondering whether tuition might help your child next year, feel free to reply to this email or book a free 20-minute consultation. Best wishes, Verity GCSE English Examiner & English Tutor Verity Bell English Tuition |
Verity Bell English Educator
Sign up to my newsletter to receive weekly tips and useful resources to help you to understand what your child needs to do to improve their English grades.
Hi Reader After a lot of planning behind the scenes this summer, I'm delighted to say that my September GCSE English programmes are now open for enrolment. I've spent the last few weeks reviewing this year's teaching, reflecting on my examiner marking and redesigning my programmes to give students even more targeted support throughout Year 10 and Year 11. Year 10 Foundations Book an initial consultation Year 10 is about much more than getting ahead. It's about quietly building the reading,...
Hi Reader If you’re anything like me, summer can feel like a constant balancing act. You want your child to rest, switch off and enjoy the holidays, and rightly so. But there’s often a small nagging worry in the background… What happens if they stop reading and writing altogether for six weeks? As a GCSE English tutor and examiner, I see the effects of this every September. Students return to school feeling rusty. Vocabulary recall is slower. Writing stamina has dipped. Analytical thinking...
Hi Reader I’m deep in exam marking at the moment. That means hours spent reading real student responses and seeing, line by line, what earns marks and what holds students back. I can’t share specific papers or mark schemes, of course, but I can share some recurring patterns I’m noticing. Here are four lessons from the examiner desk this week. Strong ideas are not enough if they are not clearly expressed This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see. Many students genuinely do understand the...