Online GCSE English tutor for Language and Literature
Help with both English GCSEs, fitted to the board your child is sitting and the texts they are studying. Essays and other writing can be sent in for marking between lessons.
- per hour (GBP)
- From £25
- per hour (GBP)
- Free assessment call, the first step
- 15 minutes
- Free assessment call, the first step
- Per lesson, one-to-one on Microsoft Teams
- 1 hour
- Per lesson, one-to-one on Microsoft Teams
- Language, plus Literature
- Two GCSEs
- Language, plus Literature
What your child can study in GCSE English
We teach both English GCSEs, Literature as well as Language, and help with whichever set texts your child’s specification lists. These include:
- Shakespeare
- 19th-century novels
- Modern prose and drama
- Poetry anthologies
Your child’s tutor works from their own board’s specification, and from the assessment objectives it sets.
Boards our tutors teach
- AQA
- Pearson Edexcel
- OCR
- Eduqas
- Cambridge IGCSE
- Pearson Edexcel International GCSE
We also work with international students sitting IGCSE, following the specification and board they are entered for. That includes Cambridge IGCSE and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE, whenever we have a tutor who is a suitable match.
GCSE English exams, board by board
Every major UK exam board is on our list for GCSE English. Below is how each one examines it, as set out in its own specification.
English Language
| Exam | Papers and assessment | Tiers and grading |
|---|---|---|
| AQA GCSE English Language (8700) | Paper 1, Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing, and Paper 2, Writers’ Viewpoints and Perspectives: 1 hour 45 minutes and 80 marks each. | Untiered. Spoken Language is a separate endorsement. |
| Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Language (1EN0) | Component 1, Fiction and Imaginative Writing: 1 hour 45 minutes. Component 2, Non-fiction and Transactional Writing: 2 hours 5 minutes. | Spoken Language Endorsement graded Pass, Merit or Distinction, reported separately. |
| OCR GCSE (9–1) English Language (J351) | Two papers of 2 hours and 80 marks each: Communicating information and ideas; Exploring effects and impact. | Spoken language reported as a separate grade. |
| WJEC Eduqas GCSE (9–1) English Language | Two components, assessing reading of a 20th-century prose text and of 19th- and 21st-century non-fiction, and creative and transactional writing. | Untiered. Spoken Language is reported as a separate grade. |
English Literature
| Exam | Papers and assessment | Tiers and grading |
|---|---|---|
| AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) | Paper 1, Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel: 1 hour 45 minutes. Paper 2, Modern texts and poetry: 2 hours 15 minutes. | Untiered. Closed book. |
| Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Literature (1ET0) | Component 1, Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature: 1 hour 45 minutes. Component 2, 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789: 2 hours 15 minutes. | Closed book. |
| OCR GCSE (9–1) English Literature (J352) | Two papers of 2 hours each: Exploring modern and literary heritage texts; Exploring poetry and Shakespeare. | Closed text. |
| WJEC Eduqas GCSE (9–1) English Literature | Component 1 (Shakespeare; poetry from 1789 to the present day): 2 hours. Component 2 (post-1914 prose or drama; 19th-century prose; unseen poetry): 2 hours 30 minutes. | Untiered. Closed book. |
International GCSE
| Exam | Papers and assessment | Tiers and grading |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500) | Paper 1, Reading: 2 hours. Then either Paper 2, Directed Writing and Composition (2 hours), or a coursework portfolio. | Grades A*–G (syllabus for exams in 2027–2029) |
| Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475) | From 2028: Paper 1, Poetry and Prose, then either Paper 2, Drama and Unseen, or coursework. Set texts may be taken into the exam room. | Grades A*–G (syllabus for exams in 2028–2030) |
| Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A (4EA1) | Component 1: 2 hours 15 minutes. Then either Component 2 (1 hour 30 minutes) or coursework. | Optional spoken language endorsement, reported separately. |
| Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (4ET1) | Component 1: 2 hours. Then either Component 2 (1 hour 30 minutes) or coursework. | Component 1 closed book; Component 2 open book, with unmarked set texts. |
In a “closed book” exam, students cannot bring their set texts with them, so they need to know the texts well.
Taken from each board’s published specification, which every exam name links to. Specifications change from time to time, so check the one your child’s school follows.
Common sticking points
English Language
- Unseen text analysis
- Picking out relevant evidence
- Explaining the effects of language and structure
- Creative writing
- Questions that ask for evaluation
- Structuring longer answers
- Managing time in the exam
English Literature
- Building an analytical argument
- Using quotations well
- Analysing form, structure and language
- Bringing in context
- Comparing texts, including poems, where the specification asks for it
- Going beyond retelling the plot
- Keeping a clear argument going through a whole essay
Our approach to GCSE English
Arguments, not memorised essays
Rather than learning model essays by heart, your child learns to build an argument and explain it.
For Literature
Your child learns to pick apart quotations and reach their own interpretations, then adapt them to whatever question comes up.
For Language
Your child practises with texts they have not seen before, then writes responses of their own, with a close eye on what the assessment objectives reward and on exam timing.
GCSE English: what parents tell us
- GCSE English
“We wanted extra support with English Language and essay writing. The sessions have helped my daughter organise her ideas, understand exam questions and approach her work with much less anxiety.”
Rebecca T., Parent of a Year 11 student
- GCSE English Literature
“English Literature used to feel overwhelming for my daughter, especially analysing quotations and structuring essays. She now has a much clearer approach to answering questions and feels more prepared for her exams.”
Kei S., Parent of a Year 11 student
- GCSE English Language
“The extra English tuition has been really helpful with creative writing, punctuation and improving the quality of written answers. My son is more organised in his work and has a better understanding of what examiners are looking for.”
Eugene P., Parent of a Year 10 student
Real reviews, shared with each reviewer’s permission. Read how we check them. Results vary by individual. Outcomes depend on attendance, effort, homework completion and exam conditions. No grades are guaranteed.
Find the right GCSE English tutor
Free 15-minute assessment call. We reply within 24 hours.
Your child’s tutor
- Your child gets one tutor, matched to them from our team, who teaches all of their lessons.
- Every tutor teaches in their own specialism and has relevant academic and/or teaching experience.
- Every tutor holds an Enhanced DBS certificate with a Children’s Barred List check.
Our English tutors cover Language as well as Literature. Who is available comes down to the board, the set texts and each tutor’s timetable.
What lessons look like
How long, and how often
Each lesson is an hour long.
Most students take a lesson or two each week, and some may need more as their exams get close. Together we set a timetable that fits your child’s goals, the times they are free and the rest of their workload.
We teach 09:00–21:00 UK time (Europe/London), seven days a week.
On Microsoft Teams
Lessons are on Microsoft Teams. Your child’s tutor explains ideas on the Teams whiteboard, shares their screen for worked examples, and goes through questions with your child. We do not record lessons.
Essays marked between lessons
Between lessons, your child can email essays and other writing to their tutor. Each piece is marked, and the feedback looks at what it says, the quality of the analysis, how it is structured, how evidence is used, exam technique, accuracy, and how far it meets the assessment objectives. Where it helps, the feedback is talked through in the next lesson.
Homework and practice
After each lesson the tutor usually sets 15–30 minutes of homework. That could be exam questions, a worksheet, practice questions, a short recall task or work that reinforces the lesson.
The amount can go up or down once we have talked it over with you both. The tutor reviews what comes back and decides from it what to revisit.
What we teach from
What tutors teach from:
- Past papers
- Questions and materials published by the exam boards
- Learning resources found online
- Resources from Virtus Academy, when they help
- Worksheets and materials your child’s tutor creates
- Anything else that suits the specification and level your child is working at
Materials are picked to fit the exam board and tier your child is sitting, and the areas they most need to work on.
Keeping you in the picture
You get updates on progress, as often as suits you and your child. An update can include:
- Topics covered so far
- Strengths they are showing
- Where more practice is needed
- Whether homework is getting done
- How their exam preparation and technique are coming along
- What comes next
What it costs, and the free call first
We set the rate by what your child needs: where they are now, the grade they are aiming for and how much needs teaching again. It is confirmed after the free assessment call.
Every price is in pounds sterling (GBP), and payments are made in GBP.
During the free call, which lasts 15 minutes, we learn how things stand for your child today and what they are hoping for. We cover:
- Which year they are in, and the level they are working at
- Which subject, and which exam board
- Tier (Foundation or Higher), if the subject has tiers
- What comes easily, and what they struggle with
- Results from recent tests or exams, if you have them to hand
- The grades and exam goals they are aiming for
- How they learn best
- When they are free, and how many lessons would suit them
Not sure where your child needs help? The call is there to pin down where tutoring will make the biggest difference.
Questions about GCSE English
Do you cover Language and Literature?
Yes, both of them.
Will the tutor know my child’s set texts?
Yes, subject to tutor availability. We look for a tutor familiar with the board your child is sitting and the texts on it, and pair them up.
Will you mark essays?
Yes. Written work can be sent between lessons for marking.
Is it all about memorising quotations?
Having key quotations ready is useful for Literature. Lessons go further, though: really knowing the text, working with evidence and constructing an argument, so your child is ready for whatever the question asks.
My child finds essay structure hard. Can you help?
Yes. The tutor breaks structure into steps and practises planning answers and developing them with your child, before they move on to writing exam-style answers alone.
For lessons, cancellations and payment in general, see our FAQs page.
Find the right GCSE English tutor
Free 15-minute assessment call. We reply within 24 hours.